February’s rainfall was average, falling on only 12 days, while temperatures were about normal as well, no snow being recorded in my garden. The usual spring drought seems to have arrived early, with high pressure and wall-to-wall sunshine prevailing from 25^th.

The latest BirdTrends report, published by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) provides valuable information on the changing status of the UK's bird populations. Updated annually, this year’s report is especially significant in that it provides an early indication of one of the periodic revisions of the UK's “Red List” due to be published at the end of this year.

A new online tool, just launched by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), opens up the previously hidden world of bats, bush-crickets, and small mammals. The BTO Acoustic Pipeline brings cutting-edge sound identification of bats and other nocturnal wildlife to new audiences, enabling Internet users to find out which species are present in audio recordings they have collected. This will help both interested naturalists and those involved in assessing the importance of sites for rare or protected species.

The National Agromyzidae Recording Scheme has announced that its website, Agromyzidae of Great Britain & Ireland, is now officially live.