Nature's Corner

Nature’s Corner – Cornel Nature Springing into action

Wow, have you noticed how everything is so very eager to get going this year? On a lovely evening in late January, a Song thrush was belting it out for the 2 hours I sat in the viewing hide at Big Pool Wood, Gronant; his beautiful song comprising repeated phrases as if to get the point home to any female in the area, and later to sweeten the heart of the missus sat on the eggs.

So many Daffodils were about to open in February and Snowdrops were flowering all over the shop, even the Camelias are beginning to flower with more buds than we’ve ever had.

A walk along the “Cut” or small ditch that runs at the North side of the Morfa reserve in Prestatyn, (basically the old tip) showed Mallards; no, not skating around on ice but breeding enthusiastically in February. Quite comical to watch as the pair tootle about together in the water muttering to themselves and then all at once the Drake starts to nod his head with intention and she knows what that means, he becomes all amorous and grabs the feathers at the back of her neck and proceeds to fully submerge the poor girl before the task is completed. A quick shake down and a restorative preen and it’s back to pootling about as if nothing had happened.

Wrens have started singing their unmistakable routine, which is always the same trilling sequence no matter which male is performing it, usually from a prominent post or tree branch.

Also during February, we have seen House Sparrows collecting feathers and looking a little confused as to what to do with them exactly; perhaps last year’s hatchlings doing it instinctively and checking out nest boxes along with Blue Tits. It’s all great to see and hear of course but it could all come crashing down if another “Beast from the East” were to hit us.

There really is something special about having Frogspawn in your own garden pond and we eagerly await some appearing in ours; created last year for Wildlife. I introduced about 30 tiny Froglets probably half an inch in length into the pond from one belonging to a mate who had hundreds of them swimming about. If nothing materialises, it’ll be a case of cadging some from a friend’s garden again where quite

often in a smaller pond, the amount of spawn over crowds everything else in it. Watching their progress from eggs to Tadpoles through to tiny Froglets emerging from the water is something I have never tired of in all my years.

Nuthatches are calling in good numbers too; Dyserth is a particularly good place for these dapper looking birds with their slate blue back, apricot chest and striking black stripe that runs through the eye from the long beak and over the ear cover, giving them a Bandit type appearance! A regular at the garden feeders too, although normally only a single bird will appear, more often than not approaching from a nearby tree where they will walk down the trunk and at some point, hang in an unlikely pose by the tips of their claws with their head at 90 degrees to the trunk before heading off to collect a peanut or Sunflower heart; their favourite.

Fiercely and loudly defending territory, they will nest in an old Woodpecker hole or similar, even a nest box if it is in a wooded area, and uniquely, will reduce the hole size to suit their own body width using wet mud which will dry like concrete and provide extra protection for the young. Nutties nest all over the outskirts of the village in the wooded areas though once the eggs are hatched and they are feeding hungry mouths, they stay quiet so as not to attract attention, a clever ploy not adopted by all birds especially Great Spotted Woodpeckers if you’ve ever heard their nestlings making a racket waiting to be fed!

Yes, a great time to get out and exercise the senses, Spring is happening now and it’s fabulous.

Dave Parry.