BBOWT explains what wildlife to look out for near you in March, as birds and bees emerge from winter hiding places

A collective sigh of relief goes out on March days when the sun emerges from its hiding place and the temperature reaches double digits, writes Logan Walker from the Berks,

As the season turns, look and listen out for nature’s heralds of spring which tell us that winter is passing and brighter days are ahead.

Birds belting out

The chiffchaff, a little brown bird named for its distinctive ‘chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff’ song, is a welcome sign that spring is arriving.

One of the first migrants to return from Africa, some birds are even starting to spend the winters in the UK as the weather becomes milder.

They’re very similar in appearance to willow warblers so their song is the best way to tell them apart.

Listen out for them in woodlands, parks and areas of scrub.

Another bird to brave the journey from warmer African climes is the tiny brown-and-white sand martin, the first of the swallow-like birds to return to the UK.

From March onwards, you can spot these minute birds swooping over lakes and reservoirs, such as Hosehill Lake near Reading, feeding up on insects such as gnats and other flies.

Soon, the sand martins will start to make their nests, digging burrows in steep, sandy cliffs, usually around water – their scientific name, riparia riparia, means ‘riverbank’ in Latin – these tunnels can be up to a metre long!

Sand martins aren’t the only birds with nesting in mind.

Famous as friendly visitors to our gardens, robins are actually extremely territorial and will defend their nesting sites aggressively.

Over the coming weeks, the male will allow a female into his territory, where she will then set up a nest of dead leaves, moss and hair.

While ivy and other shrubs are their natural choice, nests often crop up in the oddest of places, such as plant pots, old wellies and shelves!

Blackthorn blossom

Unusually for many trees, the blossom on blackthorn appears before the leaves, giving rise to the phrase ‘blackthorn winter’ when hedgerows are filled with blossom which can look like a covering of snow.

Blackthorn is an important plant for wildlife throughout the year.

The delicate white flowers are a useful source of nectar for insects in early spring, the thorny branches are ideal places for birds to safely nest, and young blackthorn is essential for the rare brown hairstreak butterfly, which lays its eggs there.

Later in the year sloes, the blackthorn’s fruit, provide food for birds.

Buzzing for spring

This is the time of year when queen bumblebees, who have spent the entire winter hiding safely underground, emerge from their holes.

Among the first species to emerge are the aptly-named early bumblebee and the common carder.

The first thing the queens do on emerging is find spring flowers such as snowdrops, crocuses or daffodils, and drink as much nectar as they can.

They will need the energy; the next thing they have to do is find a suitable nest site – often a disused mammal burrow – and start building their nest and laying the first of many eggs.

A springtime walk through Bowdown Woods near Newbury is a fantastic way to spot some bees.

Just to keep you on your toes, bee-flies are a group of true flies (like bluebottles and house flies) that have evolved yellow and orange fur which mimics bumblebees.

In March they are among the first flying insects to appear on sunny days, hovering in front of primroses and drinking nectar like tiny hummingbirds.

Listen out for the high-pitched whine produced as they flap their wings hundreds of times per second.

For more information on where to see wildlife near you and how to help nature on your patch, visit the trust’s website: bbowt.org.uk