Sunday, March 24, 2013

Weather related...

Top - A foam filled Howick bay and below Cullernose Point takes a beating.

This last few days has shown little in the way of spring signs. Sure there are a few lambs in the fields roundabout, and hawthorn, honeysuckle and dog rose are budding, but otherwise zilch.

Without a doubt this is still winter, but I wonder for how long? This week has had snow with temps to -3 and 50 mph easterly winds cold enough to have a Toon lass reaching for her coat on a Friday night. We have had week four in the Garden Moth Scheme Survey and  my totals amount to 1 Hebrew Character. Two of the four sessions were so bad, weather wise, I didnt even bother to put the trap out. Last year over the first four sessions I had 150 moths.

As for birds, well, what is there to say. I am watching the Patchwatch updates on Twitter and see birders in the south and west complaining about having 'only' 20 Chiffchaffs and a Wheatear! What!
In January I did well with 91 patch species, but that took a drastic downturn with only 1 in February (Yellowhammer) and 1 in March ( Lesser black backed Gull) and unless there is a radical turn around on the weather forecast cant see there being any more new additions this month.

Still, I'll be out tomorrow looking to see if a battered Wheatear or Black Redstart as been catapulted onto the coast. You never know. Even a Collared Dove would do....

Roll on April.
  
  
Lots of spuggies at the feeders...

2 comments:

Warren Baker said...

bide your time mate, I know its frustrating, but all these migrants will have to arrive soon........it will be like a cork out of a bottle, and whoosh, they will all come together :-)

Mark said...

Trying not to get down,but it's so frustrating, think I need to avoid looking at the Forcast for a few days