The ice and snow has all but gone and with the first calls of Curlew heard this week, spring must be on the way! Curlew breed in a variety of habitats but are more frequently associated with rough grasslands, moorlands, bogs and hay meadows. The individual I heard was at the top of the diagonal track cutting across Greenaways. Listen out for a ghostly call and look for the telltale long bill as they fly over. Curlews, along with many other birds are taking up residence to breed.
Skylarks can also be heard from all around. You will mostly likely hear a skylark before seeing one, as they fly extremely high (up to 1000ft!). They sing loudly to define their territory. Lapwings too are getting excited as flocks are breaking up from the winter months. I have even seen what looks like a bird practicing its spectacular song flight - zigzagging and diving towards the ground.
The volunteers as always have been busy. Today we finished a stretch of hedge laying. This is an ancient craft of managing hedges whereby cutting into the trunk and laying the hedge helps rejuvenate the hedge and creates a thick structure. Just in time as the hedgerow birds such as finches and tits are looking around for places to make nests!