I have a new mission in life, which is try to cheer everyone up. First we had 
endless Brexit, then came the winter of unrelenting rainfall and now we have to endure coronavirus – all this negativity is having an adverse effect on us all, so now seems an excellent time to get closer to nature.
I am saddened to report the death of a young male Sparrowhawk in early March. It had chased a pigeon twice its size into the shop’s annex and broken its neck when it crashed into the wall. It came as a great surprise to me just how small and light the bird was in my hands as I disposed of it.
It’s official – spring is just around the corner. On the morning of the 15th, Andrew and Cherry saw two 
swallows transiting over their house and skylarks are singing in the field opposite our house. This is very early for Swallows – last year they arrived on the 14th April and in 2018 on the 7th April.
Our bees are waking up after their winter sojourn. There has been a fresh hatch and when a lull occurred in the rain, the new bees were out conducting their orientation flights. They spiral up into the air and cast around the area so as to firmly establish exactly where their hives are. The older bees are busy bringing in nectar and, more especially, pollen. I could see bright yellow “leggings” on all the returning bees. This means that the queens are laying, another great sign that all is well in the hives and that they have plenty of food. With the promise that better weather is on the way they are really going to get busy.
The cold wet weather attracted many more birds to our feeders – over a dozen Goldfinches at one time, 
up to four Green Finches and the usual array of tits, including a pair of Long-tailed Tits, many Chaffinches and both a male and female Great Spotted Woodpecker. The males have now getting their breeding plumage and nest building will soon start in earnest.
Wendy was thrilled to tell me about a large yellow 
butterfly she saw when out walking with Perrin. It was a Brimstone. 
With luck and some better weather we should also soon be seeing male Orange Tip butterflies quartering their territories on the lookout for females.
Paul Lister 01404 841696
