As spring slips into May, many of our resident birds are on eggs or feeding young, most summer migrants are singing to defend territories and attract mates but a few are still to make their entrance.
Look up!
In early May look and listen for the swift as it scythes through the air over Dorset. These aerial specialists may have been on the wing continuously since they left us last August for central Africa. They feed on insects and then sleep by circling at high altitude before returning to nest in our buildings.
Another late arrival, also dependant upon an abundant supply of small flying insects is the spotted flycatcher. Look for it in parks, woodland glades and favoured gardens. It is a small greyish-brown bird with an upright stance, often seen flying from an exposed perch to capture insects before returning to base.
At night the mammals appear
As the light fades, many birds become less active, but another set of predators, the bats, take over to exploit night-flying insects. Remarkably, Dorset plays host to all of the sixteen species of bats to be found in the UK. Most widespread is the diminutive pipistrelle which catches thousands of small insects each night to maintain its body weight of just 5 grams.
Have you noticed young rabbits nibbling fresh grass along roadside verges and on grassland? Well, so have local foxes which gave birth to their cubs in March. By now the cubs are weaned and they are starting to learn about the world in the vicinity of their den.
Dragons in your pond?
If you have a garden pond or decide to take a walk near a lake or pond, you may see one of our early dragonflies - the broad-bodied chaser. The male has a broad pale-blue abdomen with dark patches at the base of each wing.
After the larva has crawled up a water plant and the adult has broken out of the larval skin, the wings expand and harden. The dragonfly then moves some way from water to harden its cuticle and develop full breeding colours before returning to take up and defend a territory at the water's edge.
Watch out for butterflies
With temperatures rising, now is a good time to get to know more of the Jurassic coast. In addition to spectacular views, look down to see wall butterflies basking on the path in front of you. In grassy areas both coastal and inland, you should find first generation common blue butterflies where carpets of yellow bird's foot trefoil occur.
One small butterfly best seen in May is the green hairstreak. This butterfly, which occurs in a variety of scrubby areas with gorse bushes has a bright emerald green underside and never fails to delight.
Don't forget the flowers
And finally, wherever we look this month the variety of flowers is stunning! Hawthorn is flowering in the hedges, ox-eye daisies by the roadside, yellow flag in wet meadows, thrift on clifftops, and our chalk, neutral and acid grasslands are showing an increasing range of different flowers as each week passes.
Why not visit one of your local DWT grassland reserves and see for yourself?
Written by John Wright
Dorset Wildlife Trust Member & Volunteer
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