Reflections on winter so far

Pressure of keeping work has kept me well away from my blog for sometime (and it's set to continue). If their's been a memorable highlight to our autumn winter so far, it would have to be the heavy rain we have been getting, especially last Monday, which saw us with a water pump, moving water away from the front of the house and drive. Last time we found ourselves in that situation must have been 6 or 7 years ago. Having spent the summer very low in water, the two ponds at the back of the garden are the main benefactors from all this, occasionally, they are now so full they appear as one big pond.

Oak and Sallow leaves stayed late on our trees right up to the middle of November. It took several gales and heavy rain to leave the trees bare by the beginning of December.

When it hasn't been raining, we are occasionally rewarded with clear blue skies, and Tuesday saw us receive the first wafer-thin frost of the year. This brought a big increase to the number of birds in the garden, especially House Sparrows (40+) and the return of Yellowhammers (5+). A Heron has taken an interest in the pond, Sparrowhawks are regular with the occasional Kestrel seen to. Last year's Red legged Partridges (now down to three) are still faithfully visiting the garden and two Song Thrushes are now in full song. Fieldfares, Wood pidgeons and Redwings are plentiful in flight overhead, but only a few make a fleeting stay to feed on the Sloe berry bumber crop still remaining at the back of the garden. So far our winter weather, has been mild and extremely wet. Just my guess work, but the past summer/autumn lack of rain has been corrected now, with little risk of a drought in 2010.

Fieldfares, always highly vocal, regularly stop off for a rest high in our neighbours Black poplar tree. Hopefully later in the winter I'll get some closer views.