Once again this winter has had its ups and downs with temperatures. Luckily the only mammals that truly hibernate are hedgehogs and dormice but others semi hibernate and probably do not know where they are. The toads are supposed to come out of their winter homes and head for the waters in about February but with temperatures well above 9 degrees and it being warm and wet it will make them think it is mating time. Therefore the toad rescue teams maybe too late to save them whilst they cross the roads in the dark. Plus the teams also pick up newts and the occasional jumping frog.                                                                                                                                            Climate change seems to indicate erratic weather rather than a continuation of cold or warm weather and it fluctuates from day to day. It also seems to bring about more disease as bird flu has been rife and decimated large numbers of birds especially fowl such as geese, swans, ducks and even pheasant. However my garden birds seem to be on the increase. I have at least 20 attacking our feeders or ground food every day. Possibly fewer coal tits and only one pair of nuthatches and great spotted woodpeckers. Being near some woodland we tend to have more woodland species and less hedgerow and pasture land species such as goldfinch but I have seen them in other people’s gardens where the habitat is different. We have had a great increase in great tit, sparrow, dunnock, robin, greenfinch and chaffinch. Fewer blackbird, thrush, pigeon, and even the magpie numbers seem lower this winter, although in more hedgerow and garden habitat I have seen quite a few song thrushes. The Big Garden Bird Watch will be at the end of January so that will be interesting to see the difference this year from last year. Out walking I have noticed muntjac deer hoof prints and roe and muntjac have been reported as being seen by our watchers.

The spring flowers are beginning to show through the ground in January, the cold snap just before Christmas possibly held these back as I have had no reports of Christmas flowering daffodils. However, the snowdrops are starting to flower at Marden church and the recent floods around the church have produced large white egrets enjoying the new found lakes. These have also been seen at Bodenham Lake. In one of the hides around New Year I was able to spot, with the aid of my binoculars, over 20 cormorant roosting in the trees and the odd grey heron. I am glad the days are lengthening out now and spring is not that far away and the gloom of these winter days will pass.

Visit HWT HQ at ‘Queenswood Arboretum’ or any HWT reserve. Look at the website it is: www.herefordshirewt.org.uk and find out what is going on. If you see something different or exciting share it by contacting Jess. Ring 01568797227 and leave a message or e-mail jessicatidball60@gmail.com