Springwatch, Mumsnet style

[shovetheholly]

My garden in Sheffield is also reaaaaaally behind where it was last year. I would guess about 3 even maybe 4 weeks. I am bursting with impatience for the lovely late spring plants!

However, my Dad's garden in East Anglia is firing on all cylinders. I am normally about 7-10 days behind him, but this year the lag is much greater than normal.

I'm wondering if this is because we had a very harsh winter here (lots and lots of lying snow for a couple of weeks), whereas they have had a relatively mild one?

Anyone else noticing a lag?

I live in the east (beds) and its been like summer the last couple of days, everything is out. All the oil seed rape is in flower, blossom on trees, bluebells out (!!) All the tits and finches sweeping about.
It seems far too early!

It has been cloudy here the last couple of days. Bah humbug.

Mixed bag for me in North bucks. The daffs came out early, and the ash tree seems a month early (we were worried about it last year and thought it was dead so remember that well). And the blackthorn and plums are usually blossoming alone, but this year loads of stuff exploded at once.

But, the frogs seemed really really late. And not at all prolific . I've not yet heard a cuckoo despite being outside more than ever. There seem fewer tits than usual, though those that are about are busy nesting.

Yesterday was crazy hot, but the 2 mornings before that we had frost. It seems more mixed up than ever.

We have had a massive increase in tits and finches!
I've got a couple of GORGEOUS long tailed tits and they are either incredibly vain looking at their reflection or incredibly nosey as I keep seeing them at the window.

I've not seen any frogs either, we are on a migration path (what fun!) But I'm sure it's usually a bit later in the year

I love long tailed tits. Possibly the cutest bird, apart from owls which I have been obsessed with since I was eight and lying under a tree and looked up and saw a pair of big owl eyes looking indignantly down at me. I have owl everything in my house - not ornaments or pictures but things, like owl egg cups, owl mugs, owl tea towels, owl pens, owl postits, etc. I can remember when one of my friends came over for the first time, after a bit she looked at me and said 'Oh my GOD, they're EVERYWHERE!'

More finches and tits than usual here, though that may be because the neighbour and I have started putting out food for them. I heard a cuckoo very early this spring - startlingly so in fact - but haven't heard one since.

I worry about frog numbers generally. I just don't see them around nearly as much any more. One of my big jobs in the garden this year is to create a pond for them.

Same with hedgehogs - I haven't seen one of those in ages. I haven't even seen one dead on the road for ages.

I like this thread! We are in south east. Grass started growing like crazy last week. Daffs and hyacinth been out for a while. Have seen blue tits in garden, not noticed much else. Heard a woodpecker yesterday in the woods behind the house. We also hear an owl there at night. Two frogs came to the pond in early March and mated, so we had one clump of frogspawn. Tadpoles hatched last week I think, so are still small. Last spring we had five frogs and had three clumps of frogspawn so I am sad this year as I love frogs