The call of spring
Colin Smale celebrates the arrival of the new season as the sights and sounds of local wildlife begin to make their mark.
One spring morning you wake up and suddenly sense something different in the air. The quiet of winter has given way to a lively chorus; bird calls are now echoing from all directions.
‘Teecha teecha teecha’, the unmistakable song of the great tit fills the air with sound signalling the arrival of a bright new season. The long winter is over, the days are lengthening and the birds have reacted to the call of spring once again.
The days ahead are not going to be easy, each must find a mate, find a nest-site before someone else does, build a nest, lay the eggs, feed the chicks and defend the nest.
They must choose the right time of year; too early and there will be no insects to feed the chicks.
Longer days
One spring day some years ago I came across some adders sunbathing. They too had felt the call of spring and were emerging from hibernation (brumation for reptiles) to warm themselves.
During the winter their metabolism slows dramatically, and they do not eat. They have been sheltering in mammal burrows, tree root systems or compost heaps. Early emergence makes adders especially dependent on solar basking – any prolonged cold snaps at this stage can have strong effects on breeding success.
Human disturbance can also be a problem, forcing them to seek shelter in the cooler undergrowth, so do try and keep your distance from them.
After a prolonged cold wet winter, you might imagine the wildlife will wait until the weather is ‘friendlier’ but no, despite the weather it is the length of days that triggers the breeding season. I am sometimes still surprised to see the frail little long-tailed tits boldly nest-building or even feeding chicks while the weather is still too cool for me!
Clearly the insect world lives by the same calendar. What an intricate, complex, fascinating world it is out there for those of us who are prepared to ‘stand and stare’!
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