It rained, then it poured and then it rained some more; and a bird count

OK, this is now officially ridiculous! I emptied the water butt on Tuesday, then again on Saturday and this morning it's once again overflowing.

Just for a little variety yesterday just I was starting the bird count it snowed which certainly affected the bird numbers. This is what we counted:
Blackbird - 1
Blue tit - 1
Brambling - 2
Chaffinch - 17
Coal tit - 1
Dunnock - 2
Great tit - 2
Greenfinch - 3
Robin - 1
Song thrush - 1

A much lower number than at the same of day on any other day during the past week - oh, well.
The wren may have been busy under the herb bed and amongst the pots but then again the little flash of brown could have been the back of the robin or a dunnock so we're not including her this time.
Notable absentees included both sparrows, goldfinches (who were there in great numbers earlier in the day), siskins, starlings and wood pigeon; these all visit daily but just not in the middle of a sleety blizzard apparently - and who can blame them?
Others who stayed away were the collared dove, nuthatch, long tails, the willow tit and our reasonably regular woodpecker.

And still it pours

I have emptied the water butt yet again today, it was overflowing across the yard once more this morning.  According to reports we have already had more rain than the January average, read more here on The Telegraph. We're all fed up of soggy walks. :o(
However, on the bright side the hamamelis is in full flower and this week the catkins have opened, the winter jasmine has been flowering since November and is a blaze of yellow.  The first berberis flowers have opened this week too adding a splash of orange.  When it stops raining I'll try for photos!
This evening for the first time in a while the sky is mostly clear and high with a wonderful display of stars, the pleiades riding high and pegasus's square plainly visible whilst auriga sits upside down on her throne in the middle of the heavens. Orion and the plough were both obscured by buildings and cloud.

Enough already.

Ok, enough is enough. I emptied the water butt for the third - maybe fourth - time this year, yes, this year ie since January first. The yard is green despite being pressure washed but there's no point armillotox-ing it as it can't dry and likewise the vet disinfectant can't be used because it will be diluted too much and can't dry. When it finally stops raining (which will be this year, someone tell me it will?) it's going to be a monster job.

And now? Guess what? Yes, you're right it's raining again. A two-towel-dog-dry-before-bed type of wet. Ho hum.

Silver lining? I can usually find one and in this instance just think how deep it would be if all this rain was not wet but white.

Thursday morning update: it's rained heavily all night and the water butt is now two thirds full again!

Delugiferous

I know we shouldn't complain - but I'm fed up of the rain! Soggy dogs again, it's so heavy Hester refused to go out for her last busy. I guess she's big enough now to hold it all night, well fingers crossed.

Finally the rain let up

What a relief.   At last it stopped raining, the land dried up, the sun came out and so did the tractors. Over the last week virtually every field in Goathland has been cut for hay or silage; farmers and contractors working until the early hours to get it all in before the rain returned (last night). 

Do you see what I see?

 
Top of the pole - yes, here she is in the middle of the garden at 6:30 one evening this past week.
This is "fat wol" who is slightly larger than "thin wol" so we're guessing she's a she.
Barmy bird, I suppose she fancied a different perch and because it wasn't raining she could come out from under the eaves - and get a better look at the martins.... But so far no more martin predation.

Drought? what drought

This is turning into the wettest drought on record.  It's rained virtually non-stop since it was made official.

And then, just for a change, it rained...  but with added extras of thunder and lightning (everybody click SAVE - now, please). Although Wednesday was lovely, yesterday not too bad and we've had a few sightings of the bright alien light bulb today making it quite steamy and jungley out there.  Thin Wol joined us at lunch time and has slept soundly since.

(15 June 2012)

weather and buntings

1 June
Late frosts and scorching heat - what a spring, drought and hosepipe bans looming.
The reed buntings are back nesting at church end for the second year. On Wednesday on the way back from Pickering I saw a small flock of males and females on the common darting in and out of the sieves and perching on the tops of the very short newly emerged bracken.  And today there are reports of a large number of lapwing near Sillas.  It's been an odd spring, the bracken is only just beginning to show and now on the first of June the hawthorn  is only now in full flower but all the apple blossom has gone over and the elders are no where near so the elderflower fizz will have to wait.  The scorching heat of last week has passed and we've had a couple of days of rain for which the garden and farmers are truly grateful, everything has begun to grow again.  the rain has meant that the owls have been taking it in turns to occupy the wires, they've been nicknamed Fat Wol and Thin Wol - for pretty obvious reasons, Thin Wol has a paler more creamy front with very definite speckles whilst Fat Wol is darker all over and usually likes to sit a bit further out so you see her feet more clearly. One evening this week there was obviously confusion over the timetable as both were present for about 15 minutes which gave us a lovely opportunity to compare and contrast.

