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The snow was great fun, but it made wildlife watching in my garden a bit pointless. I am rather biased on this, because as far as I'm concerned, wildlife really means insects. OK, there are a few birds and the odd squirrel out there

I don't think the squirrels liked the snow. Apart from the fact that they found it difficult to retrieve their buried nuts, each time they hopped, they were completely engulfed in the stuff. In south-east London we only had 3 or 4 inches but that

The snow vanished as quickly as it arrived, and contrary to all expectations, there were no rotting mammoth carcasses exposed by the thaw. But now it's back again.All looks still and quiet out there. The heavy blanket is as much a duvet of silence

It's cold, there's snow on the ground, and all is quiet in the garden. But I've just been outside feeding the wildlife. In my case that does not mean putting up nut-filled bird feeders or hanging fat balls, it means tipping the kitchen waste

' appearance in life.The snow has gone completely now, and I take these latent packages as a good sign that spring is coming. Most hoverflies overwinter as larvae, only pupating in spring when they arouse from hibernation torper. I'll let you know when I see

Snow is not the best weather for finding insects, so I was not surprised, last week, when my brief wander up the garden found nothing. It didn’t help that I was under sustained attack from snowballing children at the time. But as my fellow bloggers

no birds, despite the sparkling clean feeders and expensive food I put out for them.I'm pleased to report that this has all changed. What's more, my garden has become a battle ground. When the snow came in December, a robin and blackbird tentatively started

by the snow.I regularly find queen wasps curled up, with their wings folded and tucked down underneath their bodies. With metabolism turned down to barely tick-over, they are immobile and can be closely examined (but not picked up) without risk of startling

A short while ago I was driving past Peckham Rye, when my eye was caught by a series of white halos on the grass under some of the trees. It looked as if several small snow storms had targeted some of the larger and more handsome specimens across

and stand it on the patio instead.I remember the Big Freeze of 1963 very well - enjoying deep snow as a young boy - and do recall finding dead pigeons in our garden that must have frozen to death! Quite how any birds survive outside during such cold weather