I decided on the title of this post before storms Dudley and Eunice hit the UK. And that all feels like it was way before the conflict in Ukraine. Without sounding too blue – and without forgetting how horrifying the conflict must be for those who are actually caught up in it, along with those suffering in the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and countless other conflicts – the world does seem like a pretty bad place right now. And, by the end of February, I imagine everyone must’ve thought the shortest month had felt unnaturally long.
So, before I share, I thought it was important to say that I wondered whether I should post this. When bad things happen, it can feel insensitive to enjoy things. Especially when those bad things aren’t happening to you. But there’s no blissful ignorance behind my acts of wildness for February 2022. Amongst the moments of joy, there was also sadness, pain, fear, denial, worry and care. Along with hope.
An unexpected highlight
There have been a few notable walks this month. I wrote about one when I was caught out in some stormy weather – this chaotic walk was beautiful at times, but also very frightening. A real mixed bag.
Another walk particularly stands out, though. Towards the end of February, I went for a wander around the meadow and up the single track road that leads back to Shipston. It was so bright and peaceful at 6.50am. On the walk, I saw a great spotted woodpecker on a telegraph pole near the farmhouse on the lane. It was drumming the pole furiously – I’ve never seen them do that before. I glanced away from the woodpecker for a moment and was distracted by grey, yellow and a very long tail – a grey wagtail was watching me from the farmhouse roof.
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but a patch of scrub near the sewage works on this lane is so popular with the birds. As I wandered past this time, I heard – then saw – lots of thrushes and the bullfinch pair were in the area as usual. The bullfinches seem to love the spot where the road bends around back to town. And, right on this bend, I heard my first chiffchaff of 2022! Definitely my highlight of the month! How unexpected!
Wildlife spots
A few more birds to add to the list this month. Including:
- Bullfinch
- Green woodpecker
- Greenfinch
- Greylag goose
- Little grebe
- Reed bunting
- Skylark
- Song thrush
The song thrushes have been a real treat this month – it’s like they’ve suddenly woken from their slumber. Their songs are so random and loud!
My partner and I also saw a beautiful roe stag cross a narrow road one evening on the way to a pub. Luckily, the car ahead was moving at a slow pace so there wasn’t a risk of the deer being struck. He was an absolutely wonderful beast.
There’s a jay!
This watercolour jay was my pride and joy of February. The jay made its way onto my list after I spotted a whole load of them at the end of autumn last year – they practically lined the single track road leading to Burmington from Willington. And, despite the bird book saying they’re commonly heard more than seen, I can 100% confirm that I saw them. They were most likely collecting acorns for their winter larders.
I finished the jay off amidst the fury of Eunice. I remember the dread I felt as I tried to sleep before the approaching storm. I worried for anyone caught up in it. And I had an extremely irrational fear that my roof was going to blow off. This jay saved me from some of those worries.
Spring Flowers
The month started with some shoots in the garden, followed by the snowdrops bursting into life. By the end of February, the daffodils were shining their yellow glow on my walking routes, the green space at work and in my kitchen!
The best flower of the month though? I have to say I have a new-found soft spot for crocuses. Their purples, whites and yellows are just beautiful. They looked very pretty on my windowsill and have brightened up countless patches of grass and scrub this month.
A ladybird called Dot
What would you do if you found a ladybird in your bathroom in February? I was faced with this problem. It looked quite sleepy and I wasn’t sure what the best course of action was. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll note that a similar thing happened with a bee last year…
It wasn’t the first ladybird I’d found. But it was the first I’d clocked inside – the other one was chilling on a stem in the garden. That seems like a much more sensible place for a ladybird to be.
Faced with a conundrum, I promptly named the ladybird ‘Dot’ and counted its spots. It only had one on each wing. I then googled what to do. The best advice I could find was to put it outside in a sheltered place. I’d timed my research poorly on that day and had to abandon the ladybird’s rescue and log into a Microsoft Teams meeting. By the time the call had finished, Dot had disappeared.
But it wasn’t long until she made her presence known again. This time, she was wandering around on the stairs – a very dangerous place to be with all of the feet stomping and cats prowling! After some encouragement, she crawled onto my finger and I took her safely to a hanging basket, out of reach of my naughty cats. I hope she managed to find a stem like the other ladybird.
I hope your February was ok – here’s my full wild list
Week 5 (cont.)
Tues 1st February: Checked on the ladybird in the garden again. It was still chilling on a stem.
Weds 2nd February: National Hedgehog Day! I enjoyed looking through some pics of hedgehogs on stained glass windows.
Thurs 3rd February: Checked out the White Stork Project. Did you know their enormous nests are useful for other birds and they are important seed banks?
Fri 4th February: Evening walk in Bourton-on-the-Water with a very close friend. It was a beautiful dusk stroll.
Sat 5th February: I had a look at some of the snowdrops on campus after a very busy day on a weekend event.
Sun 6th February: Enjoyed a read about courting in the animal world – lots of songs, dances and gifts!
Week 6
Mon 7th February: Lovely walk up the Hanson Track.
Tues 8th February: Read a National Geographic article about efforts to protect relocated burrowing owls.
Weds 9th February: Stopped to listen to a very loud thrush on a walk through the meadow!
Thurs 10th February: I had a lovely surprise today – a snowdrop had appeared in the garden.
Fri 11th February: A busy day on campus supporting a work event. The ducks on a rectangular pond near one of the buildings brought a smile to my face.
Sat 12th February: Walk through Honington and the meadow. Some of the trees had been cut down, which was very sad to see.
Sun 13th February: I admired some daffodils I bought in the week and my geranium which has decided to flower. Again!
Week 7
Mon 14th February: Some more work on my snail pencil drawing.
Tues 15th February: I found a ladybird in the bathroom and decided to try and rescue it.
Weds 16th February: Enjoyed reading a BBC Wildlife article about courting great crested grebes. I would absolutely love to see their dance in real life!
Thurs 17th February: A very interesting walk. I even wrote a whole post about it.
Fri 18th February: I finished my watercolour of a jay today during the storms. I really enjoyed this one.
Sat 19th February: Spent the afternoon on a walk along the Grand Union Canal in Perivale with some friends. Saw moorhens, coots, a swan flying over (they make funny noises when they fly!) and a pair of little grebes.
Sun 20th February: Counted all of the kites enjoying the wind as I drove home from London.
Week 8 & 9
Mon 21st February: Read an interesting critique of royal estates in BBC Wildlife Magazine. Introducing golden eagles to land in the North of England was a particularly interesting idea!
Tues 22nd February: An interesting read about vagrant species here in the UK. I really like the snowy owl.
Weds 23rd February: A lovely morning walk. I spotted a great spotted woodpecker, grey wagtail and a bullfinch. I also heard skylarks and my first chiffchaff of 2022!
Thurs 24th February: Had a look at Rare Bird Alert UK. The American Robin and Red-Breasted Goose are both pretty cool!
Fri 25th February: Indulged in a jog/walk to the cemetery and back. Lots of dunnocks around!
Sat 26th February: Another busy day on an event and my mum and dad came to visit too! I had a moment of rest admiring the purples and yellows of the crocuses on the windowsill.
Sun 27th February: A lovely stroll through Newbold Comyn and Jephson Gardens in Leamington. My dad reckons he heard a nuthatch.
Mon 28th February: Started my day off with a walk to Tidmington. Heard (and then saw) my first greenfinch of the year!
Ramblings of a (very!) amateur artist 