The first lockdown, last March, gave most people the opportunity to feel spring arrive and embark on new projects. In the middle of winter, on dank, dreary days, the feeling of optimism is sometimes hard to muster: but spring is on the way!

Over the last 10 months I’ve got into the habit of observing more closely what’s going on in the garden. I’ll be taking part in the RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend, but I’m also noting the birds which visit weekly for the BTO’s Garden Birdwatch, which runs all year. It’s fascinating!

Goldfinches have been around all year, but it wasn’t until the leaves dropped that a nest could be seen in the branches of the laburnum in the front garden: I think it’s a goldfinch nest. They’re still in the area, bathing in the pond and feeding on the rudbeckia seedheads which weren’t cut back in autumn.

On very cold days, the usual supply of seeds and fat are supplemented by apples and mealworms. It’s amazing how quickly they’re discovered by the birds! Blackbirds can reach the apples before I reach the back door and a pair of magpies are often the first to find the mealworms.

Spring is definitely in the air. Great tits, robins, dunnocks and collared doves have been calling loudly, getting ready for the breeding season. The dunnocks are flirting madly! Plumage seems brighter. And I’ve had the time to clean out nest boxes properly (and clean feeders more frequently than I used to do).

Coronavirus has taught me many things and has made me acutely aware of how fortunate I am to have a garden and relatively easy access to a variety of natural green spaces. I’m also acutely aware that many others are not so lucky. But even if you don’t have a garden, there’s wildlife to be seen in any open space, and I’m certainly noticing more than in past years.