It will soon be spring.

The winter is not yet over, possibly more wintery weather will be on the way, but some of our resident bird species and wild flowers are already showing signs that they are preparing for the coming spring season.

Great tits and blue tits have been singing for a few weeks now. And I have heard both song and mistle thrushes sing on a few occasions this January, though the colder temperatures and wintery conditions towards the end of January tended to deter them. Then this week dunnocks began their trilling, typically from the tops of hedges, small trees and shrubs.

Of course you don't have to go out to hear these, and other, birds sing - just open your window, during the early morning. You will be almost guaranteed to hear robins singing. in fact they even sing through the night when streetlights trick them into thinking dawn has arrived!

Life is also burgeoning on the ground. Whilst the snow was fairly permanent for a couple of weeks, under the snow some plants carried on growing. now the snow has melted you can see the first signs of early flowering plants. For example I spotted these lesser celandine and cow parsley leaves pushing through the grasses along the Caldon Canal at Stockton Brook.

Lesser celandine and cow parsley poking through grass on the Caldon Canal towpath 30/01/2013