On Spring and Feather Fights.

Nature is being precocious this year. It’s been apparent for a while in the garden and hedgerows where leaf growth and flowering has been substantially earlier than usual, and now it’s the turn of the birds and their nest building. They’re 2-3 weeks ahead of the game, probably because of the relatively mild winter. Or maybe they take their cue from the leaves and flowers. I wouldn’t know.

I was in Uttoxeter a few days ago and saw a crow fly down to pick up a twig from the pavement. When it saw me approaching it flew to the top of a high fence and glared at me with aggressive intent. ‘This twig is mine,’ screeched the message in its beady eye. ‘If you come any closer I’ll bite your bum so hard you won’t sit down for a week.’ At least, that’s what it sounded like to me. ‘No worries,’ I replied with a smile. ‘I have no need of a twig at the moment. Of course, you could always just fly away since you can fly and I can’t.’ ‘Don’t try to be clever with me, you wingless freak’ replied the crow. ‘Think you’re so bloody clever, don’t you? Get off with you. Be gone.’ So get off was what I did.

Today there was more aggression in the air. I saw a blue tit approach the nest box behind my kitchen bearing a beakful of soft moss to line the base. And guess what was in the way: a male house sparrow perched disrespectfully on the little round entrance hole. Fisticuffs ensued as the two combatants fell to the ground on the embankment beneath the box. House sparrows are twice the size of blue tits, but it was only a matter of seconds before the bigger bird gave in and flew away. I imagine blue tits could even relieve crows of their twigs if they had any use for them.

So that’s nature in the spring for you, and it’s all very entertaining.