Spring?

[Odsox]

When I went out to feed the chicken this morning the dawn chorus was deafening. The blackbirds and thrushes were having a right old singing duel, which was on the face of it quite understandable. It was calm and overnight temperatures like April, with patches of blue sky promising a nice (spring) day.
I'm sure they will soon see the error of their ways.

It is unseasonable though, just like we usually get about now.

[Green Aura]

Yes, it's absolutely glorious here too. A day for flinging all the windows open to let in some fresh spring air - except it isn't of course. Still giving the house an airing won't go amiss.

As for the birds, we don't so much do dawn chorus as battle cries of the sparrows - we've got dozens fighting over the fat balls, peanuts and seed feeders. They don't appear to be too endangered here - maybe we've got the national collection.

[ina]

Maggie - you can only have half the national collection - the other half is at my feeder! :)

I also seem to have a large portion of the nation's starlings...

I agree, it seemed almost like spring. And pretty glad I am about it; my house seems so much warmer.

[diggernotdreamer]

In spite of the continuing wet weather and everyone pludging round in 10 feet of mud, my climbing rose bush is full of buds and they seem to be coming out over the last few days and the sweet peas intertwining the rose bush is starting to grow and make buds, just very odd a bit like last December when all the flowers that didn't come out in the summer started flowering from October through to December

[Green Aura]

We left home in the pitch black at 6am to 11C, which increased to 13C during our day out shopping and was 11C again by the time we got home. Crackers.

[Odsox]

Same here.
The blackbird and thrush are now having a singing contest at dusk as well as dawn.
Still singing while I type and it's almost dark (17:10)
I think I must have slept through the festive season and it actually the end of February.

[MKG]

Every year for the past six (or seven or eight) years or so, we've had a Herman. Herman is a blackbird - OK, he's a number of blackbirds, all of whom, I'm convinced, share a lot of genetic material. The original Herman would nag us for food, run figures of eight around my feet, wait in the same spot for us to appear, and had no fear of us at all. Every year, a (new?) Herman has appeared, doing exactly the same stuff. He's already arrived this year - slightly early, so things must be not so good out in the fields. Once again, he has no fear of us at all, and has twice decided to join us in the kitchen, pecking my hands when I caught him and threw him out. Of course, his behaviour has guaranteed special treatment for him and his offspring (and, of course, we're almost necessarily already talking about his offspring).
I'm awarding Herman an A-level in human manipulation and parental imitation.

[Green Aura]

I read that last word as irritation. Both may be equally applicable.

[Weedo]

Blackbirds, sparrows, starlings !!!!! - airborne rats and mice

[ina]

Blackbirds, sparrows, starlings !!!!! - airborne rats and mice

I like these rats and mice...

[MKG]

I don't mind our mice - they keep themselves to themselves and don't attempt to invade no-go areas (there are many, many other warm and dry bits they can set up home in). As for rats, I have an aerodynamically-shaped half-housebrick as a special greeting for them. I haven't had to use it too often, but they don't seem to like it. I have no idea how I'd feel if I ever actually hit one of them.