Many different people have different ideas of when spring begins. For some it can be seeing the first buds appearing on trees, the first flowers to bloom, the first frog spawn appearing in ponds, hearing woodpeckers drumming on trees, the first butterfly or bee to be seen on the wing. For others it's seeing the first warblers return, hearing a cuckoo calling, seeing hares boxing in a field or the smell of wild garlic filling your nostrils as you wander through woodlands. For me it's a combination and escalation of all those factors and more. As I sense and experience each one, the feeling of spring grows within me and fills me with anticipation for the year to come.
Great spotted woodpecker- Photo credit: Tom Marshall (rspb-images.com)
Take a walk around Mersehead at this time of year and you cannot miss all the hints that Spring is fast approaching, snowdrops and crocuses in bloom, other flowers such as daffodils, sorrel and dog violets starting to develop, a notable increase in the amount of bird song and activity as territories are staked and claimed and if you look closely enough, insects that would have hibernated over the winter starting to become more active.
Some recent sighting from the reserve include large numbers of linnets feeding in the fields, yellowhammers busily moving through the hedgerows, a little egret feeding in the merse, flocks of twite feeding along the strandline on the beach, a ringtail hen harrier frequently seen from both the hides, the ever present large flocks of barnacle geese including a leucistic barnacle goose, a green-winged teal, water rail, otter, badger, roe deer and so many more.
Yellowhammer – Photo credit: Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)
According to many sources spring begins on the 1 March and ends on the 31 May. For many people though, spring begins on the date of the spring equinox, 20 March but I don't think you can so easily put a precise date on such a fluid event, something that will be affected by the weather, your location within the UK and local conditions. What I can say for certain is that the build up to Spring is certainly progressing, and a very welcome progression it is!