Reed-fringe

It was quite foggy when I first woke, but by the time I went down to the river with the dogs a little after seven, there were just the last veils of mist being dispersed by the warmth of the sun. Not that it felt very warm, being only 2C and with touches of frost in sheltered hollows!

I caught the tail end of the dawn chorus, which has now been enriched by the repetitive two-note call of the chiffchaff. I heard my first two days ago, and, when I checked my phenology records, was surprised to see that over the last five years I've always recorded the first chiffchaff call between the 18th and 21st March - remarkably reliable for a bird that may have flown all the way from the Mediterranean or West Africa. Mind you, they may be more local as an increasing number are over-wintering in Britain. The majority of these winter chiffchaffs are birds from Scandinavia and mainland Europe, though some are "resident" British birds.

When I returned from my walk I posted yesterday's sunset blip and then spent the rest of the morning at a meeting to plan the summer activities of the Peterborough Group of the Wildlife Trust. We have a varied programme including a Bluebell Day at Thorpe Wood in April, a wildflower walk at Bedford Purlieus in May (which I'm leading) and a Family Day and Bioblitz at Ring Haw in July. I may be doing a short session on wildlife photography at that event, as well as a more general walk covering the history and management of the site. If you want to find out more, look here.

The weather was so lovely that I spent the afternoon in the garden with Ben. We finished digging the asparagus plot and made a start on weed control (mechanical only!) elsewhere. Then it was a session of psychology and biology with Ben before cooking tea. Alex should be home shortly so I expect I'll spend the rest of the evening catching up with his New Forest trip - if he manages to stay awake!!