In common with many people I keenly anticipate the beginning of spring because it signifies that nature is waking up all over again following the winter months and it promises all sorts of fulfilling walks exploring and enjoying the great outdoors. However when is the 1st day of Spring and what are the signs that signal to you that it is on its way?
Frequently Spring is linked with listening to the first cuckoo, renowned for its distinctive call and unique lifecycle. In reality, it is a long way from being the first of the migrant species to return however it is definitely one of the first to fly off again, starting back to Africa in August. Cuckoos are, certainly, now uncommon in the UK and no one is quite sure whether this is as a result of the extremely specific conditions they need for breeding or problems back in Africa. What ever, it’s clear to me that we should have a better indicator that spring is here or at least on its way.
So when does Spring begin? The solution to that question does rather depend on where you live. In the United Kingdom Spring takes roughly eight weeks to travel from the south coast of England to the north coast of Scotland. That’s roughly walking pace.
For me the first clue that Spring is coming is the knocking of the woodpecker. Here in the North of England the male begins to establish his territory and encourage mates in February. The local birds also become more vocal for the same reason. Great tits especially seem to generate a great variety of great melodic songs at this point.
Before too long, naturally, we will see the daffodils and narcissi as they cover our semi wild areas. And then we will start to notice the first of those small but tuneful birds the warblers. We generally come across the first chiff chaff by the end of March followed a couple of weeks later by the Willow Warbler. These two birds are very difficult to tell apart except by means of their songs. The chiff chaff gets its name from its unique call whilst the willow warbler has a wonderful call that seems to encapsulate the essence of the English landscape.
The brand new growth, the colourful greens and the many types of blossom are also all among the indications for me that Spring definitely is here. Two events, however, eventually do verify to me that we can officially pronounce that Spring is here; both of them are the arrival of particular birds. The first is the swifts as they dive and swoop through the air to catch flies and then land on telegraph wires for a rest. The second is the arrival, in the stream at the bottom of our garden of the Spotted Flycatcher from Africa. It’s a little bird with a dark back and practically white front that flits down to the stream to catch flying insects from just above the water. A wonderful bird and fascinating to see as it flits up and down from its percing place. A sure indicator that it will not be very long before I should be lighting my first barbecue of the year!
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