The Hide , Spring

Spring is finally here ( meteorological spring officially starts here in the UK on the 1st March ) and as the new season starts here in North Wiltshire we are finally experiencing a few days of dry sunny and unseasonable warm weather. The feeders at the hide have been filled every other day over the last week and it is paying dividends with a far better attendance by our feathered friends.

Today’s star of the show is the humble Dunnock , at first glance a rather dull looking bird. A quiet and plain sparrow sized bird measures 13–15 cm in length. It’s also known as the hedge sparrow but it’s not actually a member of the sparrow family , but is instead a member of the family of birds called accentors. It possesses a streaked back, resembling a small house sparrow with a distinctive pattern around the eye. The dunnock has a drab appearance which may have evolved to avoid predation. It is brownish underneath, and has a fine pointed bill. Adults have a grey head, and both sexes are similarly coloured. The dunnock is described by its name which derives from the Old English word for ‘little brown’.

Also making an appearance for the first time in 2026 we have the Goldcrest and Redwing . Two welcome visitors to the hide. Completing today’s list we have the usual suspects starting with the Great tit , Blue tit , Robin , Chaffinch , Bullfinch and wren. Then we have the Blackbird , Wood Pigeon , Magpie and Pheasant.

Happy March everyone !

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