This weekend...use your ears

When you next get a second, stick your head out the nearest window (or door!) and listen. If you live near a busy road it might take you a moment to adjust your ears, but listen carefully and you'll hear the beginnings of spring.

At the moment, it's mainly an incoherent chatter and twitter of birds warming their voices up and trying out new song, but it's a sure sign that spring is just around the corner.

Whose song is it anyway?

While the trees are still bare, it's pretty easy to spot which bird is singing what. However, as we head further into the year and trees get greener, soon the only way to tell what birds are around is to listen to them.

While it can take a bit of practise to recognise some birdsong, there is one bird who makes the whole identification process very easy - the chiffchaff.

You see, this small brown warbler just can't help but sing it's name. Perched in a tree, it merrily goes 'chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff'.

Although some chiffchaffs live in the UK all year round, now they are being joined by birds from the Mediterranean, so it's a great time to listen out for them.

Happy weekend all.