AN EARLY SPRING?

Just as winter was gripping the country, with snow and plunging temperatures, then suddenly spring has sprung into life.

The trees are in blossom, snowdrops are brightening the flowerbeds, while crocuses, daffodils and tulips are all emerging.

Indeed, the mild weather has meant the dawn chorus has an extra melody or two added to it, with the local robins being very vocal at first light.

I’ve not checked the nest box cameras recently, but perhaps this weekend will give me chance to have a look – albeit making sure any inquisitive birds aren’t put off from nesting.

The pond will also get a makeover this weekend, with a few oxygenating plants helping create a viable home for many insects and amphibians, along with a water supply for birds.

However, the amphibians are seemingly already attracted by the recovered water feature, although the frog that hopped in the house this week was slightly off course.

A helping hand was required to point it in the right direction, although time will tell if the pond is an acceptable location for the next generation.

The weather forecast looks like it’ll remain very spring-like in the coming days, so perhaps winter has finished.

But, with thick snow laying on the ground in many places last year in March, anyone who thinks we’ve said goodbye to frosts, cold and snow, might be in for a shock.

IS SPRING IN THE AIR?

After reviewing the changes on the garden during 2018, it’s now time to see what’s been happening in the garden this year.

Well we’ve already had snow, which is still a rarity for this garden and an omen for other places in the wider areas.

As the garden is at almost sea level (about 30ft), if the garden gets snow then other places will have lots more!

The recent cold snap has seen the usual flock of long tailed tits come visiting – on an almost daily basis.

Added to that a few chaffinches have been seen and they have bolstered the number of birds seen, along with the blue tits, great tits, robins, dunnocks, house sparrows and the odd goldfinch.

There hasn’t been much blackbird activity in the garden recently, although they have been spotted down the lane, in the hedgerows, so there must be still some good food sources amongst the bramble and small fruit trees.

The tawny owls have been quite in the last few days, although this might be to do with the windy weather.

Nothing has been done on the pond, mainly because it was frozen, but it has remained full, so in the next few weeks it’ll be scraped out a little bit and oxygen-rich plants put in.

Buds have started to appear on the fruit trees in the garden, while snowdrops are now flourishing in some areas of the garden.

They have been joined by the odd crocus, and I’m sure further arrivals of both plants will have daffodils for company soon.

However, while spring is certainly in the air, I suspect winter is not done yet!

WINTER’S FINAL FLING

So winter is unfurling a severe cold spell, just as people started to think about spring.

With snowdrops, crocus and daffodils all blooming in the garden, and many other places, Siberian winds are bringing the most serious winter test to wildlife.

The local birds appear to have already started to pair up – blue tits, blackbirds, robins and long tailed tits have all been seen in pairs in the garden over the weekend.

They, along with dunnocks, great tits and house sparrows, were making the most of the free food on offer, before appearing to greet the new batch of bird seed and peanuts with a variety of chattering in the bushes and trees, while I filled up the containers.

I suspect the feeders will need to be topped up a couple of times in the coming days, depending on just how cold it gets and for how long.

Hopefully this big freeze will not affect the buds known seen on most small trees, including the fruit tree in the garden. Only time will tell

We’ll probably find out in a few weeks, when the trees start to blossom fully.

The weather is probably making some winter visitors, from colder climes, wish they’d stayed put!

Will the garden get snow? I doubt it very much, but the cold will certainly see some casualties among the wildlife, sadly.

Hopefully the food being put out, the shelter (through nest boxes and bushes) and water (unfrozen) will help most, if not all, wildlife survive until spring.