SPECIES TO LOOK OUT FOR
Buff-tailed bumblebee
Individuals spotted in February or March will all be recently emerged queens. It is their buffcoloured tail for which the species is named; confusingly, the workers have white posteriors. There is also a yellow collar, with another yellow band on the abdomen.
Comma
Wings open, the comma butterfly stands out from the crowd, thanks to its ragged profile with an intricate orange-andblack pattern. But once its wings have closed, its greys, tans and browns perfectly resemble a dead, mouldy leaf. The wing undersides also have a curious commalike mark. In March, any individuals seen will have overwintered as adults.
Woodcock
This bird’s beautifully mottled and barred, reddish-brown plumage makes it nigh-onimpossible to spot while on the woodland floor – until flushed, that is. The best way to catch up with this secretive species is during its ‘roding’ flights in spring, when males patrol their woodland territory on owl-like wings at dawn and dusk.
Buzzard
Now Britain’s commonest raptor, the buzzard is the archetypal large bird of prey. It is identified by broad, rounded wings with short, fingered primary feathers and a stubby, fanned tail. When seen soaring, the wings are also held in a shallow and distinctive ‘V’. Listen out for the birds’ mewing ‘peee-uu’ call, heard regularly in spring.
Goshawk
Resembling a turbocharged sparrowhawk, the female goshawk, who is larger than her mate, can reach almost buzzard proportions. Look out for the broad, rounded wings and long, fanned tail as pairs ‘sky dance’, which entails fluffing out their white undertail feathers, while flapping slowly on straight wings, before then rising and falling dramatically.