A BARNARD Castle man is wondering if spring is just around the corner, following the unusual discovery of a clutch of robin's eggs in a nest box outside his house.

Sam Holden built the box at his home to stop birds nesting in his adjacent hanging baskets.

"It was a bit inconvenient having them in the baskets because they were bringing up two clutches a year, but they have never started this early before," he said.

Our reporter counted at least five eggs in the nest, but did not look too closely for fear of disturbing them.

Mr Holden said they had been laid about three weeks ago, when the weather was quite mild, and during normal circumstances would have been expected to hatch any day now.

Mike Everett, a spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, was surprised to hear of a robin laying eggs so far north at this time of year.

"Usually we hear of blackbirds or sparrows," he added. "But although it is unusually rare for a robin to lay eggs so early, it is not unheard of."

However, while admitting that it was not impossible for a clutch to hatch and survive, it was more likely that they would come to grief at this time of year.

"The adults will be fine, but the chicks need insects, caterpillars and spiders to feed on and it's just not the right season," he added. "We are usually talking about April for robins."

But Mr Holden is not disheartened.

"They are in a very sheltered spot, away from the wind, and we will just have to keep our fingers crossed," he said.