Talking Point with Vicky Turrell: 'All dressed up for the occasion'
I cannot believe it! They are moving in. They are all dressed up for the occasion too. I suppose it is smart to them, but I expected something a bit better and exciting for the first inhabitants.
Who were they? We looked through binoculars sure that they would not mind or even notice our intrusion. They were ordinary house sparrows. I say ‘ordinary’ but in our new garden they are anything but ordinary. In fact, they are rare, so even though they look boring, I have decided that they are certainly not.
We stare fascinated at the little birds using the new bird box that we put up when we ourselves first arrived here.
About a year ago we moved house, so I know what it feels like. Everything is cold and strange and clean. Nothing is cosy or familiar and it takes some time to make it your own. Our little sparrows are popping in and out. The female is inside most of the time with the black bibbed male inspecting the entrance whilst he nervously clings on to the front new wood. I expect they will soon be furnishing it with their chosen bedding. It seems a little early to me, but the days are lengthening even though we are still in January.
And there is someone else moving in too, just over the grassy patch and over the road there has been an empty house. It has looked so forlorn with its dark staring windows and its over-grown garden. Then a ‘For Sale’ sign went up. It was to sell by auction and from time to time we saw people coming to inspect the premises. The for-sale sign rocked in the wind and finally fell. Nothing else happened for months. Everything was silent. Then yesterday a blue removal van arrived on the drive and people and furniture spilled out. Cars were parked in the drive and smoke came out of the chimney; the house is slowly wakening up just in time for spring.
I did the The Big Garden Birdwatch last weekend and we were asked to note down the birds visiting our garden. They are pairing up and, on the move, ready for their breeding season ahead. Not many are comfortable in our modern sparse garden, but we certainly noted the house sparrow whose numbers have been poor nationally.
Another sign of spring is that sheep are crowding the land near the farms. Farmers are getting ready for the lambing season. I remember our sheep being brought up to our Home Field so that we could keep an eye on them if the weather turned cold. The fields will soon be full of new lambs.
