Adios winter

Here I sit on the last day of February, spring just around the corner. But who mourns the passing of winter? Time seems to be wished away and all you hear is how spring is nearly here, people and wildlife seem to be getting excited by new beginnings. In autumn you don’t see many people excited about the onset of winter. Well I’m a fan!

OK the days are short and grey, but without leaves on the trees, it’s easier to see the birds that hang out there and the other wildlife that inhabits our woods and forests.

The winter visitors we’ve recently have been great! Having complained about the lack of siskins on our feeder earlier this year, they’ve appeared with a vengeance. But they’ll shortly disappear from these parts, with the ones at The Lodge probably off back to Scandinavia.

Another finch I’ll miss is the orange, white and black brambling, there has been distinctly less of them about the last couple of weeks. One lunchtime, Mark and myself were lucky enough to see seven (yes seven!) species of finch on one set of feeders at the same time. Including another winter visitor, mealy redpoll, a rare visitor. For a couple of weeks in February, The Lodge went finchtastic!

But now the great spotted woodpeckers are drumming and the robins pairing up, so soon many of these finches will be off. The waders, ducks, geese and swans that also call the UK home for the winter will join them in heading (mainly) north. Yes they’ll be replaced by the ‘fair weather’ visitors from the south, but I for one will miss the antics of the siskins on our feeder, chasing off any other bird that dares to eat when they are!

I think winter is great, so let’s say fare thee well and come back soon (although not too soon, I’d like a nice spring and summer first!).