Woodcock. Photo by Nigel Blake

As you may have noticed, it's quite cold outside... The snow may be on its way out - for now - but will life get any easier for our wildlife?

It's certainly easier for us to see some of our shyer species. There have been several reports of woodcocks being seen around The Lodge in the snow. Frozen ground is bad news for them as to feed, they need to probe their long, sensitive bills into the ground, but the low temperatures mean they're pushed out to feed out of their normal areas and times.

If you venture down to the edge of Biggleswade Common, check the ditches for feeding woodcocks, snipe, water rails and even little egrets.

Muntjac deer, foxes and stoats have all been seen wandering around in the snow in the past week. The cold weather might be enough to make some of us humans want to hibernate, but the first great spotted woodpecker drumming of the year has already been heard! A tawny owl has even been heard calling in the middle of the day.

Flocks of small birds in the treetops might be siskins or lesser redpolls looking for seeds and you could also bump into a tit flock, where lots of blue, great, coal and long-tailed tits gather together to search for food. They might also be joined by hangers-on like treecreepers and nuthatches, so keep checking for something unusual.

Please keep feeding the birds in your garden - we've got lots of tips and advice to help you help them survive.