Cold spells

 I once read how regular weather patterns can be. On a broad scale for example, here we get cold northerlies from April to May and mild southerlies in September and October. The exact opposite of what we would like to see.

Snow is a bit less predictable. 

Or is it? Since the millennium we have had some snow each year in November and December. 

30th December 2020. A dusting at midnight.

29th November 2021. The aftermath of Storm Arwen was cold. Above shows our snow covered bathroom lit by candle. No heating or hot water for 11 days.

14th December 2022. White on the flatter surfaces.

1st December 2023. Tricky driving as our roads are often last to be gritted.

20th November 2024. This is uncanny. Same date as this year below...

20th November 2025. 2 inches fell driving very difficult until later in the daty.

20th November 2025 being out here when the roads are difficult we have the coast to ourselves...

Snow, Roe, Birds and Bees...

 Snowing today. The first of the winter. Last night there was a lot of sleet and hail leaving about 1 cm of wet snow over our cars this morning but now, there is some proper large flakes falling. It doesn't seem cold enough for it to lie properly just yet.  

Peggy's lunchtime walk today was a slushy wet affair brightened up by the presence of 3 Waxwings in the usual pink rowan tree along the roadside. When silent these birds can be surprisingly hard to detect and these three were hunkered down out of the snow in the tree. I was just taking a few photos when a female Sparrowhawk came out of nowhere, flushing the birds out of sight. Luckily for them, none were taken. Its good to get some Waxwings without a togger in sight! Apart from me that is...

Yesterday, as I walked down the pond field track, a very late ( for Northumberland) Buff tailed Bumble bee flew past and dropped into the pond edge reeds. It seemed ok, but I hope it manages to find a spot to hibernate in.

A very late Buff tailed Bumblebee on the wing.

Roe Doe watching from the wet wood.

Waxwings still around the patch.

Chilly.

We've had another cold spell this week. We woke on Monday to find that there was a good couple of inches of snow covering everything and it was freezing. Monday and Tuesday temperatures ranged from -3.5 to 0 degrees making the midday sun melted snow as slippery as glass by night time.  Wednesday was a bit milder, up to 2 degrees but today feels baltic with the ground still solid.

Various dog walks around the village and coast path have been free from bird excitement though the year list slowly rises.

On Monday I was pleased to see that the snow had brought the pre New Year Water Rail back to its favoured spot in the burn while a few duck came back onto the pond, 5 Gadwall, 2 drake Tufted Ducks and 11 Teal. 

Tuesday was the coldest day pushing a good few Fieldfare into the village with 2 coming to apples in our garden vying for territory with a belligerent Mistle Thrush. 4 Roe Deer wandered the back field looking at the piles of brash where their shelter wood had once been and a Tawny was hooting at night.

Today I walked Peggy at lunchtime down the Teepee track and back, returning by our lane. It seemed quiet but the notebook tells it differently.

190+ Curlew, 14 Golden Plover, 1 Stonechat, 80 - 100 Yellowhammer in the village stubble, just a small field too and as we got back into the village a juv Peregrine was circling very low over our gardens and roof tops a couple of times before slowly flying south.

Cold snap.

 I think we have gotten off lightly here on the Northumberland coast. While the news reports show deep snow and temps down to -17 in Scotland and even double figures in inland England, locally we have just had an average wintry spell. Yesterday and today have seen the temperature stay just below freezing with it dropping to -4 at its lowest. As for snow cover, about an inch dropped last night onto already frozen ground making getting around 'interesting' .

These cold snaps aren't good for wildlife but for the birder on a local patch it can always shuffle up some interest.

Around our village, there has been a noticeable influx of thrushes of 5 species, with Fieldfares in particular cleaning out any remaining garden windfall apples. Yesterday a few birds were trickling south along the coast with Redwings, Fieldfares, Skylarks, Lapwings and Golden Plover heading for softer ground.

 I was on  a days leave today to catch up with some Christmas stuff before Jane's sister and nephew arrive tomorrow for a couple of days, so once again, actual real birding is on hold.

At lunchtime, out with Peggy, a glance into the burn as I crossed the bridge produced just what I've been looking for for the last few weeks - a Water Rail. It looks like a nice adult too, with a bright slate blue frontal colouring and no brown or white around the face and throat area. Unlike last winter, this time I managed a couple of record shots of it before it jogged off into cover. 

Its always a pleasure to bump into these reed bed skulkers especially when it is so far from any proper habitat. The small drainage ditches in the wood and burn all link to the pond about half a kilometre away so they must use this wider ranging habitat as a wintering spot because they are quite reliable here around Christmas time. Lovely.

Days 4 and 5. Coming to a close.

Whilst this weather event is quite significant and may be the worst snow we've seen for 8 years, lets not forget, it is still spring. Daylight is about 3 hours longer than at the turn of the year and as a consequence of this increased lighting, birds are still coming into breeding fettle. Today, some birds were singing over snow drifts, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Dunnock and my first Blackbird of the year. It is this that reassures me that try as it may, this wintry spell will be short lived. Roll on the first bumblebee...

