Ne'er cast a clout till May be out
Whether you accept the saying as referring to Hawthorn blossom AKA 'May' (as I do) or trust it to mean the month of May, which can at times still be a wee bit chilly depending on your region. For example, in the North East of Scotland, due to the difference in temperature, it can be as late as June before it's oot! However, what is obvious, Spring is certainly being chased by summer, and so it's fairly safe to cast off your thermals and open a few windows!
Bees and butterflies are finally showing face and wing, while blackbirds and robins are frenetically feeding their first of two or three broods. I suspect they're working a little harder this year to make up for many of their kin that didn't make it through the harshest winter endured in these parts, in decades.
Ecology of nature is interesting. The Lapwings arriving from Northern Europe didn't stay near me this January/February; when they first arrived, but were chased further south due to more snow and freezing weeks than they were normally accustomed. But I'm pleased to see they've crept back to familiar nesting sites care of a warmer Southerly wind. What farmland would be the same without their showy flights or cries; peewit, peewit!
Amazing ecosystems surround us. Sparrow-hawks fly into my garden every so often to gorge on a smorgasbord of smaller birds, attracted by my feeders, which can sometimes be a little disturbing and annoying, BUT spell-binding and awesome to watch. Then again, I need several species in good numbers at this time, to clean my plants, shrubs and trees, of bugs, larvae and aphids. More on this as we proceed throughout the year.
For now, I encourage you to take a little time to enjoy all the outdoor energy you can take in: Calling, chasing, courting, pairing, mating, nesting, laying, hatching, begging, feeding, flapping, fledging, flying [and breathe], occasionally interrupted here and there with a little dying.
Please share your favourite aspect of this time of year. TPH
I am uncertain as to whether you mean watching the outdoor activity of the birds, or actually being the dooers ourselves.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Both perhaps, after all life in its most natural form is there for all to love, enjoy and share with respect. The energy of the natural world is infectious :-)
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