Header image credit: Katie Nethercoat
As the days get longer and warmer, spring is the perfect time to experience nature bloom, sing and thrive outside our windows. RSPB England’s, Oriole Wagstaff reveals five signs of spring to look out for this month.
1. The art of nest building
Spring kicks off the nesting season for most birds. But the act of building a nest is actually more remarkable than you might have previously thought. Birds often spend only a few days a year building nests, and instinctively build it to a design that is unique to their species. They even use a range of different building materials to produce the perfect pad:
Long tailed tit feeding chicks in nest. Credit: Ben Andrews.
March is the perfect time to look-out for this remarkable craftsmanship taking place around you.Looking for ways to help nesting birds this spring? Why not make a nest box of your own and see if any feathered friends take up residence
Did you know some birds ‘dress up’ to breed? Although most birds change their plumage (feathers) at the end of summer, some birds undergo a change or get brighter in spring for the breeding season (like putting on a fancier outfit). One way that birds change their ‘outfit’ is by abrasion- the edge of feathers simply wear away leaving a different colour. This is the case for male house sparrows which develop a darker black bib on their chests in spring.
House sparrow in winter plumage (left).Credit: Ray Kennedy. House sparrow summer plumage (right). Credit: Andy Hay.
Similarly in starlings the cream coloured tips on their feathers wear away to reveal darker black feathers with striking purple and green iridescent sheen in the spring. Several finch species also develop brighter plumage in spring through the same process too.
Other birds change their plumage by moulting (losing then growing new feathers). For example, black-headed gulls loose the white winter feathers from their head and develop a brown hood during spring. If you are lucky enough to spot a black-tailed godwit it’s this time of year when they start to lose their grey and white winter feathers and replace them with a bright rusty orange and brown plumage.
Black tailed godwit in winter plumage on the left and summer plumage on the right. Credit: Mike Langman.
As March celebrates Mother’s Day, it also sees the arrival of some new mothers in nature. For most birds it’s a time when nests are first being built but there are a few early nesters who may welcome chicks in March:
Tawny owl. Credit: Andy Hay.Where would the natural world be without brilliant mums? To celebrate Mother’s Day why not check out some of nature’s most nurturing, intuitive and self-sacrificing supermums here.
If you have a pond in your garden or pass some on your daily exercise, you may start to see frog or toad spawn appearing. Once hatched, froglets and toadlets love some juicy insect larvae, as well as spiders, slugs and worms, so you can create a true toad haven by making your garden as insect-friendly as possible – leaving your leaves to dissolve into the ground rather than raking them up, planting wildflowers, or building a bug hotel!
Common frog with frog spawn.
While birds are making their beds, hedgehogs and snakes are just getting out of theirs as they come out of hibernation. In March hedgehogs are often out at night hunting for food and water – they’ll have lost around a third of their weight during hibernation! Grass snakes will start to look for a mate, so you might see one in your garden or the local park. The females will lay her eggs (sometimes up to 40!) in places such as compost heaps where the rotting vegetation can keep the eggs nice and warm, so be sure to check any piles in your garden before moving them. You may also start to see bats coming out at dusk to feast on insects– a single pipistrelle bat can eat 3,000 gnats in one night!
Grass snake basking on a log in March. Credit: Ben Andrew.
RSPB nature reserves are only open for essential daily exercise for now. Find the latest on which facilities and reserves are open here.