Nature Notes: How St Valentine got spring wrong
I love watching the gradual greening of bankside weeping willow, their bright green foliage seeming to glow against a springtime blue sky.
I love watching the gradual greening of bankside weeping willow, their bright green foliage seeming to glow against a springtime blue sky.
Our lively and friendly robins really enjoyed themselves over Christmas adorning cards and wrapping paper. Postmen were once nicknamed ‘robins’ because they wore red waistcoats.
We may be rewarded if we listen carefully when walking in Richmond Park and Bushy Park by hearing little owls uttering their plaintive yelping mewing calls from the many ancient oaks.
Two female feral pigeons stood together heads cocked to one side picking up crumbs on platform four at Earl’s Court Underground station.
I was fortunate to observe at close quarters just how successful a predator is the common wasp.
Despite the recent icy weather with severe frosts, strong winds, and a few snow flurries there is now a little warmth in the sun and signs of spring are everywhere.
Hotel guests were relaxing in the TV lounge when a large colourful moth flew in through the open window and began circling around the ceiling.
No doubt we were all dreaming of a white Christmas but instead had a very mild soggy one! So, no magical winter wonderland as yet — but the season has plenty of time to do its worst and January and February can be treacherous months.
The habits of our winter roosting birds vary widely between species. Take for example the wren. This tiny bird loses body heat rapidly in cold weather so the huddle together low down in hedgerows or they have been known to occupy a bird nesting box ,sometimes up to twenty at a time Other small birds including long tailed tits roost side by side in groups along a horizontal branch Redwings roost in hedges in flocks too but blackbirds and thtrushes spend nights alone.
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