Spring may be on its way!

After what seems like a very long winter and an unseasonably cold March, April seems to be bringing spring at last. Yesterday I saw some Lesser Celandines, fully in flower, in what turned out to be a day of prolonged sunshine (to put this in context we have had sunny days for the last week though at the start they were cold due to the easterly winds).

Lesser Celandine photographed 06.04.2013

 But still no summer migrants! Chiff Chaffs have been reported in Trentham and Churnet Valley, but none here in Endon, and I have been out every day listening and looking. So, where are all the early summer migrants?

By this time of the spring we have usually heard and seen some of the first summer migrants as the arrive from their European or African winter quarters. For instance last year I heard the first Chiff Chaffs of spring on 22^nd March, and I also saw Brimstone and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies flying that day. OK, last spring was exceptionally warm for the time of year and we had droughts in the south of England, but this year spring has been exceptionally cold and the winds have predominantly been from the east.

According to the British Trust for Ornithology, the Churnet Valley and north Staffordshire are not alone. In many areas of England the summer migrants are later than usual, and some of the winter visitors, such as Fieldfares and Redwings are reluctant to leave for their European breeding grounds. It seems that the strong and cold easterly winds are deterring the birds from crossing the channel between southern Europe and likewise the are discouraging winter migrants from returning across the North Sea.

 

And, in support of this assertion from the BTO, yesterday I saw a small flock of Redwings (c 10) as I walked along the disused railway through Longsdon. And later saw a lone bird in a Hawthorn tree along railway line on the outskirts of Endon.

This photo of a Redwing courtesy of nottssexminer from Wikimedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

 

 

Anyway, today is forecast to be a frosty start, which it is, then a sunny morning. I intend to sow some broad bean seeds.