It feels like it's been cold, grey and gloomy outside for months now. When will it end? To me, hibernation seems like an increasingly attractive option...
But as I gaze out of the office window into the murk, there's a little voice of optimism coming from the hazel tree by the gate.
For a couple of weeks now, there's been a male great tit singing. Now that the days are getting longer, the amount of birdsong is set to rise and rise. Birds know the breeding season is approaching, even though for many of them it's their first ever.
So, my suggestion for this weekend is to go outside (or open a window) and listen to birdsong.
You could say 'but everyone knows that the best time for birdsong is spring!' and you'd be right, partly. The thing is that at the moment, there aren't many leaves on the trees, so you stand a better chance of seeing who's singing.
And the fact there aren't as many birds singing makes things a lot easier if you're trying to learn birdsong. Come April or May, there's a cacophony of different tweets, trills, warbles and squeaks, and all the summer migrants will have arrived to add their voices. It sounds impressive, but picking out one singer from the rest is really difficult.
In the past fortnight, I've heard great tits, coal tits, blackbirds, nuthatches, mistle thrushes, dunnocks and robins singing. And though it's not singing, strictly speaking, I've also heard a great spotted woodpecker 'drumming'. Depending on whereabouts you are, you could hear dippers or crossbills, which also start singing early in the year.
So step outside, into the grey, and listen. But if you can't tell what's singing, it doesn't really matter - as long as you enjoy it!
I live on a hill, a short distance from a disused quarry where many crows gather at night. In the morning they usually leave en masse but still in their family groups (if there are young) drifting slowly down towards the town. Although during the day they compete ferociously with each-other for food they do seem to enjoy a social gathering at dusk. They visit our garden trees every day which gives me the chance to closely study their behaviour. Spring is definitely in the air. They are competing for territory and this week I've watched some amazing swoops and dives. There is an enormous alpha male that has successfully kept his patch around our house and garden for many years. The pair always have 3 young every year. ps I have lots of small birds feeding near the house but any food put on the ground must go through the coffee grinder! If not, it disappears to crows and seagulls in an instant!
Without birds my life would be incomplete