With warmer, longer days upon us, spring is well and truly here. And after a long winter in lockdown, a bit of that sunny spring feeling is just what we all need to perk us up.
The sudden abundance of wildlife is one of the key indicators that spring is here. Now is the time we can expect migrating birds to return to their homelands, super cute ducklings trailing behind mother duck, and dozens of our feathered friends hopping across our lawns throughout the country.
Although Instagram is the typical photo-sharing platform, the hashtag #TwitterNatureCommunity has been circulating on Twitter lately, bringing us some of the best bird photos from Ireland and the United Kingdom this spring. They capture our local wildlife in all their glory and make you appreciate just how beautiful the birds around us, whether your an avid twitcher or not.
Here are the 10 best bird tweets posted in the last few days to bring you that spring feeling:
This adorable little baby Canadian goose, otherwise known as a ‘gosling’.
A baby sparrow. A common feature in Irish and British gardens, a young sparrow has a bright yellow beak that eventually gets darker as it ages.
The migrating sand martin is a clear sign spring is in the air. After spending winter in the warmth of the African continent, sand martins return to almost all countries across Europe in the spring to breed.
This handsome male bullfinch. The male has a distinctive peachy pink chest whereas the female is much less conspicuous with a faint yellow belly.
Nothing says spring quite as much as a little duckling. Especially one that seems particularly happy and smiley about the spring.
This kingfisher expertly diving to catch one of its favourite foods – a stickleback. Kingfishers are busiest during the spring when they have a lot of hungry mouths in their nests to feed. Now is the best time of the year to spot them.
This stunning collared dove in a cherry blossom tree could just be the most spring photo on Twitter right now.
What’s even cuter than a duckling? A whole family of ducklings swimming in a line.
This is a wren, one of the smallest birds in Ireland and also one of the most widespread. You will probably hear one before you see them; despite being incredibly small, they’re very vocal.
And finally, this majestic great white egret photographed in Somerset.
What birds have you seen this spring? Have you noticed any new species in your area? If you do anything to look after your local birds, let us know in the comments below!
