UK wildlife in March: what to see, and where

Happening in March

• Waxwing winters
  In some winters waxwings arrive from Scandinavia in numbers and strip the berries in towns and gardens. Waxwing
• First frogspawn
  The first frogspawn of the year turns up in garden ponds. Common frog
• Toads on the move
  On mild, wet evenings toads walk to their breeding ponds, and volunteers help them across the roads. Common toad
• Adders basking
  On the first sunny mornings, adders come out to bask after the winter. Adder and common lizard

Moments worth waiting for

What the animals are up to this month, the most seasonal first.

• Sky-dancing pair Buzzard · day
  Two buzzards rise on a thermal, then one folds its wings and plunges in a looping display.
• Spawning frogs Common frog · dusk, night and day
  A pond bubbles with frogs, males clasping females; grey jelly clumps mount at the edge.
• Spring awakening Peacock · day
  A peacock, freshly out of hibernation, opens its wings on a sunny wall and shows all four eyespots.
• Plastering the nest hole Nuthatch · day
  A pair carries beakfuls of mud to a tree hole, shrinking the entrance to fit.
• Piggyback pairs Common toad · night and dusk
  A tiny male clings to a female's back on her walk to the water.
• Sky-dance display Golden eagle · day
  A pair of golden eagles rise and dive together above the corrie, undulating on stiff wings in their courtship display.
• Piping display Oystercatcher · dawn and day
  Two oystercatchers run side by side, bills pointing down, in a shrill piping duet.
• Drumming Great spotted woodpecker · dawn and day
  A rattle of drumming rolls out of the canopy as a woodpecker leans against a dead branch.
• Male on his rock Red grouse · dawn
  A cock grouse stands on a boulder with red combs swollen, then launches into a low display flight, calling 'go-back go-back'.
• Walking underwater Dipper · dawn and day
  The dipper steps off a rock and vanishes, walking along the riverbed before popping up with a caddis larva.
• Sky-dance Marsh harrier · day and dawn
  A male climbs high, folds and tumbles towards the reeds before swooping up again.
• Cliff-edge aerobatics Chough · dawn and day
  Two choughs tumble and dive along the cliff edge on the wind, calling as they twist together.
• Courtship dance Smooth newt · dusk and night
  A crested male faces a female and fans his tail, quivering, in the shallows.
• Boxing hares Brown hare · dawn, day and dusk
  Two hares rear up and box, fur flying, in the March sunshine.
• The toad crossing Common toad · night and dusk
  Dozens of toads plod across the wet road in the torchlight, all heading for the same pond.
• Spring basking Common lizard · dawn and day
  A lizard flattens its ribs to soak up the sun on a warm log, tail curled, one eye on you.
• Crane dance Common crane · dawn and day
  Two cranes bow, leap and toss grass into the air in a joyful dance.
• Mimicry on the aerial Starling · dawn and day
  A male starling on a TV aerial pours out clicks and whistles, adding a perfect car alarm.
• Belting it out Wren · dawn
  A wren throws back its head, tail cocked over its back, and fills the garden with song.
• Weed dance Great crested grebe · dawn and day
  Two grebes rise chest to chest, offering weed.
• Airing the bedding Badger · dusk
  A badger shuffles backwards out of the sett clutching a bundle of dry bracken under its chin.
• Winter white coat Mountain hare · dawn, day and dusk
  A mountain hare in full white winter fur sits among the heather stems, only the black ear tips giving it away.
• Song burst Cetti's warbler · dawn
  A hidden bird bursts into song.
• Bittern booming Bittern · dawn and dusk
  From deep in the reeds comes a low, throbbing boom, three or four times in a row.

Where to look

At their best in March, quickest to see first, with the best time of day.

Rare visitors

Not here most of the time, but March is when these can turn up: Waxwing and white-tailed eagle.

Moths on the wing

Coming to a garden moth trap in March: March moth. All the moths, and how to trap them kindly.

Nature notes for March

• When do hedgehogs hibernate in the UK?