1981 March & April
March 4th
The sky is a lovely blue with many sharp gusts of the east
wind. The Gorse bush is covered in dead blooms that perished in
the bad weather. However there are some tiny buds left, and
weather permitting they should open up quite soon.
March 5th
This morning there was a large flock of about 60-70
Curlews and about 40 Lapwings on the lane and Main Field. Last
night I heard a Curlew call but was not sure, today’s sighting
proved they have arrived. Another sign of Spring. For me Spring
does not start on March 21st; Spring starts only when
the snow has thawed and the Lapwings and Curlews have arrived.
Then it is Spring. Not official by humans, but by nature.
March 16th
Tonight the ground is frozen and outside a blizzard is
raging. The wind is very strong and the snow will probably be
blown into drifts.
March 23rd
This morning the ground was frozen and the sky was clear
blue on one side with some big greyish white clouds on the other
side. The wind was sharp and bitterly cold. Despite the
conditions the sun was shining and the Skylarks were singing.
The male Skylark rose into the sky and hovered almost, by
fluttering its wings, all the while singing its beautiful song.
This display was all for the purpose of attracting a mate. Then
the Skylark dived from the sky and landed on a fence post to
continue his charming song.
By the
time I was walking home the wind was still cold, but the sun was
very warm with a blue sky and just a few white clouds. All the
puddles had melted completely which shows what a change in
temperature had occurred. Down on the reservoir many Gulls were
screeching, and it sounded like the seaside. The gulls have
arrived; many will lay their eggs on the island in the
reservoir, and raise chicks there. Just at the moment they are
pairing up, which is another sign of Spring.
March 31st
Today the sky was blue but with so many grey clouds you
could hardly see the blue of the sky. In the barn yard I saw a
very handsome pair of Chaffinches. I think the male Chaffinch is
one of England’s most multicoloured birds. I saw a bird being
mocked and screamed at by the Seagulls. It was probably a
Kestrel. There were also two Redshanks. A few Redshank come to
the farm every Spring, but it is only on odd occasions that I
see them.
April 4th
Today the sky was overcast and the ground frozen. Across
at the Pump House I saw the first lambs this Spring, a pair of
twins but they looked as though they could have been born
yesterday.
April 12th
All day the sky has been overcast with grey clouds but the
air has been surprisingly warm. All the Crocuses have opened up
and on one of the Alder trees in Pump House Wood all the male
catkins are fully out; their yellow pollen spilling in the
breeze.
For the
past two days I have been feeding a tame Stock Dove with bread
crumbs. It is a racing bird and must be lost or just stopping
for a rest. Today it came on the bird table and was joined by
two Blue Tits who seemed to harass the Dove.
For the
past few nights I have heard Owls hooting in the trees and last
night I heard two calling to each other. I expect they were a
pair of Little Owls.
April 13th
I think today has been the nicest day so far this year.
The sky was a deep, clear blue with warm sunshine; in fact it
was so warm I spent most of the day lying on the ground lazing
in the sunshine. In the back garden I saw a Tortoiseshell
butterfly visiting the Crocuses; it was the first one I have
seen this year.
April 16th
Although the sky is cloudy with a cool breeze the sunshine
is very warm. On the reservoir I saw six Canada Geese; I wonder
how many pairs will stay and breed this time.
Across at
the well I collected some Tadpoles, Water Beetles, and Lesser
Boatmen in a jar. I think I will have to remove the Boatmen
because I suspect they eat Tadpoles. Swimming through the water
were tiny Cyclops bugs: some were as big as 2 mm and others
smaller than 1 mm.
The body
was orangey colour and nearly transparent. There were two light
blue tail things at the end of the body which could have been
egg sacks. The males are much smaller and can hardly be seen.
Into the jar I put some water Crowfoot and Lesser Duckweed
before bringing the jar home. I hope to study the Tadpoles until
they become Frogs: which could create difficulties because I do
not wish to have baby frogs hopping around my bedroom.
April 18th
The weather today is similar to yesterdays only with fewer
clouds. On the pond shore I saw three pairs of Dunlin. I’ve
never seen them before – on the farm or anywhere else.
April 19th
Today the sky was overcast with very grey clouds. There
were a few showers of rain. I saw a Heron fly over Hill Sixty,
down over the meadow, and onto the shore of the reservoir. I’ve
seen a Heron on the reservoir before but only once. It certainly
was a magnificent flyer with beak and wings outstretched and its
legs trailing behind. The one I saw was probably hunting for
food, though it won’t have much success because its main food is
fish of which there are none.
Up in the
Farm Field a male Chaffinch has been singing up in a tree nearly
all day. It does not seem to be having much luck attracting a
mate.
April 24th
The sky was the most beautiful thing about today: it was
deep blue with masses of enormous, fluffy white and grey clouds.
The Coltsfoot, Daffodils and male Pussy Willow catkins are fully
out now which makes riding home along the road more cheerful
than usual.
I saw one
pair of Mallard on the reservoir. Mallard used to be very common
ducks, both on our land and on the reservoir, but now for some
reason it has become a rare occurrence to see them. Teal seem to
have taken over being the most common duck.