Commuters and early risers will have noticed robins, hedge
sparrows and thrushes bursting into song weeks before the Dawn
Chorus is due to begin in late February. Ornithologists said it
is the mild weather, that has been a degree or two above
average, that has encouraged birds to start marking out
territory and attracting a mate. The National Trust has also
recorded sightings of bats, butterflies and bees taking wing
earlier than usual because of the warm temperatures. But the
early starters may get a shock soon as freezing temperatures are
predicted by the weekend as a cold front comes down from
Scandinavia. The Met Office said temperatures will be below
average from Thursday, barely reaching 5C in the south and 2C in
the north. At night it will drop well below freezing in Scotland
and there could be frosts in the south from the weekend. Matthew
Oates, a naturalist with the National Trust, said it was normal
for nature to spring into life as soon as the weather warms up.
However it is a “high risk” strategy