THE colder the weather the deeper moles have to dig and so the spring of 2013 must have been a real problem for them.

Some vital statistics and facts about the mole.

Its scientific name is Talpa europaea and an old name is Mould Warp which is Anglo Saxon for earth thrower.

It is 6in (15cms) without the tail and it weighs 3-5 ounces (80 to 100g). Females tend to be rather smaller. Its lifespan is about three years.

Earthworms, insects and carrion are its main food.

Each mole tends to be solitary with its own system of tunnels apart from the period when mating takes place. The length of the tunnel system obviously varies according to the habitat.

In areas of clay where there are plenty of earthworms a territory is between 300 and 650ft (100-300m approximately).

In other areas where the availability of food is limited each mole may defend as much territory as 550 square yards (450 square metres).

The system of tunnels is not simple but includes a complex system of what has been called Pitfall Traps.

Earthworms especially are sensitive to vibrations and move away from a mole and into the trap.

The male bites the worm and as it does so a sedative is injected into the worm.

This puts it to sleep so that the mole does not have to eat all of its catch at once. Who said it was humans who invented a deep freeze?

Are moles blind? The answer is no, but almost yes. They do have very tiny eyes but there is a functional lens retina and optic nerve but the latter is almost non-functional.

It seems likely that moles can tell the difference between light and dark which is all that they need as they live in dark tunnels and need to know when they reach the surface.

The most sensitive area of the mole are lots of nerves in the snout which are called Eimer’s Organs and they seem to be able to detect differences in air pressure occurring in the tunnel system.

It works in a similar manner to those who travel by tube and can tell when a train is coming as air is pushed in front of it.

Those who think that the life of the mole is not complicated will have to think again.

Noisy song in the middle of storm

The cold spell of the 2013 spring cannot have been good news for the wren.

They suffer from the cold more than other birds but enough will survive for populations to recover.

The scientific name is Troglodytes which translates as cave dweller. This relates to the fact that the domed nest does look like a cave.

Actually the male builds several rough nests and then takes a prospective mate on a tour of inspection.

The female chooses her favourite which she then lines with feathers.

She lays as many as 12 eggs which are round and speckled with rusty red.

The female incubates the clutch herself for almost 15 days and she also does all the feeding herself. The hen may produce two broods and while she is so busy the male may have another mate.

What this does do is to allow the population to recover quickly following a cold winter.

The male for his size is a noisy little chap and sings all through the year.

I love this sound and in 2009-2010 I heard a brave wren singing in the middle of a snow storm.

Only the male sings, so at least he does some work apart from building a lot of nests to attract females.

The same thing happened a couple of weeks ago when I heard a wren singing his heart out despite the freezing cold.