9th March - Word On The Street, You've Got Something To Show Me

This will be one of those rare posts that come without photographs to back up the sightings, but I felt it necessary to capture the record.  After the gloom and drizzle of last night the skies cleared in the morning today and the temperatures soared, well soared by March standards, reaching 16 degrees this afternoon.

As a result, and not surprising there was a rush of butterflies.  First off was a rapid male Brimstone that went all around the garden, and away over the hedge.  Next as I looked out at lunch time a Small Tortoiseshell did very much the same, then later on I found a Peacock sitting on the patio in the sun, but was then gone when I came back with the camera.

The Brimstone was the second earliest I have seen in Four Marks, the earliest being on the 7th March in 2014.  But for the Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock, these are the earliest sighting.

With it being so spring like there was bird song everywhere.  The most dominant being the Song Thrush, but there was also Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Great Tits very much in full voice.

It is not far off now.