Crop Corner

Ian Andrews looks at what to shoot in February and adds some useful activity diary dates. Despite the apparently desolate appearance to the casual observer, February is a time of gradual but steady change, not only in the Woodlands and Parks, but in the fields and waterways too. On the high ground, the snow line begins it's slow march skywards creating a swelling in the rivers below. Daylight is starting to become noticeably longer and the sap resumes it's rise in the still dead looking trees. The behaviour of the birds is starting to change also. Now that the ground is softening, they are more able to probe for food. Those that moved south for the winter will start thinking about their spread north and west again. Some, like the Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) will start to re-establish pair bonds and re-populate their nest sites. The garden birds will start to get louder and their plumage will progressively take on breeding colours as the hunt for a mate commences.