Whatever the rest of us think, the birds seem convinced spring is on its way. Suddenly there seem to be many more about (although they are probably just more visible) , with much calling, displaying, chasing and pairing off. A 15 minute walk along the Cart this morning produced the following: single Cormorant and female Goosander flying downriver, a pair of Carrion Crows inspecting the (now receded) river banks (with others flying around), 2 pairs of Magpie (with others calling from cover), 2 pairs of Great Tits (ditto) and 1 pair of Blue Tits (ditto), 1 Robin in song, 13 Long tailed Tits flying across the path (even they seemed to be mostly in pairs), 2 Goldfinches (possibly part of a flock of about 20), 1 Collared Dove, 7 Feral Pigeons and 9 Jackdaw (calling and wheeling over the rooftops). Now that the floodwater has gone, the devastation along the river is evident, with tree branches and even whole trees down (see pic below). However the green shoots (?Snowdrops) starting to appear in the woods hint at better times to come.