There have been some very wet and windy days towards the end of January and there looks like there are more to come this month too! On a brighter note the days are noticeably becoming lighter. I have seen the first characteristic hazel 'catkins' hanging in the woods and hedgerows, they resemble the long tails of the new born lambs that you can see in the fields.

New born lambs

At this time of the year, with the wet weather, it pays the farmers not to over stock their fields, or else the ground can become poached and muddy which encourages thistles and docks later in the year. It's difficult to eliminate these stubborn weeds and bring the land back to good grazing areas. During this month the fields are rolled out to encourage a good pasture by levelling out the trampled ground and harrowing it (to aerate the soil and spread out any animal dung. Rolling and harrowing of grass fields is recommended to be done before mid-March to avoid disturbing early ground nesting birds like Lapwing.

Canada Geese

You may see large groups of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) that gather together over the winter in fields beside large ponds, lakes and rivers. They feed on farmers crops, seeds and small invertebrates. It will not be long before they start to pair up and look for suitable nest sites. As you may have guessed this bird originates from Canada, it was brought here as an ornamental bird in the 17th century and introduced to parks and large estates.

The geese spread from these parks into the surrounding countryside and because it is easily tamed it has never been a popular bird to shoot so it has been allowed to flourish.

Female Blackbird

Back in the garden you may be seeing a variety of birds especially if you are feeding them at a bird table. House Sparrows, Titmice, Finches, Thrushes and a lot more can easily be seen if you are feeding them. One of the most familiar birds is the Blackbird (Turdus merula). This month they can be seen feeding on your bird table or eating worms on the ground or even eating one of the unfortunate early insects tempted out on a warmer day. The Blackbird starts to sing more than usual around now as they define their territory and look for a mate.

Snowdrops

In some of the more sheltered areas, even at this early stage of the year, the yellow flowers of Lesser Celandine and Primrose have appeared. In the more exposed areas the yellow blooms of the gorse give some colour to the landscape. However one of the most eye-catching plants to be seen out now is the white flowered strands of Snowdrops that adorn woodland floors and stream-side banks.

Towards the middle of this month, here in the south, frogs and toads will be gathering at ponds to breed.

Common Frog (Rana temporaria)

The Common Frog (Rana temporaria) can be variable in colour but usually a greenish brown or olive. The male has large swellings on his first finger, which he uses to hold to a female when mating. During the evenings, if you live close to a pond, you may hear the faint croaking sound the males make during the mating season.

Common Toad (Bufo bufo)

The Common Toad (Bufo bufo) is easily distinguished from the Common Frog because of its warty olive-brown skin and its inclination to walk rather than hop. Croaking is important for the male toad in that the deeper the croaking sound generally means the larger the male toad. This is important to know for a young male toad if he is to survive fighting off rival toads wanting to breed with a female. The larger the male then the better chance it has in successfully mating with a female toad. Sadly, because of the strong urge to mate many male toads will fight over one female in a wild frenzied melee often ending in the female drowning. Another problem that the urge to mate at the same spawning ground can end in numerous toad deaths on our roads. Thankfully in some places like Wiston and Petworth 'Toad Crossings' have been permanently constructed to protect their safe passage.

Next month many species will come out from their winters rest and the Blackthorn flowers will herald the coming of spring.