Signs of the Fool's spring running into second winter.

[jenkinsbrynmair]

As everyone marvels at the beginning of spring, and children eagerly await this week's forecast snowfalls. Anyone else see the harbingers of spring?
I've been watching a pair of magpies carefully (!! ) build a new nest in the ash tree growing down on the bank below my neighbour's garden - which gives us a nice not so neck cricking view from ours. They've been at it for over a week now.
Pigeons have been pairing up and have now settled in the tall Leylandii type tree at the top of said neighbour's garden, at the far end of the apiary (the apiary plot reaches beyond the rear of our garden and the two cottages next door.
Last summer's hacking off and re-rendering of Brynmair also left a 'convenient' gap between the new render and soffit on the gable end and a pair of starlings have been busily nest building over the last few days.
Foxes are well paired up by now.
Most of the snowdrops have gone back, the buds on the balcony wisteria are burgeoning and the 'wild' daffodils in the apiary are pushing out yellow tips.
Meanwhile, snow is forecast and it's cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey (which by the way, is not a naval saying, and has nothing to do with frames to hold cannonballs tidy)

 

[Erichalfbee]

Wood Pigeons building in one of our conifers. I’ve seen a thrush collecting nesting material. Rooks are hard at rebuilding their colony…. But they are always early.
Our Barn Owls and Tawnies are paired up.
Blue tits were investigating the nest boxes and doing a few exploratory wiggles but these have stopped now so they are being sensible.
I remember snow at the Welsh convention not long ago.
Winter isn’t over.

 

[JamezF]

I'm at a complete loss. All this talk of freezing weather this week in the media, yet the seven day Met Office forecast for here shows daytime temperatures no significantly colder than we've had for the last week to ten days (though there is one cold night) and rising into the teens by Saturday.

I have no idea what to expect.

Meanwhile everything is dry as a bone as there's barely been any rain so far this year.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I remember snow at the Welsh convention not long ago.

there was heavy snow at one eleven or twelve years ago, it was when we were still using the smaller Hafod/Hendre convention hall at the top end of the showground. I managed to make it over the sugarloaf but most people from the West of Wales had to wait a couple of hours for the snowplough to clear and rocksalt the pass.
I'm waiting in anticipation to see whether the woodpeckers will use the hole made in a large branch of the oak tree at the home apiary as a nest site this year.

 

[madasafish]

Our snowdrops are still flowering. Our crocus ditto and a few daffodils.
But the last 3-4 weeks have been largely gray skies, damp - but little rain - and coldish.
Forecast says -5C Monday night.. and snow sometime.

Brass monkey weather with no wind nor much UK windpower and UK importing masses of electricity from the EU # Currently wind is producing 4% of all UK demand.
(Only a bunch of half-witted innumerate politicians would get our electricity supply in such a shambles. We should burn Boris for warmth ; lots of fat there.)

# see Gridwatch.

Sorry for OT rant.


Mulching away: expecting a possible drought. Rainfall is low.

 

[blackcloud]

Weather here is also no big difference forecast.

But this is from March 04 2018

 

[philipm]

Since the October gales a few years back the Met office always want to cover their backsides and issue weather warnings for the slightest things. We are still just coming out of winter nothing out of the ordinary to have some snow in the next couple of months a milimeter of snow in this country is a disaster where a meter in Eastern Europe people think nothing of it.

 

[Swarm]

This time five years ago we had over a foot of snow. There was snow at the Welsh in 2013, we had snow end of March in 1996, it all seems quite normal.

 

[scrolla]

Got to keep an open mind with forecasts (best guesses). Cold weather is fine. Animals and insects know how to get through them. It’s the rain I don’t trust just sneaks up on you and catches you out. But bees seem to handle that well. Spring is definitely here and Sumer won’t be far behind - great joy

 

[Karol]

<snip >We should burn Boris for warmth ; lots of fat there.

Not sure how you'd control the dioxins - highly toxic

 

[Sutty]

Not sure how you'd control the dioxins - highly toxic

No more toxic than unburnt!

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Wood Pigeons building in one of our conifers. I’ve seen a thrush collecting nesting material. Rooks are hard at rebuilding their colony…. But they are always early.
Our Barn Owls and Tawnies are paired up.
Blue tits were investigating the nest boxes and doing a few exploratory wiggles but these have stopped now so they are being sensible.
I remember snow at the Welsh convention not long ago.
Winter isn’t over.

In the late 1960s we lived in Coventry. On the 1st of May one year it snowed so heavily the buses stopped running for a few hours.

 

[Amari]

In this village we have an ongoing, 4 years in, phenology project where a dozen of us document sightings of the first appearance of marker species in spring: eg. lesser celandines, wood anemones, cowslips, full-leaf opening of four native tree species, four butterfly spp etc, etc - part of a 10 year PhD thesis of a resident.
On a more mundane level, for two days I've watched a couple of wood pigeons, sitting on the same branch both days, canoodling. None of yer 'Bang, bang, thank you M'am.........'

Phenology | fɪˈnɒlədʒi | noun [mass noun] the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life.
.

 

[Sutty]

In this village we have an ongoing, 4 years in, phenology project where a dozen of us document sightings of the first appearance of marker species in spring: eg. lesser celandines, wood anemones, cowslips, full-leaf opening of four native tree species, four butterfly spp etc, etc - part of a 10 year PhD thesis of a resident.
On a more mundane level, for two days I've watched a couple of wood pigeons, sitting on the same branch both days, canoodling. None of yer 'Bang, bang, thank you M'am.........'

Phenology | fɪˈnɒlədʒi | noun [mass noun] the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life.
.

Thanks for the English lesson! Not a word I'd heard. Read it initially as phrenology & thought you were having your head felt

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

In this village we have an ongoing, 4 years in, phenology project

What? you go around feeling the bumps on each others' heads?

 

[richardh]

Consider giving Woodland Trust a hand with their climate project?

https://naturescalendar.woodlandtru...X*MTY3NzIxOTAyNi4xLjAuMTY3NzIxOTAzMy41My4wLjA

 

[simonwig]

Consider giving Woodland Trust a hand with their climate project?

https://naturescalendar.woodlandtru...X*MTY3NzIxOTAyNi4xLjAuMTY3NzIxOTAzMy41My4wLjA

Thanks for flagging this up, signed up.
Simon

 

[Amari]

Consider giving Woodland Trust a hand with their climate project?

https://naturescalendar.woodlandtru...X*MTY3NzIxOTAyNi4xLjAuMTY3NzIxOTAzMy41My4wLjA

Yes, we are partnered with Nature's Calendar and our data are submitted to its site.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

been trying to get tawny and little owl boxes up as fast as possible since december before nesting sites chosen

 

[JamezF]

been trying to get tawny and little owl boxes up as fast as possible since december before nesting sites chosen

The pile of offcuts under my mitre saw (which generally get turned into kindling) has reached the height of the stand now. I was looking at them the other day thinking that I could turn them into bird boxes and perhaps even hedgehog houses rather than chopping them up. Not sure I will get around to it in time this year though. Could end up being a Summer project for next year.

James