Early March

After a very dull and dreary winter, at last we have had a few days with some sunshine, and the countryside is waking up. Frogs are spawning in local ponds, primroses are beginning to flower, the resident birds have paired up ready to start nesting and I am looking forward to hearing the first chiffchaff singing in the woods.

There seem to be more tawny owls around this spring judging by all the hooting at night, it is the male owl that makes the most noise.

The land is drying out and Spring work is taking place on the farms.

Early nitrogen is put on all crops to stimulate growth and to make crops tiller, (grow more side shoots), any grass weeds that were missed last autumn are being sprayed. Spring barley, beans, peas and sugar beet are being sown (drilled) in to very good seed beds. There is an old saying “A peck of March dust is worth a kings ransom”.

You may have seen farmers rolling wheat this year, this is to consolidate the top few inches where frost had lifted the ground. It has been many years since this has been done.

Yes there is a lot to look forward to in our lovely part of the country.

Chiffchaff from a picture by Neil Calbrade by kind permission of the British Trust for Ornithology