Report from 7 to 8 February 2023

After the wild swings of last week, the weather is back to being cold, as is appropriate for the season. With the exception of the peregrinations of the local Lapwing flock, the return of the cold put any other bird movements on hold: the numbers of Shoveler and Gadwall – respectively about 20 and 10 – are exactly as they were back in January. While the cold is keeping birds in place, the longer days are starting to spark their reproductive instincts. The Mallards are already mating in their usual rough and unsubtle manner – it is surprising that the hens don’t drown! Male Blackbirds are looking for mates and are singing pre-dawn, while it is still dark. Even a tiny Goldcrest was busy courting a female, puffing its chest out and singing loudly, its orange crest fully erect. But the female seemed indifferent. I could have photographed them, but I was too captivated by the spectacle.

The Siskins remain the most abundant of the small songbirds, followed by the Long-tailed Tits. The breeding season is almost here for them as well, and we can now see birds traveling in pairs, having abandoned the flocks they stayed with all winter.