A Spring-like Day

Spring is not quite here yet, but it certainly felt like it today as the temperature reached 13.0°C. With bright sunshine and light winds, there were quite a few insects flying about, including my first Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax and Yellow Dung Flies Scathophaga stercoraria of the year.

I also added two more bird species to my year list with both Song Thrush and Greenfinch recorded in Broadcroft Quarry Butterfly Reserve, where there were also a pair of Stonechats overwintering.

Quite a few flowering plants were noted, with the following being either in bloom or about to burst into flower:

Alexanders Smyrnium olusatrum

Blackthorn Prunus spinosa

Common Daisy Bellis perennis

Common Dandelion Taraxacum officinale

Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna

Lesser Celandine Ficaria verna

Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus arvensis

Primrose Primula vulgaris

Wild Cherry Prunus avium

Wild Garlic Allium ursinum

Below are a few photos from this afternoon:

A male Stonechat and his..............

...............mate overwintering in the butterfly reserve.

A few of the Hawthorns Crataegus monogyna are in leaf and this one I came across in Broadcroft Quarry Lane is about to flower.

This is the privately owned Piper PA-28-181 Archer III, registration N787CE, registered to Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc. Trustee. It is on its way from Henstridge airfield (Somerset) to Guernsey. More on this aircraft here and here.

This is the British yacht "Zig Zag" making its way into Weymouth Bay. That is as much information as I could find on this vessel.

This was one happy dog, as Ted stretches those legs.