Nature seems a little undecided on the Home Reserve at present; We're only just into February and things really should be dormant. However with the mild wet weather we see the Crab Apple tree starting to blossom. and even the hawthorn hedging in the photo is starting to leaf-up.

Of the five pairs of herons, only the one pair is nesting in earnest, and if I get chance to look over to the Reserve at lunchtime, the female is often fishing on the ponds, with the male tucked up tight on the nest.

Judging by the amount of foods being consumed at the feeding stations, more severe weather is on the way, as I recall the wood pigeons in particular will feed to excess in advance of poor weather and simply not venture out when the weather is very bad. Pigeons have a very slow digestion-rate, and so if well-fed, they can go 2-3 days without food and not suffer undue hardship. Whereas the smaller insect eaters such as robins and wrens, tits and finches need to eat every single day to survive - no matter what the weather.

Nigel