Wednesday 21st . March 2012 ( Part 2 )

Before leaving Ashdown Forest , I had a quick look around a couple of ponds , close to where I go for the Silver Studded Blue butterflies later in the year . Even though it is still so early in the year , and the earliest Dragonflies/Damselflies not due on the wing till late April early May , life had

already started for some of the smaller inhabitants like this Water Boatman , who was having an on-

off scrap with another , the Pond Skater . Surprisingly , the slighter and smaller Pond Skater feeds on small insect from the surface and the larger Water Boatman being herbivorous , feeding largely on plant debris . Before leaving the ponds , I was treated to another two Common Buzzards , this pair a

bit lower in their search over the heathland . My next stop was at Weir Wood Reservoir , not far away , but proved to be a waste of fuel to see any birds , as the reservoir is way below it's normal level and consequently what should be water outside the hide , has a good growth of grass and other vegetation , and the nearest birds far in the distance . The next stop was at a road junction where I usually find the earliest flowering Early Purple  Orchids , but that was then , now , the roadside verge seems to have been dug up since this time last year , and not even a spotted rosette was found . Whilst returning to the car , I did find my first flowering Cuckoo Flower / Ladies Smock -

Cardamine pratensis , a member of the Cabbage family , so hopefully the Orange Tip butterflies will be showing soon .  As I had to return home over the Greensand Ridge , I couldn't help but make a visit , and on a small sunken lane I found my first flowering Wood Anemone / Anemone nemorosa ,

a member of the Buttercup family . By now the warmth of the sun was dropping , so I didn't hold out too much hope for any reptiles , but the two males that were found last visit were found again . One

was deep in vegetation , but this , the other one , was showing well . Surprisingly , I also found my

first female Adder of the year , giving an opportunity to compare the colouration of the two . It will still be a few weeks before any mating will take place . Could I be lucky enough to see 'the dance of the Adders' again this year , I hope so . The only other sighting of the afternoon was a pile of fly

tipped building material , right on a very dangerous bend in the small lane . Some people .