Spring, moon and martins

Our house martins returned yesterday, we'd seen a couple around but it was yesterday afternoon that three were flying up to the nests in the apex.  They're back again today.
I saw swifts on Saturday too, not in the village but on the way to Malton.  And the first lambs were in the village yesterday too, a couple of Reg's were on the green outside the shop and in Brereton's car park, they're not there today so they've obviously moved on. Spring is springing along as best it can.
The full moon over the weekend was a supermoon, amazing views but none of them photographed - don't know why we didn't, probably because it wasn't rising in a convenient place any way it was very remiss of us, should have at least tried.
It's being reported today that the weather over the weekend was on average colder than at Christmas! Today I think I can believe it, seventh of May and we're still lighting the stove in the mornings, complete madness.  We had some very hard frosts over the weekend, a few of gunnera's leaves have been scorched but too badly and I've lost a couple of strawberry plants but it's been so cold  everything is still in the greenhouse. However, I did get the sweet peas out into the fresh air this morning for the first time.   Only a few years ago I was listening to GQT about Chelsea preparations whilst planting up the tubs and sweltering in the sunshine, that's not likely to be happening this year.

House Martin

First one of 2012 seen on Saturday, just the once.  I hope it's found somewhere dry to hide, along with the swallows.  The garden is turning into a swamp, everything is sodden, I can't even get across the beds to deadhead the daffodils.  But (I'm trying to be positive here), the bog garden is flourishing, the skunk cabbage which I thought I'd lost has popped up again and I'm hoping that the wet will kill off the invading buttercups.

First Snow

Oooh, it's snowing.  Proper stuff (well almost, still a little wet) but it's settling and word is it's white over on top, looks like it's got a reasonable covering.  First time this winter.

Autumn gales and spring flowers

The wind has picked up again today, amber warnings of gale force winds this evening and they were right. The wind is battering the back of the house meaning the aga is struggling to get her breath and is running on low but Pig has gone out due to no draw - the chimney being in a dead spot between the ridges! Whilst the wind is whistling in the chimney of the open fire which is drawing well.

In the garden yesterday I noticed a wild primrose had a couple of flowers fully open and lots of buds, the witch hazel has just opened the first couple of flowers today with lovely yellow ribbons blowing in the breeze (before the gale strengthened) and the Christmas box is still blooming well producing a wonderful honey scent around the front door.

Bird feeders

This afternoon the long tails returned for the first time this season, over a dozen munching through the fat balls. We had a fieldfare yesterday too. It's still unseasonably warm.

Stupidly warm

It is really, ridiculously warm today. 14 in town and 12 at Sillas. This morning the high azure blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds was more appropriate for June than for December, a squadron of swifts would not have looked out of place, but the flight of finches looked equally good.

First snow

Woke this morning to the first real snow of the winter, only a dusting but enough to count. Stayed all day, some melt which has now frozen solid.
Lots of birds including three robins on the feeders, also the first brambling of this winter. A less welcome visitor in a large rat was seen this morning, around 11am , under the feeders, despite being 'scared' off it returned several times. The rat traps have been deployed, we'll check occupancy in the morning.

A wildlife ramble by car!

Went to Glaisdale this morning to collect some beef and on route saw over a dozen bullfinches at the top of Egton Banks and then going along the bottom (by Tracey's house) a dipper standing on rocks in the river. Both were most welcome.
Roads were a little icy and there was some sleet on the way back from town - late morning. Hail this afternoon and early evening.

Heavy frost

Overnight a hard frost has drawn wonderful fern leaves on the car and crisped the grass to underfoot crunchiness. The main road has been gritted but the back road was slightly slippery underfoot this morning. Overnight temperature 1.3°C.

Wet, wet, wet, dry, wet

Was the weather Monday 27 September to 1 October. Added to which it was windy too.
The garden was awash, and the plants were nearly horizontal, we ran out of dry dog towels and the kitchen floor resembled a muddy puddle. In fact it rained so much there was a landslip on the Scar behind / above the station which collapsed downwards and was only halted in it's progress by the wall and gate.

Rain

And then some.
Yesterday it rained most of the day, not just rain but huge quantities of water hurled from the sky with great force. Then it did it again, 6ish this morning there was more water falling than the earth knew what to do with, gutters over flowed, puddles turned into ponds. By 8 the rain had stopped and by mid-morning the sun came out and started creating a large sauna. Still sunny and no more wet - for now.

Snow - in May

It's freezing! My poor tulips look as if they're getting a good dressing down and are busy inspecting their shoe laces. Even a fleece layer wasn't enough to protect the outdoor tomatoes or the gunnera - the toms are a gonna but it was only the leaves on the gunnera which will survive and put out some more leaves from the (so far) undamaged crowns.

On Monday Mrs Bossy Blackbird did as was bid and brought her new babies for us to see, but they weren't quite ready and one of them got a rather too close inspection from three curious dogs who just about terrified the life out of it but did, in fact, leave it undamaged, not even pinked (well done Hebs). I carefully moved it from the middle of the dog yard into the shrubbery but it was all in vain, later on the birds giving a real yammering and there was a sparrowhawk plucking the baby blackbird spreading feathers all over the lawn. As if one wasn't enough she (yes it was a female hawk) came back later for another go but I think went away empty taloned. In the evening we were watching TV and a large shape kept swooping past the window in the evening gloom - then the picture went fuzzy, a quick glance out of the window showed a tawny owl perching on top of the satellite dish!

Soggy garden

A week of sunshine and drying wind and the garden was beginning to recover. I was just beginning to think that I might be able to do some weeding and then it rains - big style and we're under water again. But at least it's not snowing like Scotland and Ireland.