I try to get to the footbridge entrance from the River Park playing fields by around 07:30. It has been dark at this time for a while now and I have been treated to some breathtaking frosty dawns over the Itchen. But the seasons are turning and the sky is now light when I arrive. There are other signs too. The male swans have taken to hissing at us again as their hormones start rising. After a winter of solitude it is good to see two grey herons languidly flying low circles around each other. The kingfishers, there to be seen by the patient visitor, are becoming more vocal and their high-pitched peeping can be heard throughout the day.
Winter visitors
Our Scandinavian visitors are still with us. I always pause on the footbridge entrance and listen carefully to the birdsong. At this time of year there is often a nearby alder tree harbouring a flock of black and yellow siskin and their tinkling chatter. The adjoining River Park playing field sometimes has a mix of redwings and fieldfares, sharing the space with a flock of black-headed gulls.
Walking clockwise around the nature reserve I am struck by the open vistas afforded by the recent willow coppicing and the collapsing dead reeds. It is now easy to see the paths that the deer and other small animals make through the dead vegetation. The new reeds will soon be pushing through.
A sensory treat
Water levels are high at the moment, due to all of the recent rain and I am keeping a careful eye on it now that the new Durngate sluice gates have been installed. There has been a bit of flooding on the paths but it seems to be settling down for now. I nearly always see some deer on the path to the pond and they seem very tolerant of us; great if you bring a camera. The loud birds at the moment are the Cetti’s warblers (who seem to shout their song), wrens, robins, green woodpeckers (whose ‘song’ sounds a bit like a laugh) and the wonderful song thrush. When not knocking a snail shell against a stone they can be seen on the highest part of a tree trying to impress prospective mates with their extraordinary mimicry. Their repertoire includes other bird songs, car alarms and ring tones, each one usually sung three times before moving on to the next. I can sometimes hear the pig-like squeal of a well camouflaged water rail.
Looking forward
The paths are looking a bit blurry around the edges just now and will need to be smartened up before the plants wake up, and then it will be all that we can do to stop them being taken over by nettles, grasses and brambles. I have a scythe that makes quick work of this, although I must admit to enjoying the break as nature is only just starting to wake up.