Signs of Spring

[Glow worm]

Some good news for anyone else fed up with winter. The first swallows and house martins have reached Europe.
See Gibraltar Birds
The swallows in my village return in the first week of April every year without fail - good to know they're heading home.

 

[krushavik]

Another first sign of spring is the snow drops. Wonderful little flowers.

 

[Dayvo]

Beautiful blue sky today and a huge sun!

Too bad it was -14!

 

[Bayerd]

Apparently there's a huge chill heading our way, with snow. Can't wait......

 

[slowmotion]

I saw the first bluebottle of 2011 yesterday

 

[carolonabike]

Snowdrops everywhere on my ride today, lovely!

 

[surfdude]

saw a few daffs out today

 

[Hugo15]

Saw a few snowdrops out last weekend during a 3 hour riding in the pouring rain....... hardly felt like Spring!

 

[Fiona N]

Felt very Spring-like when I was out today - especially when the sun came out as it really had some heat to it. It's not just the snow drops and catkins but the smell of the sun on the earth. In winter the fields just smell cold.
I have to hope you know what I'm getting at

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I've got snowdrops on my front lawn and tulips coming through out the back, but strangely no daffs through yet.

 

[ThePainInSpain]

The Almond blossom is out here, and the Oranges have ripened.

On the subject of Gibraltar Birds, I'm off to there on Tuesday, bloody awful place but they have English banks and a Morrisons.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

The first spring lambs are another and I've seen plenty, as is the presence of Arum, or Lords and Ladies. She is on her way again...

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Felt very Spring-like when I was out today - especially when the sun came out as it really had some heat to it. It's not just the snow drops and catkins but the smell of the sun on the earth. In winter the fields just smell cold.
I have to hope you know what I'm getting at

Yes, I know where you're coming from - yesterday was the first day for a long time that you could feel the heat from the sun, you had to be out of the cold wind though.

 

[Fnaar]

Why is Springwatch on telly always in Summer?

 

[Glow worm]

Plenty of noise from the birds just before sunrise, guess they are longing for spring too.



We have them nesting in the garage, here is a log of their return date over the past 10 years

2010 - 10 April
2009 - 11 April
2008 - 10 April
2007 - 04 April
2006 - 13 April
2005 - 18 April
2004 - 21 April
2003 - 14 April
2002 - 09 April
2001 - 10 April

See one of my only uploads to youTube of Swallow feeding in my garage
[media]See one of my only uploads to youTube of Swallow feeding in my garage[/media]

Wow, must be great to have them in your garage. There are some open garages in our street and they have used those in the past. Our house was only built in 2004 and the house martins built a nest on it in the first summer. I was heartbroken though as it collapsed one day, as did a number of other nests on neighbour's houses (built at the same time). I fear the mud for their nests can't stick properly to the crap plastic or PVC stuff they use for eaves these days. Anyway, I put some artificial nests up to encourage them back but so far no luck. Like you I keep records of when the summer migrants arrive and these are below. (I hadn't looked at these since last spring and the first swallows seem to get here in the first 10 days of April, not only within the first week as I had remembered).

Swallow
2005 - April 10th
2006 - April 8th
2007 - April 6th
2008 - April 3rd
2009 - April 7th
2010 - April 8th

House Martin
2005 - April 24th
2006 - April 17th
2007 - April 11th
2008 - April 16th
2009 - April 7th
2010 - April 14th

Swift
2005 - April 25th
2006 - May 2nd
2007 - April 27th
2008 - April 29th
2009 - May 2nd
2010 - April 30th