A change is in the air!

Spring seems to have been a long time coming this year, but I think we are now in severe danger of having reached it!

I saw a nice selection of flowers out today, including some particularly violet-coloured violets, here's one of them...

I love the veins in the petals on violets.

There was lots of bird activity too with meadow pipits streaming north back to their breeding grounds, as well as flocks of golden plover also heading back to Scandinavia to breed, UK goldies are already back on their breeding grounds, so any moving at this time of year are heading further north. Many skylark, yellowhammer and corn bunting were singing on the downs, there was even a passing swallow or two!

Insects are starting to stir as well, I saw brimstone and small tortoiseshell butterflies and a selection of ladybird. There were good numbers of seven-spot ladybirds as well as this chap...

two-spot ladybird

A little smaller than the seven-spots and always nice to see!

Mammals were also on show, with hares busily chasing around fields and a reasonable number of baby rabbits. Personally I have not seen many rabbit for a fair few years, so hopefully they are on the up again. Finally, back to birds and bullfinches are having to switch their feeding to buds from seeds as shown by this female, I think this passes for bullfinch gymnastics! (NA)