Hard Winter Ahead?

I don't see them over the Cheshire marches untill at the earlest end of november, but you are right when they are early so is winter, but being a wildlife lover for me that is the best picture on hear, thank's

I really hope not Bulbaholic.

What a lovely photo, B.

i think what you see tell you what wether like were they come from, not were they go, cos they not there yet. to many maybe after that.

Good point Derek - if the signs where they come from were right, they'd leave then, regardless of what it's like here, so I'm not sure it does mean a hard winter - but it might!

The photo does not do the flight of geese justice. They were coming over in waves that morning. After starting to watch them I had time to go into the house for the camera and still come out to take photos! It was just not possible to get a complete picture and the noise was undescribable. Great sight, though.

I bet it was - the only sight I ever see here that's mass bird related is when the swifts gather en masse prior to flying away for the winter - that's usually sometime mid to late October.

Swifts, swallows and martins have all left us, Bamboo. They will be with you now.

Imagine that - all the swifts collecting down south to leave all at once. Magic.

Hope they don't fly over Malta then, easy targets!

Didn't realise they killed them in Malta. I know they do in the south of France - my brother in law told me years ago that when he went there for six months in the summer, it was totally silent, no birdsong - all been shot.

Talking about hard winter ahead - there are masses of holly berries on the trees near us. We only see geese in small numbers - probably going from one reservoir to another in the area.

We have been to Malta once, in a hotel in a rural situation. Every morning we were woken up by the sound of gunfire across the fields. Not nice and we won't be going back to Malta.

An amazing amount of Elder berries, Guelder rose and Holly beeries around me. I like hard winters, proper ones, even thou i dontknow 'proper ones' as only 23! I just hope we dont have 2 weeks of snow when i can get out of house as they dont grit our country road and we live on a hill so bit dodgy!
I couldn't go and work or mow lawns, but the nursery work gang went toboganing and i had to miss out! Boo! ha ha

I just knew someone would have to mention berries, Camomile! And Nick - I don't subscribe to that one at all - production of berries is related to the kind of summer we've had, not the winter to come;-))

how do you acount for the last two evenings all the south walls of the houses in my village haveing swarms of comon house flys trying to get in to the windows were they looking for winter quarters'

I'd guess - here in London its been very chilly the last two nights (not counting tonight) ,so if its been like that up there, then maybe that's why. I have the same trouble with ladybirds...

It's ok, my imagination did the work for me, i'm sure it was a great sight and sound too.

re holly berries - we always start off the autumn/winter with loads, but then the overweight pigeons descend and strip them bare long before Christmas. : (( I wouldn't mind if they were going to a "more deserving cause" lol.

Bambbo, thats a very rubbish but true way to look at it! What would all the Soothe sayers say!?

Same as
'Ash before Oak, in for a Soak.'
'Oak before Ash, in for a Splash'

Thou cant say i payed much attenetion to the trees coming into bud this year.

Suppose only way to sum it up i No ones knows till it happens!!!! Even rubbish met office get it wrong from day to day. Weather is one of those things we like to think we can work out or control, but no chance!

I'm too much a realist, that's my trouble, Nick! Funny thing though, I have noticed that flying ants quite often appear the day before the weather breaks, as if they know...