This is the second in the series. We have had some very positive reactions to January's article: certainly several people found the bullfinches in the hedge behind the Visitor's Centre.

You may not find the things mentioned but you are sure to find something new and interesting. Nature doesn't necessarily keep to months shown, so keep looking...

Three species of wagtail breed in Britain and most people easily recognise the pied wagtail, with its bobbing tail. It is common, even on school playing fields. Grey wagtails are not as common but turn up most years at Pickerings Pasture, particularly in late February and early March. They even turn up, occasionally, on garden ponds. They are our largest wagtail, at 40 centimetres, and half its length is tail! It has a grey back with yellow underparts and its long tail continuously bobs, as it walks. Although it breeds on fast flowing streams, it comes to the milder coastal regions in winter.

The best place to see one is along the water’s edge, on the river or around the pool.

Primrose

The wild primrose is a plant of woodlands and hedgerows but can also be found in old, established grassland. It is low-growing and has a rosette of bright green leaves, which are finely toothed at the edges. The leaves are soft to the touch. The flower stems are between 20 and 40 centimetres and the solitary flowers are pale yellow, with a deeper yellow or orange centre. They are closely related to the cowslips, which cover our meadows in spring. Garden centres now sell cultivars, in many shades of yellow and pink, as Primulas.

The best place to find them is around the woodland edges in a shady place.

Catkins

The cluster of tiny flowers, found on some trees, are called catkins because, supposedly, they look like kitten's tails. They are usually all male flowers. They produce large quantities of pollen, which is dispersed by the wind. The female flowers are sometimes born on the tips of the branches. Most species flower before the leaves come out, so the pollen can easily reach the female flowers. Some catkins are known by beautifully descriptive names: lamb's tails and pussy willow. Alder, hazel and willow are the most well known trees to bear catkins but many others, including oaks, produce them too. Try to spot as many different types of catkin as you can over the next few months.

  The best place to look is along the edges of the woodland areas and paths.

Gadwall

Gadwalls are dabbling ducks and have become more common around here in recent years. They are a bit smaller than mallards and appear grey. However the male is a beautifully marked duck, with finely speckled feathering and a black tail-end. The wings are a rich brown, with a large white patch (speculum) which shows well in flight. The light brown female is like a small mallard but can also be distinguished by an orange edge to the bill. They often join wintering flocks of ducks and we are most likely to see one on their migration, back to their breeding grounds.

The best place to see them is on Pickerings Scrape amongst the mallards, but also watch for them flying up the river or across the marsh. ,