Spring surge, Easter Monday, 17th April 2017

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Most naturalists, especially birders seem to start looking for signs of spring in darkest February, and of course nature is thinking about the rising temperatures, and longer hours of daylight, but it's still winter, then the first green shoots appear maybe the first Brimstone, Sand Martin and is that Chiffchaff "new in" or a wintering bird....

Well the past ten days have seen a surge in the appearance of the real spring with decent arrivals of Swallows, my first House Martin, Sedge Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler and a few Sandwich Terns. The Common Shelduck have been displaying all week the males play a "king of the castle" routine with head bobbing and calling.




Whilst I haven't seen a Brimstone "on patch" I have seen Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Speckled Wood.

On the flora front, from one spike of Green-winged Orchid there are now hundreds in flower in F3 alone, as well as Wild Pansy, and Heath Dog Violet.


Green winged Orchid, Anacamptis morio


When I first noticed a different Viola growing in F3 yesterday evening It meant getting down and close to correctly identify one of a variable family of flowers. The bright blue flower, the distinctive yellowish and blunt "spur" and the shape of the leaves made me think Heath Dog Violet, Viola canina, then I checked the distribution map which shows a presence in South Wales along the coast but not a wide distribution putting an element of doubt in my mind, some quick correspondence with the county botanical recorder soon had my identification confirmed,... "not uncommon on dry dunes in Carmarthenshire."  Establishing the accurate identification of any plant or animal is important if the data collected is to be meaningful for the management of the area, no shame in checking.
Heath Dog Violet, Viola canina

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