Frosty Mornings

We had a hard frost last night and therefore awoke to a world of sparkling white. I love the stillness of the early morning garden in winter. It seems as if everything is sleeping, though of course this is far from the truth as a garden never really sleeps, even if its activity is not immediately visible on the surface.

I also quickly realised that I was not alone as the birds seemed to be taking full advantage of the early morning sunshine and were very active in their search for food. At least six red kites were circling overhead and a robin was being particularly vocal. I would like to think that he was wishing me good morning, though of course it was more likely that he was telling me to "get off his land" as robins are very territorial. A blackbird was picking berries and blue tits were hopping between the berberis and the elder, looking for spiders. Four or five starlings were noisily attacking the bird feeder and I wondered what is the collective noun for a (small) group of these birds; a "flurry", an "excitement" or a "chattering" seemed appropriate (please tell me if you know). I do like collective nouns for birds as they are wonderfully descriptive and am particularly fond of an exultation of skylarks and a charm of goldfinches, though also smile when I think of a murder of crows and a conspiracy of ravens!

I have only once been fortunate enough to see a large murmuration of starlings and it really was breathtaking. How thousands of birds can form such precise waves across the sky, seemingly anticipating each others movements and working in perfect synchronicity is remarkable and I have had a fondness for starlings ever since. They are often considered a pest due to their large flock numbers and are sometimes seen as the ugly ducklings of the garden birds, though the iridescence of their feathers can be beautiful and its worrying that their numbers have declined so much in recent years (66 per cent in England and Wales since the mid 1970s according to the RSPB website). Whether this is due to changing farming practices, global warming or the urbanisation of our countryside, its an alarming trend.

Whilst it can be severe, the cold weather does have benefits of course and many plant species have evolved ingenious ways of combatting frost damage, whilst others actually need a cold spell to help them develop. Some seeds use the freeze/thaw cycle to soften their hard shells, enabling water to permeate and initiating seed growth. The frost also helps break down heavy clay soils and can kill off pests and disease. That said, winter can be harsh and the warming sun is a welcome sight. I'm sure the birds would agree with me on this as they continued their search for food and I resolved that I really must top up the bird feeders later.

Images show (clockwise from top left): frost covered azalea, icy crystals on shed roof, bright stems of Cornus "Midwinter fire", viburnum blossom, remains of a nest in an old tin kettle, holly berries.