WEATHER CHANGES A month ago, I mentioned the mild spell in early February.  Since then it has been generally cool by night and day with wintry showers at times but with no really severe frost.  There has not been much sunshine but, on the better days, many of our resident birds have been singing to defend chosen territories.  Our local Grey Herons have already braved sleet and snow showers and strong winds while guarding their impressive nests in their heronry. WILL THE FLOWERS OPEN IN TIME? Our changeable seasons make choosing a date for outdoor events a gamble.  The Tendring Members’ Group of Essex Wildlife Trust has arranged the Primrose Open Day and Plant Sale at Barnes’ Spinney nature reserve at Walton-on-the-Naze for Sunday, 4th April and the Bluebell Open Day at Weeleyhall Wood nature reserve at Weeley is to be on Sunday, 25th April.  We hope that the weather will encourage good turnouts from people in our district.  The dates were chosen with the aim of having the named flowers, for which the nature reserves are well known, mostly in bud or flower and not past their best.  However, much will depend on the weather ahead. A STUDY OF NATURE’S TIMINGS Phenology is the study of timing of recurring natural events in relation to climate.  These events include flowering, leafing and fruiting of plants, nesting of birds and arrival and departure of migrant species.  Records go back to the 1700s in Britain.  The recent setting-up of the UK Phenology Network (www.phenology.org.uk) has revived public interest and involvement.  Records gathered by the network are providing more and more important evidence indicating current climate changes. TWO CONTRASTING YEARS It is very interesting to compare records of dates from year to year including cool, average and warm Springs and the changes over periods of 30 years for example.  The warm Spring of 2002 after an average one in 2001 brought a very early season across the range of natural events.  On average, plant activity (leafing and flowering) was 13 days earlier, insect activity (first seen) was 18 days earlier and bird activity was six days earlier.  A remarkable result from a locally widespread plant was Blackthorn flowering, which was 22 days earlier in 2002 than 2001. OTHER CHANGES It is rather worrying that the responses vary across the wildlife groups.  Many mammals and birds depend on insects and plants.  It appears that Great Tit young are now more likely to hatch too late for their parents to take advantage of the peak of the caterpillars that are their main food.  Even on average, it seems from the information already gathered that Hawthorn and Elder are now flowering a fortnight or more earlier than they would have when I was born! COMINGS AND GOINGS IN THE BIRD WORLD By the time that these notes are published, early migrant birds should be arriving for the summer and most of our winter visitors will be on their way to their breeding grounds.  In the coming weeks, we can say farewell to the thousands of Brent Geese, Wigeon, Teal, Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin and other wildfowl and waders that have wintered on our beaches and marshes.  We will be welcoming back our Cuckoos, Swallows and Martins, Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs and other warblers and hoping that the weather is kind to them and us and not too extreme.  Will their arrival times this spring be early, late or about the normal for current years? Reg Arthur WHERE HAVE ALL THE SPARROWS GONE? Ornithologists and even the Government are worried about the demise of the sparrow.  The population has decreased by half since the 1940s.  In Victorian times small boys were used to keep the flocks off the fields. Their disappearance is said to be caused by too many cats and so put a bell around its neck; and by too tidy gardens.  These modern make-over gardens with no rough areas and decking are too tidy and leave no food to be found by the sparrows.  Every piece of rough ground is being built on.  What areas have the biggest population of sparrows in St Osyth? At Burnham, Essex, there was the Burnham Sparrow Shooting Club and in 1881 two teams met, nine men each side.  They shot 56 and 48 sparrows between them.