Despite the recent icy weather with severe frosts, strong winds, and a few snow flurries there is now a little warmth in the sun and signs of spring are everywhere.

My miniature daffodils are poking above the soil and yellow buds of forsythia are ready to unfoil. In spite of the conditions, a heron parachuted down into my pond and caught three of my specimen goldfish, so obviously he was hungry as most water bodies were frozen .

Fortunately, water birds have evolved a form of anti-freeze in their feet to protect them from sticking to the ice. Kingfishers often migrate to our coasts and fish in rock pools where salt water doesn't freeze.

Yellow is the colour of early spring with daffodils, primroses, forsythia and catkins appearing and hopefully we may see a male brimstone butterfly (pictured) just out of hibernation fluttering along a woodland margin looking for all the world like a demented daffodil!

If the weather becomes mild frogs may spawn but a problem arises if the water surface freezes again and any hatched tadpoles may die.

Garden centres are a magnet for bumblebees gathering nectar to help them survive through the winter .

I'm looking forward to hearing my first song thrush and blackbirds of the year tentatively testing their tonsils ready for the dawn chorus but sadly I've not seen either bird for over a year so where are they?