SPRING is in the air – despite the odd April shower – and it isn’t just humans whose thoughts turn to romance as the weather hots up.
Birds are in full song, according to Marylebone Birdwatching Society chairman John Hunt, and it is with one thing in mind – to find a mate.
Mr Hunt led an enthusiastic crowd of birdwatchers on a spring morning stroll around Hampstead Heath on Sunday, organised by the South End Green Association.
He gave tips on distinguishing between the song of a willow warbler and a chiff chaff and explained the nesting patterns of the Heath’s swans, grebes, cormorants, thrushes, wrens and robins.
Mr Hunt said: “Birds are very active in the spring.
“Many – like swallows, martins and swifts – have started their migration from warmer climates in search of food.
“The leaves are not too full so the birds are busy preparing for the mating season. Jackdaws are stripping twigs to build nests and some are breeding already. And many birds have their best plumage at this time of year.
“All the birdsongs are either about mating or about marking their territory.
“But by July or August, they are absolutely worn out – if you see a woodpecker after it has brought up its brood, it looks tired and tatty.”