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45. 

1952.

Continued from Vol. 18.

1st to 5th April 1952. 

Cold & dry & blustery until 4th which dry & very windy (SW), followed by rain on night of 4th & 5th, with showers & sun on 5th on which day some growth & flowers on a red & several white garden Mossy Saxifrages in front garden open & first flower on bush of Korokia open in back garden.  Betula nana almost in leaf, as also Salix reticulata, & flower spike on Carex strieta by motor house well up.


6th April 1952. 

A fine sunny morning with strong cold W wind (Sunday).  In forenoon drove to far end of Phoenix Park & left car at White's Gate.  Walked to Furry Glen & round pond & back again.  Heard one Chiffchaff, only, at pond, on Willows, in flower, one Jay & one ♂︎ Sparrow Hawk.  Picked up a ♂︎ Dolerus nigratus on blade of grass near White's Gate & saw a Maple in flower in plantation belt near same place:  this has upright bunches of flower - not "tassles" - & are out before leaves.  Also examined the Hornbeam (in same plantation) along boundary wall which is filled with scores of small "witches' brooms".  Snow cap on top 300 ft. of Kippure!  Showers in afternoon.


46.

8th April 1952. 

A nice dry day!  After an all sunny morning wind changed from W. to E about 11AM, & clouds, as normal, formed on the hills & cut off sun.  Left home in car at 10.30 & drove to Glenasmole (after calling at bank in Rathmines!) where left car at Murphy's & walked across fields to road along W. side of glen & up old boreen to about 1,200 ft. past several nice springs:  then S. along hillside till we picked up the track from Seehan Coorig:  next down to upper reservoir, round head of same & back by E. side, where heard several Willow Warblers singing - the first for 1952! - & so back to car.  Had lunch on hillside at about 1200 ft. in shelter of ditch & coll. some mosses for Miss Thomson & coll. a few more on roadside below Ballymorefin.  Saw Wood Anemone, Wood Sorrel, & very much Celandine, Primroses, &c. in flower, but saw no sign of any of the Swallow tribe & only one Chiffchaff by footbridge S. of Murphy's.  Very nice spring seen below pile of large boulders on hillside S. of where had lunch & what appeared to be a "Badger's village" close to where we had lunch, with about seven entrances & enormous mounds of old bedding outside each, which mounds were soft to walk on - spongy!

Daisy saw small white Butterfly in Rathmines while was in the bank!


10th April. 

In afternoon drove to Woodtown & walked up to Killakee & through the new "National Park" of Killakee & back to car.  Viola Riviniana seen in flower & Ranunculus auricomus in bud.