It is spring, isn't it?

I’m sure that it’s supposed to be spring by now, the county cricket season has begun, the trees are beginning to green up, but still winter is hanging on, refusing to give up. I walked in this morning with a very cold breeze cutting right through me. It is springtime, isn’t it?!

Here at The Lodge there was a still a couple of female bramblings feeding underneath the feeders outside our Gatehouse shop this week. These should be disappearing like all their friends who have spent the winter here. Wandering through the woods another sign of winter was evident, a mini-flock of around five siskins flitted between the trees. Whilst watching these though, a familiar sound of a woodland summer rang out: a chiffchaff alerted us to it’s presence by calling out its name with its, rather monotonous, chiff-chaff call.

Winter won't give up its hold that easily though, it's still cold! It does make an interesting lunchtime walk, with a few summer birds, partially green trees and the last of the winter visitors refusing to head back for the breeding season.

Spring is beginning to take over though, honestly! As the few sand martins fly overhead, joined by even fewer house martins, the sound of a cuckoo rings out from woodland across the fields. Personally, I wonder why they stay? I mean if I’d flown all the way here from Africa and found the weather this cold, I’d turn tail and head straight back!

The birds are (mostly) here, the leaves are sprouting and the sun is occasionally shining, is it spring or isn’t it?! Maybe it's just here, is it spring in your neck of the woods?