Electric blues

While the vegetation is still quite sparse this month, a walk along the river bank or some of Hull's drains may reward you with the sight of one of our most exotic-looking and charismatic birds – the kingfisher.
I've not been lucky enough to spot one yet, but many people have glimpsed flashing electric blue as the sparrow-sized bird whizzes past.
Kingfishers lay their first clutch of about six eggs in either March or early April. Both adult birds incubate them.
Each chick can eat between 12 and 18 fish a day, so the parents are busy zipping back and forth to the tunnel-shaped nest.

March is also the best month to identify bumblebees in your garden, before the cuckoo and worker bees come on the scene and make the job harder.
Queen bumbles will be out on sunny days looking for suitable nest sites, which are usually old mouse holes.
There are six species that you are most likely to see in your garden, and the Natural History Museum's website has an identification key: www.nhm.ac.uk *
Bumblebee numbers have declined, but you can help by having nectar and pollen sources in your garden, such as crab apples and flowering currants.
The new Bumblebee Conservation Trust is a good source for more information about all sorts of bee antics, so why not visit their website for inspiration?
www.bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk *