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Ponds in the UK

Spring Watch survey details

21 years ago

The woodland trust are doing a survey of 6 signs of spring including the first frogspawn, bumblebee, hawthorn blossom etc.

You can read about it on the BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/springwatch/

and at:

http://www.phenology.org.uk/

You can also listen again to the part of the Radio 4 Today programme from Tues 18 Jan at 0744 here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today3_springwatch_20050118.ram

Here is a link that might be useful: listen on real player to radio4 talking about the springwatch survey

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Comments (11)

chippewacat
21 years ago
Thanks Dave, I just caught the end of that interview this morning in the car, so it was good to catch up with the rest. I also noticed the Radio Times has a postcard to send in for the first three signs of spring.

It will be interesting to see the results--and probably a bit horrifying. Mind you, global warming doesn't seem to be Sean's immediate problem!
dampflippers
Original Author
21 years ago
If you go to the phenology website you can look at progress maps so far, and see last years results.- Nicky (not Dave!)
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Annabel_uk_
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my little daffies are flowering away this week... surely this has started?
chippewacat
21 years ago
Sorry Nicky, I should have paid better attention! Thanks for all the info--its really interesting.
alison_froglady
21 years ago
It is also the RSPB big garden birdwatch next weekend 29th-30th January. On their website you can printout a copy of the birds they are interested in this year. Last year I had only 2 collared doves, but this year I can put down 6, in fact in each of the different bird catagories I can do better this year so it just goes to show that if you feed them and have a lovely pond for them to drink and bathe in they can still flourish. Annabel you are lucky there with your daffs. Mine are still just tiny shoots but are up in abundance. I was thrilled to see some hyacinths coming up as well. I love spring. I cheated a bit today and bought some pots of daffodils and planted them in the front garden. It's lovely to have instant colour.
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AJC_1
21 years ago
Officialy its still winter, and no doubt winter will remind us of it again shortly!

Some things are way to early, cant be a good thing to soon surely!
retropwr
21 years ago
"no doubt winter will remind us of it again shortly!"

Like this weekend with the forcast of snow and cold just about anywhere. (-10c in Scotland)
Dave_IRL
21 years ago
February can be a rough month betimes!! However, in the meantime, a couple of my waterlilies have sent up three or four new shoots which have broken through the water surface, and one of them even has a bud about halfway there!
alison_froglady
21 years ago
I didn't mean we were in spring. I just meant that I love spring when the daffs are in full flower and tulips a few weeks later, and little lambs in the fields in the Yorkshire Dales. Wonderful. We can certainly tell it is still winter here. I think today is the coldest day we have had so far. The fish couldn't get any lower on the bottom of the pond if they tried and are all huddled together. I have noticed shoots on my waterlilies as well which is definately earlier than normal. The seasons are certainly changing. I had a lovely sight today though as two thrushes came and fed on the pyricantha? berries. We haven't seen any thrushes for about 3 years so I got very excited.
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Linda_Clive
21 years ago
It's just as you say alison, the pond does attract so many lovely creatures. I love to see the cheeky finches bathe, and the blackbird is such an oaf, if he were human, he'd be the type who leaves his clothes in a crumpled heap and damp towels everywhere!
No shoots on my water lilies, but the daffs are pointy green shoots. I too long for spring and swathes of daffodils. Not too long now, each day the sun rises that little bit earlier.
AJC_1
21 years ago
Well the temp did drop a bit lol looked like the inside of a freezer here sat and sun morning!!! not a lot of snow today tho, just as well.

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