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.