WINTER WEATHER WINGING OUR WAY

The warm start to 2013 has been abruptly halted as we experience some cold weather, with the promise of some snow on Monday.

I’m still sceptical that the snow will reach my garden, but I’m hoping it does. It’s not great for the plants and animals, but it’s an important part of the nature for British wildlife.

Most of the birds, mammals and insects will be happy once the results of the winter weather give them a good chance of a positive breeding season.

In 2013 my garden has twice been visited by a passing group of long tailed tits, but as the weather wasn’t too cold they moved on fairly quickly.

I expect to see more of them in the next week or so. Today a small group of chaffinches visited the garden, making up a bigger flock of visitors with the tree and house sparrows.

There has been a splendid looking robin in the garden, which I’m presuming is a male as he’s looking dominant and very brightly coloured. If an artist had painted on his red breast it wouldn’t be better than how this robin is currently ‘dressed’.

The blue tits and great tits are still around and I’m hoping to have my nest box camera working to see if any are roosting in there.

As I have four nest boxes around the garden, I hope that the small birds use them to escape the winter cold.

Two years ago I noticed a great tit roosting in there in January and February, giving it control over nesting rights. I’ve stocked up all my feeders and will check them every other day while the cold snap continues as I’m expecting them to be ‘popular’.

So bring on the snow and frosty nights, and I can see which animals are leaving footprints in my garden and the surrounding lanes.