Yesterday I heard my first Cuckoo of the year, however, that was in Wareham!
Having been away for a week it was great to see the flush of Cowslips in the Meadows. In addition, some many Early Spider Orchids have become much easier to see as they had grown taller and are showing more flowers. At the Hay Rake there were easily fifty plus such flowers as well as Milk Wort and Horseshoe Vetch. Quite why there was a group of three vacant Banded Snail shells together I knew not. Snails can apparently live two to seven years in the wild and upon dying their bodies decompose long before their shells do. Upon the Common Wares a shell-less mollusc was seen, it being a Black Slug looking like a juicy piece of liquorice!
Upon the North facing side of Saxon Field I was delighted to find a cluster of the dwarf Adders Tongue fern out in short sward. On the western boundary a butterfly fluttered beside the dry-stone wall, when it stopped it revealed itself as a Wall Brown. It paid not interest to the cluster of Bluebells alongside! Where the ground had been previously poached by cattle there was Tufted Vetch, Burdock, Old Man’s Beard and Dock colonising the ground. Nearby the tiny yellow propeller flowers of Cross wort were out. Whitethroats called from the scrub.
Alongside the drove Pale Fax, Black Medic and Yellow Oxalis were out. Amongst the hedgerows off white flowers of Elder were open. The small copse Ash Trees had a few flowers springing open but were well behind the neighbouring Sycamores’ development.
Meandering back, I passed a Kestrel hovering near Saxons “soggy sycamore corner”. A Swallow briefly swept over South Field before I went to the wildlife pond. At least half a dozen Smooth Newts and one Dragonfly Larvae were in the water whilst two Water Measurers raced upon the surface film.
Do not forget the Great Dorset Beach Clean this weekend. For Swanage wee meet on Saturday at 10am by the Bull& Boat.