February 2019 started with a forecast for snow. On the 1st there was a very thin layer early in the morning on cold surfaces and a very cold wind, but rain came later with the temperature rising to 3 degrees C. then a few minutes of snow fell in the evening.
What happened between then and now is scarcely believable!
A cold sky
So far the winter had been quite normal although trees were late to lose their leaves, when it did happen the landscape suddenly became very bleak. This view however was by no means a dreary aspect as a group of long-tailed tits were easily visible following each other in circles around the canopy branches, foraging, mingling with other small birds.
Ivy provided shelter and sustenance all along the riverside on a lower level:
There were still plenty of Ivy berries in places and the evergreen leaves were providing shelter still with birds moving amongst the thickest tangles of stems harbouring food in the form of insects amongst them.
Ivy can be encouraged to grow in dense clumps over old logs, fallen branches and fences and with it will come a large diversity of wildlife.
It was sunny all day on 3rd February after a cold start, with good views of male bullfinch at a Blackthorn hedge and good numbers of song thrushes and blackbirds along the riverside accompanied by robins, dunnocks, wrens, wood pigeons , two jays, a carrion crow, with numerous Blue, great and long-tailed tits. House sparrows occupied the hedges and called from the bramble patches. The two black-headed gulls were commanding the playing field as usual and a grey heron was heading for the long pond near the river.
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