Dawn chorus is back!

Wild birds are singing in the hedgerow again.

22nd January and once again the birds are singing first thing in the morning. Although there are always some birds that awake with a song, mainly Blackbirds, through the Winter, it is noticeable that the smaller birds are quiet during November, December and January. But this morning, a bright and cool morning, there were several birds singing in the garden and they were sounding like they think it is time to make their presence known to any other birds that might be listening. Robin, Wren and Sparrows were in the garden, but I could not see which was the most vocal as it was not yet light enough. As the Winter eases into Spring (and I know we still have a long way to go yet) the wild birds and wildlife in our gardens will start to wake earlier in the day and look for food in the first instance and eventually a mate. Blackbirds are already staking claim to territorial rights and looking for a mate, probably in some parts of the country Blackbirds will be seeking nest sites. On a trip to Cornwall in between Christmas and New Year we noticed the difference in temperature on the south coast to our Midlands climate, indeed on the weather forecast today they said it was -10°C in Aviemore and the South Coast a balmy 2°C, that is a massive difference and will be reflected in the behaviour of the local wildlife. So for those of us who feed our wild garden birds and wildlife, there is still a long way to go, but at least we are hearing some of the benefits of living in a place where the birds can sing and come to our gardens to enjoy food and fresh water. Hedgehogs are still about too, but they are hibernating in some parts of the country, so it is important to remember to feed them if they are still coming to your garden, most of the slugs will have found deep, dark recesses and caverns to slip into, where the Hedgehog cannot get to them, so the hedgehogs' do need a little help if available. [caption id="attachment_3622" align="alignleft" width="150"] Hedgehog food is still needed in some parts of the country.[/caption]