Six Reasons to Enjoy Spring: Birdwatching and Nature Tips

To many people it’s their favourite season - spring heralds the promise of new life with fresh sounds and colours after the darkness of winter. What better time to venture outdoors and explore?

Here are six reasons to do just that:

Wakening Animals

With warmer temperatures it’s time for hibernating animals to emerge from their winter sleep. Insects are hard to find over the cold months, so animals like hedgehogs and bats need to hibernate to conserve their energy. With the arrival of spring, their food supply is back, so it’s time to wake up. Badgers and squirrels are also easier to see during warmer weather so watch out for them to.

Returning Birds

Thousands of migrating birds return to the UK for the summer months to breed. Wheatears, Sand Martins and Chiffchaffs are the earliest to return. In late spring swallows arrive with their aerial display but for many it’s the return of the cuckoo, and its beautiful call, which marks the start of the season.

Longer Days

Look no further than the 20th March – this is the spring equinox, when the Earth’s orbit around the sun makes our days and nights almost of equal lengths. This results in shorter nights and longer days, great for those nature walks.

Spring Flowers & Woodland Walks

Wildflowers come in to their own at this time of year. Take a stroll around any wooded area and you should see bluebells, daffodils and primroses. Go early in the season before trees grow their leaves and shut out the daylight.

Bumblebees & Butterflies

Seeing your first bumblebee of the year is a sure sign that summer is just around the corner. Warmer days encourage bees to come out of their underground hibernation, looking for flowers and places to nest. But it’s catching a glimpse of an early butterfly, like the peacock, that proves summer is not far away.

Singing Birds

Song Thrushes, Robins and Blackbirds should already be singing sweetly but birdsong really does peak during this season as migrant birds start to return. At the end of spring when they’ve all returned to our shores, that’s when the dawn chorus is at its peak and if you like to rise early then you’re in for a treat.

Written by Angela and Chris