WHEN is winter coming? By the look of the outlook it might be late as we already approach 2003.

Hollingworth Lake, Rochdale, overlooking the M62, was built to provide water to the Rochdale canal which has very recently been wonderfully restored.

I followed a well-marked footpath around the lake part of which has been designated as a nature reserve. This area is spectacular in spring and summer but it is also of great interest during the winter.

My birdspotting on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year was impressive. There were several pairs of great crested grebes but there were also good numbers of tufted duck, pochard, gadwall mallard and teal. The trees surrounding the lake also proved to be a good hunting ground for long tailed tit, siskin, red poll and great spotted woodpecker.

To reach Hollingworth follow the Burnley to Todmorden road and then towards Rochdale to Hollingworth.

Birch wood has so many uses

WE forget that because bad weather affects us our wildlife also faces problems. Birds, for example, are able to cope with all nature has to offer. We also make the assumption that species which are common are of no interest.

As I walked through a Lancashire birchwood I started to think about how useful birch trees are. It is the toughest deciduous tree and in parts of Scandinavia it is the only species growing so far north.

In Northern Europe and Northern America birch timber was used for furniture, its bark was used to canoes and birch is also used to produce plywood.

To me birch is so majestic especially in winter and early spring. It provides shelter to wildlife and for other more delicate saplings such as oak and ash. In olden days the sap of the tree was collected and used as a sort of sugar while the sap was also brewed into a potent wine.

To me the birch is not just beautiful but in former times it was also very useful. In Lancashire, for example, birch was used in the production of bobbins essential to our cotton mills.

Is nature closing down for winter?

THE answer to this question is that nature never does close down for the winter but some early winters are warmer than usual. 2002 has proved to be the warmest for many years.

I normally feed the birds on my Christmas scraps but this year the birds do not seem hungry. This is because there has been so much natural food available that the birds are able to fend for themselves without our help.

It may well be that cold weather will hit us in the New Year. I always look forward to December 21 because this is the shortest day and once the daylight starts to increase we can start to look forward to spring.

Yesterday I went to the Lake District and saw a number of red squirrels feeding on pine cones. Not only do red squirrels not hibernate but they are very active at this time.

Squirrels have their breeding season in February and the fact that some book say that they hibernate is not accurate and gives children the wrong information.

All children's stories -- fact or fiction -- should be scientifically accurate. Beatrix Potter always got her facts straight and so should all other authors.

Nature is not closing down for winter so why don't you polish your boots and get out and about.