Early warning

We've dodged most of the snow here on the Cych, but it has been a cold, cheerless week. So it's good to know that it looks like spring is heading our way.

Or cuckoos are anyway. I really enjoyed being able to track last year's cuckoo migration via the British Trust for Ornithology's satellite tracking project.

vogelart.info

Transmitters that weigh just 5g were been fitted to five cuckoos and BTO scientists tracked their journeys between here and Africa. It meant that you could follow their journeys at the BTO's website and on the trip south it became a nail-biter as they flew over Europe and then the Sahara through all sorts of hazards.

And it looks like it's happening all over again. All the birds have spent the winter in the Congo, but now two of the five have started moving north and west, which could mean that they're on their way.

Don't hold your breath though as it takes some time. One of the five, Martin, left England at the end of June last year and it took the bird a leisurely three weeks to get to the toe of Italy before a two day sprintover the Sahara to Chad.

Distant drums

A first for the year, a great spotted woodpecker drumming away somewhere on the far side of the valley. During most of our winters here on the Cych a GSW has been a daily visitor at the birdfeeders, but this year it has rarely put in appearance.

I assume that they breed in one of the veteran trees on the far side of the valley. There are plenty of them - big oaks and alders with lots of ailing, decaying limbs. Presumably, the woodpeckers have had a relatively easy time of it through this mild winter and haven't had to take their chances along with the other garden bird 'faces'.

That may change now. We've been free of snow here, but on the higher ground to the south and east it has snowed quite heavily and the forecast is for very cold temperatures. It may be that my drumming woody has jumped the gun.