Report from 13 to 17 february

As the days grow longer and warmer, the Firecrest has come back, while most of the Goldcrests seem to be gone. Also back is the Little Grebe, for the first time since November, and the Blackcap, which had gone missing around Christmas.

The Little Owls are already courting, and their vocal battles (or perhaps they are duets?) can be heard all night long and well into the day.

The Shoveler numbers are gradually increasing; there are now between thirty and forty.

The February nights are still cold, but a few early flying months are already out and about. The lights from lampposts attracts the Dotted Border (Agriopis marginaria) and the Oak Beauty (Biston strataria). The caterpillars of both species have a great variety of host plants: oaks, poplars, hornbeams, willows, maples, blackthorn and brambles.

The Cornels are already in bloom, at least two weeks ahead of schedule compared to twenty years ago, and a few early wildflowers are also blooming.

The Brambling is exclusively a winter bird here, and its abundance varies year by year. They are invariably associated with Chaffinches in large mixed flocks. There are still some around, but soon they will also leave us for the vast forests of northeastern Europe.