06 • 03 • 2019
The First Messengers of Spring have Already Arrived
Astronomical spring, when the day and night are of the same length, this year will set in on 20 March. However, earlier than usual, the meteorological spring has already started in many places in Latvia; it means that the daily average air temperature stays above zero. Spring "hit" the southern part of Kurzeme already at the very beginning of February.
The flying messengers
Already in the first half of February, we could welcome the first flying messengers of spring - different species of migratory birds: several species of geese, ducks, small swans and Eurasian skylarks. Some were lucky to see a couple peewits, the first wild pigeons, rooks, common starlings, common wood pigeons, great bitterns, hen harriers and cranes.
The first to arrive where the "close migrants" who spend winters in one of the nearby countries. This year, they arrived earlier than usually. The cold waves at the end of the winter, usually force the first arrivals to go back to warmer areas, but as the weather gets warmer, they return. The first migrants can move here and there more than once. This year, the largest number of migratory birds is expected to arrive to Latvia already at the end of March.
Some will hear the singing of timouse males wintering in Latvia, as well as some woodpeckers during the day, as well as wild owl males in the evenings and nights. Someone may be lucky enough to hear boreal owls, which also belong to the early nesting owls.
First nesters
The spotted nutcrackers and white-tailed eagles also got into nesting mood in February. Ravens have already found their significant other. Most of the northern swans have also found their mates, yet the frozen ponds hindered them from making their nests as early as they would have liked to. Wood grouse males gather for their rutting time. Adult birds have already occupied their rutting areas.
Although the last month of the winter was quite spring like, wintering birds, such as bullfinches, goldfinchs, yellowhammers, Eurasian siskins, common treecreepers, different species of tits, nuthatches, owls, and different species of waterfowl, stayed in Latvia - both in inland water bodies and in the sea. The great grey shrikes wintering here with us, as well as some dippers could also be seen in many places. Often they can still be found here.
Insects cannot be frightened by the bad weather
In February, as the weather was getting warmer some invertebrates mainly insects, such as ants and spiders could be tempted to come out of their wintering sites. The first ticks had also woken up. An ornate cow tick (Dermacentor reticulatus) was already caught this year. This species is characterised by relatively high resistance to low temperatures.
Latvian invertebrates have adapted to meteorological fluctuations. Most of those we see enjoying the sun do not die once its gets colder, they get back to their hiding places. Of course, the harsher the weather fluctuations, the greater the amount of microorganisms that die.
For the early invertebrates dry grass fires are far more dangerous than frosts. On 21 February, the first dry grass fire was recorded and cleared in Latvia. Since then, dry grass with its inhabitants has burned many more times in Latvia.
Messengers of spring
The last month of this year's winter once again showed how different the climate in Latvia can be. In the middle of February, when the inhabitants of the eastern part of our country were still struggling with snow, some people in Kurzeme had already tasted fresh maple sap, and some even some birch sap! But the most attentive forest visitors in Kurzeme saw the first blossoms of hazel-trees. Alders have already bloomed, and some willow-catkins have opened up. Some might have noticed that a number of cold-resistant mushrooms and lichens are already colouring the world.
