While I read about the winter in the Lowlands which has been cold and below zero at some point, the weather over here has been really odd this winter… I was sitting in the lounge watching a show on TV last week. I had the window open because it was sunny and not cold at all while I heard a familiar sound all of a sudden. It was the sound of screeching hungry baby sparrows [of the common house sparrow]. I had to listen again because I couldn’t believe what I heard since it was still January and way to early for baby birds. But I wasn’t fooling myself; I kept hearing it every five minutes…
In the UK the drainage pipes are placed on the outside wall of the old Victorian houses and when I look out the kitchen window I can see one in the opposite corner of the neighbour’s house. Last year while I was doing the washing-up in the kitchen I noticed something flying about from the corner of my eye. Two sparrows were busy flying back and forth from the garden to the nest that they had built right behind the main drainage pipe in that particular corner. Both were taking turns feeding their screeching babies for weeks and it was fun watching them doing their thing. But that must have been in April or May and definitely not in January.
Then last Saturday I had to go out and collect something at the pharmacy on the high street and while I walked down there I noticed some beautiful bright yellow daffodils that were planted near a tree in my street. The mild conditions of this winter definitely must have confused plants and birds. I guess I’m not the only one who noticed since two days ago it was actually mentioned on the BBC news later that evening. Climate change is a big issue here in the UK and a regular topic on TV shows or the news. It doesn’t really surprise me since I’ve seen the effect with my own eyes.
Let’s hope there won’t be a spell of cold weather in the next few weeks, it would be awful if those tiny baby sparrows won’t survive…