The last two days have seen a light thaw giving us access to roads so we can get shopping for supplies. For the wildlife this cant come quick enough. Many thrushes of 5 species are still coming to the garden for food and down on the coast path, good numbers of Lapwing, Golden Plover, Snipe and Fieldfare search for unfrozen ground.

Yesterday I took a walk along the coast to Howick Burn mouth. The sea was a turmoil, raging away, flinging spray and spume up into the woods and fields. A large flock of gulls feeding in the close breakers held 300+ Black headeds, 100+ Common and some Herring and Great black backed while interest came with an adult winter Mediterranean Gull and a first summer Kittiwake, my first of the year.

A walk through Howick Hall Arboretum flushed 9 Woodcock and later on a further 6 were seen at dusk flighting down to the sea shore to feed, including a flock of 4 together.

This evening a Barn Owl was hunting in daylight over the back field behind our house. It looked very white uplit by the snow. I would imagine it has gone hungry recently as the rodents are safely tucked away under 6 inches of snow. I hope some of the hungry chilled birds are not being wasted....
 

The burn mouth at a raging high tide. I had to wade waist deep through sea foam...

The Arboretum

A partially frozen Pond and Pond Field.

The newly ploughed coast road. Freedom.

Fieldfare and blackbird looking for bits under my car.

This bedraggled Mistle Thrush was new in today, only briefly.

This harsh spell takes its toll...a weak Song Thrush found outside, died soon after.

All looking for softer ground.

Golden Plover.

Day 3... Snowmaggeddon.

It doesn't take long in enforced confinement for the mind to wander. Today dawned even whiter than yesterday, with at least another 4" of snow on the flat overnight with drifts doubling in size to over 5 feet in places. With no prospect of getting to work, or even moving the car, our village was effectively cut off from the world. A bit like 'The Shining' starring Jack Nicholson. To put the readers mind at rest, I haven't started murdering neighbours. Yet....

With little else to do, I went out to get a few more village photos to document the coldest spring day I can remember, and the most snow since 2010.

Wildlife was almost absent. Unlike places in the south there was no hard weather movement here, as our birds and those to the north of us, had already gone. What we have now are a few hardy, desperate souls, fighting for survival. I have been topping up bird food and water all day, so we have been inundated with garden birds, a bit like people at the co-op fighting to buy the last near sell-by loaf on the shelves.

At the feeders were - 50+ Starlings, 45+ Tree Sparrows, 15+ House Sparrows, 10 Chaffinches, 7 Dunnocks, 4 Robins, 8+ Blue Tits, 2 Great Tits, a Coal Tit, 16+ Blackbirds, 6+ Song Thrushes, 2 Redwing, 1 Fieldfare, 2 Woodpigeons, 10 Jackdaws, a Wren and a Goldcrest. In the back field over the garden wall were 1 Curlew, 1 Reed Bunting and 1 Skylark.

No Goldfinches or woodpeckers today. Or raptors at all.

The snow seems to have stopped but the wind has increased to 50 mph and is gusting bitterly around our gable end.

On the BBC News, reporters at Glasgow (west), Falmouth (South West) and Yorkshire (Inland North) but no mention of Northumberland, despite it having the highest snow fall in the UK yesterday at Boulmer just along the road.  The clue was in the name 'Beast from the EAST' ...I am looking forward to the snow images from Falmouth.

Here are some of today's images.

The snow has drifted to the top of Morris's four foot fence .

Our main road. At least 18" deep drifted snow on the level. No one in or out until a snowplough arrives.

A cold scene behind our house today.

Snow hole. That wall is 7 feet high with the drift at 6 feet.

Our other road out of the village. 4 feet here....

This Coal Tit was eating the snow.

Song Thrushes digging under anything without snow cover for food.

The Beast.....

What a difference since Monday! Around our house this morning... maybe more to come later...

Since I took these, things have just gone downhill. The wind has increased from the east, drifting the constant snowfall into 2ft deep wedges through gates and across roads. At the time of writing [ 2pm] it is a white-out across the fields behind us. When walking out, you need to keep your face covered or it will freeze and the dry wind blasted snow is stinging. The roads are closed on both of my available routes to work, so I am now on holiday.

Our garden is heaving with birds. We have fed them three times and changed the water four times as it freezes. There are 100+ Starlings, 60+ Tree and House Sparrows, 20+ Chaffinches, 7 Robins, 6 Dunnocks, a wren, 6+ Redwings, 6+ Fieldfares and 20+ Blackbirds. Out in the back field are 6 Skylarks and a Meadow Pipit, 2 Grey Partridges with 2 Golden Plovers and a Curlew all trying to get respite from that Siberian wind.

Hopefully this wont last too long after all, it is March tomorrow. I cant see the Garden Moth Scheme opener being up to much on Friday!

Above - This Redwing didnt look too good, sleeping during the day.

A fitter Redwing than at the top, but it still looks bewildered by the freeze.