Author Topic: Signs of Spring  (Read 208821 times)

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #375 on: 23 February, 2012, 10:40:39 pm »
If it was drumming, it was a GSW.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #376 on: 23 February, 2012, 10:58:33 pm »
Frogs are out here, hopping round the streets and getting themselves squashed.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Chris S

Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #377 on: 24 February, 2012, 09:09:10 am »
Frogs are out here, hopping round the streets and getting themselves squashed.

Yup - noticed that here this morning; the lanes are littered with squashed frogs :(

JayP

  • You must be joking
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #378 on: 24 February, 2012, 09:59:02 am »
Frogs are out here, hopping round the streets and getting themselves squashed.

Yup - noticed that here this morning; the lanes are littered with squashed frogs :(
Its motorists driven to kermit murder :facepalm:

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #379 on: 24 February, 2012, 10:24:03 am »
Frogs are out here, hopping round the streets and getting themselves squashed.

Yup - noticed that here this morning; the lanes are littered with squashed frogs :(
Its motorists driven to kermit murder :facepalm:
Is that why you call yourself JayP?
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #380 on: 24 February, 2012, 10:45:01 am »
If it was drumming, it was a GSW.

I've just had a listen to the sound files on the RSPB website and I reckon it's probably a lesser spotted woodpecker - according to the site, they tend to operate higher up in the trees, and they drum in longer bursts, which seems to match up with what I heard.

But I've seen both great and lesser spotted woodpeckers in the woods next to our house (and indeed a green woodpecker is a regular visitor to our garden), so it could be either.

d.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

CountrySickness

  • mostly puzzled
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #381 on: 24 February, 2012, 08:00:04 pm »
Lots of frogs out on the rural lanes tonight and a garden pond full of frog spawn.  All the dragonfly nymphs in there are queuing up and waiting for the hatching to start :'(

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #382 on: 24 February, 2012, 08:25:45 pm »


Mini-daffodils, Priory Park, this afternoon.

The big ones will be blooming in a few days.

I can remember the Good Old Days when my dad, who was Seriously Welsh, was incredulous that we'd had such a mild winter that the daffodils were in bloom for St. David's Day.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #383 on: 25 February, 2012, 07:57:36 pm »
A little purple crocus in our gardenlet. Quite likely the builder will step on it when he next turns up.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Rhys W

  • I'm single, bilingual
    • Cardiff Ajax
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #384 on: 25 February, 2012, 08:59:50 pm »
4 people in my club have been boasting on facebook that they've been in out in shorts today. It was 12 deg C, not 22.  ::-)

Gus

  • Loosing weight stone by stone
    • We will return
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #385 on: 26 February, 2012, 08:53:04 am »
It must be spring, I've been out running  :facepalm:

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #386 on: 26 February, 2012, 10:16:19 pm »
Saw a horserider with no sleeves whatsoever!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Basil

  • Um....err......oh bugger!
  • Help me!
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #387 on: 26 February, 2012, 10:19:57 pm »
Orion has now moved over much further to the west in the evening.  Always a sign tome that winter is almost over.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.


Basil

  • Um....err......oh bugger!
  • Help me!
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #389 on: 26 February, 2012, 10:33:23 pm »
 ::-)
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #390 on: 27 February, 2012, 08:11:03 pm »
Many more birds were singing today.

The skylarks were in fine form - I counted 8 during the 60 miles. Only 1 remained mute, flying up to about 20m before descending in the usual style.

There were lots of yellowhammers too - probably more than in recent years. None had the full song - the final long note was missed out & I was unsure about identification until the third one showed up on the top of the roadside hedge.

The song thrushes are starting to sound a bit more plausible.

A couple of lambs - first sighting this year - were suckling in the Vale of Evesham. There may have been more in the field, but the hedge limited the view.

No-one else was cycling in shorts.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #391 on: 29 February, 2012, 10:24:20 am »
Forsythia and frogspawn. I don't recall seeing frogspawn in Feb before. I'm sure it's all doomed.

The daffodil heads are bending over and some of them have yellow showing, but they are not properly out yet. Tomorrow or Tuesday I reckon.

Comparison time!

I've not seen any frogspawn yet but there are some daffodils out in the park. I would imagine that the daffodils' development is ongoing and, because January and the second half of February have been so mild, they just lay dormant for the frozen fortnight earlier in the month. Frogs, I suppose, have to be much more opportunistic.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

CountrySickness

  • mostly puzzled
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #392 on: 29 February, 2012, 04:53:07 pm »
Two lots of frog spawn sitting on top of different grass tussocks today, presumably squeezed out of the former Mrs Frog before she was eaten by a fox/badger/otter, a proper springtime death that ::-)

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #393 on: 01 March, 2012, 11:40:35 am »
Now two crocussessessiiss in the garden.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Riggers

  • Mine's a pipe, er… pint!
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #394 on: 01 March, 2012, 03:22:43 pm »
2 big glops of frogspawn in pond in garden. 1 big splosh from frog in said pond. Billions of crocusuesues on lawns gong out towards universities. Brighton.
Certainly never seen cycling south of Sussex

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #395 on: 02 March, 2012, 12:29:24 pm »
A brood of 10 mallard duckings. That's a fantastic achievement: the incubation period is about 4 weeks so the mother was sitting on eggs during the harshest of weather.

I've got a photo on my phone which I'll upload in a bit.

Edit: this forum's first mention of mallard duckings last year was on 25th March by Snakehips.

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=29530.msg896917#msg896917 refers.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Snakehips

  • Twixt London and leafy Surrey
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #396 on: 02 March, 2012, 07:01:16 pm »
I've seen several Parakeets seemingly checking out nest holes in trees recently. Yesterday I saw a pair of GC Grebes doing their head bobbing routine.
An nescis, mi fili, quantilla prudentia mundus regatur?

LindaG

Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #397 on: 02 March, 2012, 08:01:58 pm »
A jack russell terrier eating crocus flowers from his lawn  ;D

CountrySickness

  • mostly puzzled
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #398 on: 03 March, 2012, 01:31:41 pm »
Primroses and Dog's mercury in flower and addding different levels of brightness to the Monmouthshire lanes this morning.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #399 on: 03 March, 2012, 10:01:23 pm »
Several bumblebees, some of them big, fat, bumbly ones and some slimmer and svelter, but no honeybees or wasps yet.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.