Winter 2024 Update: Nice Weather for Ducks?
Even in my most optimistic moments it has been hard to find anything positive to say about the Hampshire weather this winter. Apart from a brief cold snap in mid-January the theme has been universally mild and wet. So wet, in fact that large areas of the patch have remained inaccessible for several weeks; our trickling streams have turned into raging torrents, impassable even with upgraded footwear, and much of the heathland has been a quagmire. The mild conditions brought daffodils into bloom in early January, and our first Red Admiral butterfly on 31 st of the same month, considerably earlier than any of our previous records. However, when conditions have allowed us to get out birding, the numbers and diversity of species has been somewhat better than last year. While we have had no new patch records so far in 2024, our year list currently stands at 66 species, ten ahead of our figure for the end of February 2023 with a few interesting highlights to note. As usual, full...