Spring coming early?

Alun

I was just down on the Bray Greystones cliff path. Heard a bit of noise coming from above, looked up and saw a few kittiwakes perched on ledges above the path engaging in what I had always assumed was courtship behaviour. I.e. two birds sitting close to each other, touching beaks and making a lot of noise. I've seen a lot of this along there in the spring, but never at the end of December. Seems a bit early to be starting that kind thing doesn't it?

Saw a group of 3 harbour porpoises too by the way.

Del.Monte

I passed along the cliffs by train last week and noticed Fulmars landing on the usual nesting slopes - isn't that normally reserved for the start of the breeding season?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

You'll always get a few birds on the coastal cliffs all year round, particularly Fulmar. A few birds isn't really a sign of anything.

OpenYourEyes

Agree with Srameen. For seabirds, I'd be basing early/late season on egg-laying alone. With other birds like Guillemots, depending on the day during the winter (and the colony) there could be hundreds/thousands on the cliffs, or none at all!

Alun

Well, it wasn't so much that they were just there, I see the odd seabird along there on the cliffs all year around, it was the behaviour I found odd. Pairs of birds close together on a ledge like that, banging their beaks together and making a bit of a racket, is behaviour I've only seen there in springtime / early summer, and I'm along there quite a bit all year around.

fryup

don't know about seabirds....

...but my daffodils are popping up already, surely thats freaky

Birdnuts

fryup wrote: »

don't know about seabirds....

...but my daffodils are popping up already, surely thats freaky

Same thing happend last year - then we got buried by many feet of snow at the end of Feb

Victor

Be aware of 'bull traps' and 'bear traps'.

Doctors room ghost

The daffs have the spikes up in Galway and there's the odd buds coming on trees here.also lawns are growing thick and strong.10c here today and yesterday.theres vixen to be heard calling every night here

Graces7

I still have marigolds in bloom and peas forming pods. Daffodils a foot high and birds going crazy. We have had a very mild winter is all so things are too far forward. Even out here that is true. offshore west mayo. Unseasonal weather leads to unseasonal growth which a frosty spell will cut down.

fepper

It's usually after Christmas that the really winter weather kicks in so all this growth will be short-lived.

Alun

Was watching a program on BBC four the other day about the Sami people and their reindeer. Apparently they have 8 seasons, all of different lengths. Winter is by far the longest, lasting from December to March, after that they have spring winter, followed by spring, spring summer, summer, summer autumn, autumn, and finally autumn winter! Spring summer is basically one month, June.

Sounds like a great idea, and more accurately reflects reality than our strict 3 monthly seasons.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

fepper wrote: »

It's usually after Christmas that the really winter weather kicks in so all this growth will be short-lived.

True enough. We always have daffodils sprouting at this time of year, if the usual mild December occurs. Snowdrops are flowering and hazel catkins are out but it's not particularly unusual. I always cut a rose bud or two for the Christmas table. English marigolds will flower as long as a continuous spell of frost stays away. The grass is still growing but I have given it a light trim many times at the start of January, if it is dry enough. It's the Spring chill that does the damage if soft growth develops now.

Pretzill

Very mild December alright and the birds are singing like it's early spring. This time last year I photographed some primroses in bloom and also the gorse - so I suppose it's not unusual and the birds are enjoying the mildness.

The_Outsider

I was stopped in my tracks earlier when I spotted a Peacock butterfly sitting on a rock in my driveway.
Flew around a bit around my head then off over the hedge - but not before I took a photo.
Felt sorry for the poor lad - awful early to be waking up.....

Thud

spotted some unripe blackberries in a ditch the other day...very mild so far

ShauntaMetzel

I also noticed the same. Maybe birds are little disturbed due to global warming. I don't know what's the matter.