Signs of Spring

[mr messy]

Spring??? eh we've bypassed and went straight to summer......been snowing here today.

 

[totallyfixed]

Spring has sprung when the bird in my avatar arrives back at Rutland Water.

 

[Hover Fly]

We saw the first 8 a.m. Japanese tourists on Bowness Prom. of the year this morning.

 

[BAtoo]

Snowdrops & aconites in flower for some time, some crocuses now and a couple of (small) leaves of unforced rhubarb ! Daffs now about a foot tall but not flowering.

 

[summerdays]

The snowdrops are just beginning to look past their best now, and it noticed the crocuses almost about to flower and the clematis armandii buds starting to awaken.

The birds in the garden are mostly house sparrow, a dunnock, a blackbird and a robin (and those fat flying rats!)

 

[coffeejo]

The orchards on my landlords' farm are pondering the new year:

 

[slowmotion]

Three metres from the back door this morning, in our little tree. Poncing about and making an incredible racket.

 

[asterix]

[QUOTE 2927290, member: 9609"]Must be a faulty one, they're not supposed to leave South Africa until the end of Feb.

Some birds are singing at first light and I seen a frog sticking his little head out of the pond yesterday.[/quote]

Swallows usually in mid-France late March/beginning April IME. Or a few days earlier than the UK unsurprisingly.

Our pond's frogs haven't surfaced yet, even the goldfish are in hiding altho they were around the whole of January.

 

[rich p]

I've started sniffing round the women in the neighbourhood, whistling loudly, shaking my bare, pink bottom and actively looking for suitable nesting sites in the back garden.

 

[asterix]

I've started sniffing round the women in the neighbourhood, whistling loudly, shaking my bare, pink bottom and actively looking for suitable nesting sites in the back garden.

I drove through Brighton in October and noticed things like that going on. I don't think it's seasonal there.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Crocus started flowering earlier in the week - they are now under a mountain of fallen debris from the gales overnight.
Snowdrops have been flowering for a few weeks now and the birds have started making a noise singing again outside the bedroom window as it gets light...And I have ditched my leg warmers when cycling.

All a sure sign winter has not get finished with us!

 

[Glow worm]

[QUOTE 2927552, member: 9609"]I

The great South African swallow exodus is always the last few days of February, and they cover the 8000 miles in about 40 days (200 mile a day) Presumably they don't know they are about to make this journey, but one day in a few weeks time they will suddenly get an overwhelming urge to fly north.[/quote]

I was lucky enough to stand at the bird observatory on the southern tip of Gibraltar a couple years ago in mid- March and watched as swallows appeared from Morocco just across the Straights. It was brilliant- I could have stayed there for weeks! They really are remarkable birds.

 

[Beebo]

They were cutting the grass in Greenwich Park this morning.
My lawn looks like it could do with a cut, but it's just far too wet.