Water...

The glass of water you're about to drink
Deserves a second thought, I think.
For Avogadro, oceans and those you follow
Are all involved in every swallow.
The molecules of water in a single glass
In number, at least five times, outclass
The glasses of water in stream and sea,
Or wherever else that water can be.
The water in you is between and betwixt,
And having traversed is thoroughly mixed,
So someone quenching a future thirst
Could easily drink what you drank first!
The water you are about to taste
No doubt represents a bit of waste
From prehistoric beast and bird 
A notion you may find absurd.
The fountain spraying in the park
Could well spout bits of Joan of Arc,
Or Adam, Eve, and all their kin;
You d be surprised where your drink has been!
Just think! The water you cannot retain
Will some day hence return as rain,
Or be held as the purest dew.
Though long ago it passed through you!

Written by Verne N. Rockcastle

Water has been on my mind today. Early this morning the garden was jewelled with dew, but when I went to Castor Hanglands with the dogs, several of the ponds, which are fed by groundwater, were almost dry, just at the time when they should be filled to the brim. This site is important for breeding amphibians, who will now have to use the one pond that still has a reasonable quantity of water in it.

Parts of eastern England have been drought-afflicted since last summer, as two dry winters have left some rivers and groundwater supplies at levels lower than 1976. A drought has now been officially declared by the government, and it's likely that we shall have hosepipe bans by April (not that this worries me as we rarely water the garden, and can use waste water for herbs and salads growing in pots). We really need a wet spring, but so far this is looking unlikely. We forget how precious water is at our own peril - we all need to use it wisely.

But on a brighter note, I heard the first skylark of the year, and was lucky enough to hear a lesser spotted woodpecker drumming, its rapid higher-pitched beat alternating with the deeper drum-roll of the greater spotted woodpecker. Populations of lesser spotted woodpecker have dropped by 76% since the 1970s according to the RSPB. This decline may be caused by changes in how our forests are managed (in particular, the removal of rotting trees) and the loss of so many elms to Dutch Elm Disease, or a result of increased competition with other species. It's the first time I've heard one drum for many years.