I don’t know about you but I dislike January and February – too much low light meaning I have to switch on the lights indoors during the daytime and as for all those grey mornings…. The answer is for me go for a walk which generally has an immediate positive effect on my mood and none more so when the snowdrops emerge. I first saw them on 13 January and judging by the size of the clumps they have had a good year. Then the daffodils started to flower early. Mind you, that can be said for so many plants this year. It really is amazing what a bit of colour does to brighten up my day.
The best medicine for me, however, is not just the sight of snowdrops and daffodils but the abundance of birdlife, especially around the feeders. It is not for nothing that a gathering of goldfinches is called a charm, although their manners could be better when feeding. They can be somewhat feisty, aggressive even, towards one another and other larger visitors. Our greenfinches continue to show up regularly, as do the chaffinches all of which are coming into breeding plumage. My stand-out favourites, however, are the bullfinches and great spotted woodpeckers. Each year the bullfinches get closer to the house but are quite timid around other birds on the feeders, but what incredibly beautiful birds they are. Then the local Sparrowhawk zooms in and creates immediate panic!
I have written about the buzzards in the field opposite the house before and they are still around, albeit in lower numbers. I suspect that they may be already marking out their territories. One large female has found a use for the Voneus pole opposite our drive, using it as a vantage point to scan the field for anything to eat – in her case mainly worms and other invertebrates. What is truly amazing is how tolerant she is of us, as we can stand in the middle of the lane directly under the pole only a few feet and all she does is give us a mere glance as though thinking “Oh, it’s you again”. This is entirely new behaviour in our experience. We have also been treated for the first time in our lives to witness mating behaviour. Two males were on the ground with their wings outstretched advancing and retreating towards each other with a female just feet away seemingly disdaining to give them a second look. Better luck next time chaps!
The field has also proved to be a magnet for herring gulls, corvids and huge flocks of fieldfares but also destructive wood pigeons, which are intent on pulling up the winter wheat.
Paul 841696