Has spring sprung, or is it yet to spring?

It might be associated with the area in which we live, ie north or south, it might be calculated by some astrological method or even by meteorologists.

It could even be linked to the movements of the sun coupled with our pagan ancestors’ observations of nature.

These notes will appear about three weeks after the spring equinox and about two weeks after the clocks go forward an hour to provide us with extra daylight in the evenings. Coincidentally, today is Good Friday, the start of the Easter holiday that, for some, also marks the start of spring.

In common with many country folk, I was brought up to believe that spring begins at the equinox that occurs on March 20/21, the day when the length of our days and nights around the world are equal.

The autumn equinox occurs around September 22 when autumn begins, with summer starting on June 21 and winter on December 21. It’s a neat and ancient system with the seasons being roughly equal in duration.

However, modernisation and change are creeping in to make us all unsure that those dates are in fact the start of our seasons.

The Meteorological Office, that keeps an official eye upon our weather, has decided its seasons begin on March 1 (spring), June 1, (summer), September 1 (autumn) and December 1 (winter). Apparently, it has discovered that it simplifies matters if our seasons coincide with the beginning of particular months. Whether we can refer to those dates as the official start of our seasons is now open to debate.

To add to these distinctions, there is a feeling in some quarters that spring should begin when the clocks go forward an hour (March 29 this year). Similarly, the day they go back an hour should be regarded as the start of autumn (October 25 this year). However, this takes no account of the starting dates of winter or summer.

There is no doubt the Easter season is also a good candidate for the official start of our spring. It is a time when the flowers are in bloom, the trees are in leaf, the birds are singing and, hopefully, the sun is shining on what appears to be a smart new countryside.

It is also the first major holiday of the year.

One snag with this idea is that Easter is a moveable feast, one of the greatest of all the Christian festivals but varying by as much as five weeks from year to year.

Easter Sunday’s earliest possible date is March 22 and its latest is April 25.

An early Easter can therefore closely match the beginning of spring if the equinox is taken into account. Some might think spring begins when daffodils bloom or on St Valentine’s Day (February 14) when, by tradition, our birds select their mates.

I am sure many of us have our own ideas about the start of spring.

In looking at some of the weather lore that has emerged from our deep past, it is clear that our forebears did not have a particular date for the start of spring.

There were sayings such as “A late spring is a blessing,” but that old quote did not specify what was meant by late. A late spring was also thought to be bad for cattle whilst an early spring was bad for the harvest. Similarly, there is no indication what is meant by early.

The arrival of the cuckoo was another indication that spring had arrived, even though it would often arrive in mid-April, but its call was thought to herald the growing rains of spring and the character of the forthcoming harvest.

There is a lovely quote by Lord Bacon who said: “A serene autumn denotes a windy winter; a windy winter, a rainy spring; a rainy spring, a serene summer, and a serene summer a windy autumn.”

In this region, we often quote an old saying that “as the days do lengthen, so the cold does strengthen,” while in Scotland the longer days are said to herald stronger storms.

So far as I can see, none of the old sayings in my reference books provides or even suggests a date for an official beginning of spring, but I am sure most of us can recognise it when we see it! It reminds me of the tale when a man called, “Ah, spring in the air” to which his friend replied, “Why should I?”

CERTAINLY during the past few weeks, I have noticed many signs of spring during my morning walk.

One reminded me of my notes about rooks (D&S Times February 20) when I referred to the legendary rook parliament. This is supposed to be a means by which the rooks preserve discipline within their colony, punishing those who transgress their rules of behaviour, perhaps by stealing sticks from another rook’s nest.

As I walk each morning there is a medium sized rookery in woodland a few hundred yards away and in recent weeks it has been very noisy and busy as they build their nests. However, in the valley below there is a solitary tree in the middle of a field.

It is a considerable distance from the rookery and it now contains a brand new nest. A pair of lonely rooks look after it in what appear to be dejected moods as they rest between sessions of building.

I can only wonder whether they did something naughty that has caused them to be excluded from the colony. Are they victims of the famous parliament or do they simply prefer to be alone?

Another sign of spring was a pair of cock pheasants fighting on the roadside. They took no notice of passing traffic as they attacked one another by leaping into the air with wings fluttering and feet trying to claw their opponent.

It reminded me of films depicting fighting cocks in a battle royal when the trained birds would literally fight to the death. I am not sure the pheasants had death in mind for their opponents, but they were certainly engaged in a very serious battle. Sadly I never saw the outcome.

YET another indication of the season was a bullfinch in our garden. He came to test his skills at our bird feeders but then decided to try and obtain a drink from our pond. That is a skill learned by wood pigeons and blackbirds because the water level is well below the rim of the pond; they have learned to climb down one of the inlet pipes to take a drink or bath.

After executing several unsuccessful forays, the bullfinch eventually learned the trick of climbing down the inlet pipe and there he had a nice drink.

But why is the arrival of a bullfinch in the garden a sign of spring? The answer is that they love the tender new buds of fruit trees and flowering shrubs. In fruit growing areas and places like parks and formal gardens, bullfinches can wreak havoc among budding trees and shrubs.

Happily, I don’t think there is much he could damage in our garden but after his refreshment break, I must say he flew off to a cherry tree.

One interesting development with our new pond is that three pairs of frogs turned up and took up residence.

We did not realise for some time that we had three pairs and when I realised the place was rather overcrowded, I removed two couples to another nearby pond and left the other to enjoy the peace and tranquillity.

Next morning we were rewarded by a mountain of frogs’ spawn and when I checked event in the other pond now occupied by our former frogs, it had two mountains of spawn.

Before long, we shall be surrounded by tadpoles and tiny frogs all trying to safely make their way into this cruel world.