A little bit of sunshine and warmth and nature has erupted into spring catching up on the lost few weeks of extreme cold. The birds have burst into ebullient song, Blackbirds and Robins in the dawn and evening. Dunnocks and Wrens accompanying Tits and Thrush during the day.
Dunnocks are very interesting birds in an underwhelming way. Little brown jobs they spend most of their time at ground level except at this time of spring when the males sit atop bare branched trees singing loud tuneful baritone songs. Usually seen in pairs they do have a varied love life. Sometimes faithful and monogamous but often having more than one partner. This applies to females as well. As a result the chicks may unknowingly have multiple parental genes.
.Much to my delight after mourning the disappearance of the rookery over the winter, on my recent visit to the Woodland Project, 20 new nests had been built. These were occupied by a noisy mix of Jackdaws and Rooks.
Lesser Celandine is the first woodland plant to appear through the leaf mold of last year. This together with the greenery of the first Bluebell leaves means no matter what the weather throws Spring is on the way. Sitting here in my coffee shop eating my tiny Lindt bunny everything is looking more cheerful.
