Buzzards and Brimstones

 Just over two weeks ago from today Crow Wood was covered in snow and the frozen ground could bear the weight of my truck using the tracks inside to collect logs. Then the weather changed, the ground unfroze and the track returned to its previously muddy state. Even more recently the sun has come out and stayed out, the sudden rise in air temperature producing an almost observable reaction from the wood's flora and fauna. Every visit there has produced something new. The regularly seen Buzzards have got noisier and more active, seeking out territories and mates. Even the mouse like Treecreeper with its squeaky whistle of a voice has been proclaiming its readiness for raising a family. It is a sparrow sized bird that does what it says on the tin - creep about the trunks of trees and branches looking for food and a place to nest. A few years ago a pair nested behind one of the wooden panels of our shed but, when they can find them, they prefer gaps under bark and small crevasses on old trees. They are hard to spot most times during the year, except on still days in early Spring when their calls can be heard.

Common Buzzard over Crow Wood

The mouse-like Treecreeper with its decurved beak designed for hunting in and under tree bark

One of the first signs of warmer days and therefore the end of winter is the appearance of the Brimstone butterfly. This species is one of the first to emerge and to be seen on the wing. The males are a bright yellow and with their scalloped wings, they are an easy species to recognise. They spend all winter in hibernation as adults, tucked away under dense foliage and emerge on warm days looking to find a partner to mate with. Each emerging individual is already around 11 months old having been laid as an egg the previous May or June. Butterflies use a variety of strategies to survive the winter months. Some over-winter as eggs or caterpillars, others as pupa. A small number like the Brimstone do so as adults. Usually an active butterfly this individual allowed me to approach to within two or three feet as it lay on its side to absorb as much heat as it could from the February sun; a behaviour I have never observed before.

signs of the Bluebells to come

The male Brimstone resting at ninety degrees to the sun to absorb as much heat as it can.

With the first Snowdrops coming into flower and the first leaves of Bluebell appearing thorough the dead leaves, the wood is suddenly looking a lot less wintry.