February often brings the first signs of spring in the bird world, with mild, sunny days producing plenty of birdsong and the start of breeding activity, including nest building for many resident species.
What a contrast with more than a century ago when February 1917 was one of the coldest on record. On Valentine’s Day, as the snow and ice had finally begun to thaw, those birdwatchers not fighting in Flanders met to share their observations.
These included sightings of thousands of small birds that had starved to death, especially blackbirds, fieldfares and redwings. The same happened with waterbirds such as herons and kingfishers, which are especially vulnerable when waterways freeze over. One observer had been told that kingfishers were being captured by hand as they were too weak to fly.
Other birds headed across the Channel to warmer climes on the continent, only returning when the weather finally warmed up.
Glazed frosts, which occur when rain on the twigs and branches of trees freezes and turns to ice, caused problems for insectivorous species such as the goldcrest and the treecreeper. The resulting delays to the breeding season meant many clutches of songbirds contained fewer eggs than usual.
In recent Februarys, in southern Britain at least, below-freezing temperatures have been the exception rather than the rule, and prolonged cold snaps are virtually unknown.
