Tag: snow

Snow Days and Adel Church Again

So we have had a few flurries of snow recently but it snowed all day yesterday. We must have had four or five inches and it makes everything look so clean and bright. It also deadens noise making everything so peaceful. Peaceful that is until all the adults get the sledges out for the kids, or at least that’s what they say! Big kids enjoy it more.

This is what I awoke to a beautiful winter wonderland.

On with the under layers , coats, scarves and hats and out I ventured for another two and a half miler to Adel church. I wanted to capture it in the snow and I never tire of that place.

Next door had built a lovely snowman and the trees looked amazing, although it was starting to melt.

The last photo is of the grave stone for the children of James and Mary Anne Staples. Starting in 1848 ,Charles died aged 5, Alfred who died in the same year, just over three months later, aged 10months. Then in 1854 Sidney died aged 4 years old. In 1869 Rooney died, aged 16. Next, Ebeneezer succumbed in 1870 at the age of 14.

O my goodness, what tragedy befell this family. I will try to find out.

Feed the birds!!

Well the 6-7 inches of snow turned into about 10 inches, I reckon and minus 9C on Wednesday night! Brrr!  Those poor outdoor creatures!  Made sure the feeders were topped up but was no use putting out fat balls as they just froze.  Did put out some suet blocks which the starlings devoured in no time.
Its been thawing today and there’s been lots of activity at the feeders:
goldfinch, greenfinch, bullfinch and chaffinch, great tit, blue tit and coal tit, starlings, blackbirds, pair of collared doves and robin.

Gulls, snow and redwings????

Took Sparky for walk on fields over back.  About 5 –  6 inches of crisp white snow and all was very quiet.  At 3.30pm as I was making my way back I saw the gulls heading north above me, as they do every day around late afternoon (dusk).  I stood and watched them rising up from the housing estate and counted around 500 gulls all in groups of 10 – 20’s.  There’s the Asda supermarket on the estate and a large secondary school, which no doubt attracts the birds with easy pickings.  I’m not very good at identifying which gull this would be.  I will try to be more observant and let you know!!  By the time I got home at 4, there were more flying over.  This happens every night – one of the most successful birds – scavengers!  Crow are as well aren’t they?  And rooks!  The Red Kites are as well and are pretty successful around here.
Anyway, when I got home into the back garden a flock of about 20 thrush like birds flew overhead, some of which landed in the sycamore tree behind my garden.  I couldn’t get a really close look even through bins, but from size and jizz  (behaviour/movement) I reckon they were Redwings.  I was hoping they had spied my feeders and would descend into my garden, but alas they buggered off!!!

Deep and Crisp and Even!


The snowy weather has hit Leeds over the weekend and at the moment it is beautiful. I’m lucky as I don’t work Mondays, so have been out on my patch with Sparky.

It was very quiet and I couldn’t hear or see much around.  I guess they were all at the garden feeders!!

However, I soon saw blackbirds eating the berries still left on various bushes and trees.

The chaffinches were nowhere to be seen, but a dwindling flock of goldfinches were about.As I walked across the golf course I noticed a small family of four greenfinches.  The younger ones often fool me, as they are not very green at all, but you can tell they’re finches by the bill and greenfinches by the flash of a yellow bar on their wings.

Next to them on the same tree were a couple of bullfinch.

I am almost certain that I have found a foxes den/earth on my patch and keep meaning to get up before dawn, to see if I can confirm this with a glimpse, but guess I’m just too lazy!

I will one day.