FAREWELL 2012 & WELCOME 2013

So as 2012 comes to and end and the dawn of 2013 is the next one we’ll see, I for one am hoping for some changes to the weather we saw this year.

The weather at the start of 2013 promises to be dry and, at various points mild, which is not brilliant for wildlife in the long run.

A short and harsh winter will ensure bugs and bacteria, which would otherwise survive in milder conditions, are killed off, leaving smaller numbers to breed in spring and summer. The larger numbers of bugs and bacteria to start with, the worse it could be for birds and mammals in the breeding season.

In the next couple of weeks I’ll be trying to fixing my nest box camera and hoping that the blue or great tits will make it into a home for delivering the next generation in 2013.

In January I’ll be looking at which animals and mammals are visiting my garden, hoping to have pictures and video of any birds spending the night in my nest box.

I can’t say I’m sad to say goodbye to 2012, especially after watching the demise of the great tit chicks and knowing others suffered similar fates across the bird world, but also because the extremely wet conditions has probably affected many other wildlife in a negative way.

So onwards and upwards as we embrace 2013, let’s hope the wildlife and all of us have a better and drier one too!