Today’s guest picture is another interesting thing encountered on her walk with her family through Plessey Woods by my Newcastle correspondent, Fiona.
There was a moment of glorious sunshine today but unfortunately for a late riser like myself, it was before breakfast and by the time that I was ready for the world it had turned grey. At 2°C it was even colder than it has been of late so I was more than happy to welcome Dropscone (with scones) round for a cup of coffee or two.
What happened subsequently was entirely his fault. He and a friend decided to play golf and as a result, it promptly started sleeting and snowing and then kept this up for the rest of the day until early evening.
This is cause and effect. I took the winter tyres off our car and the weather instantly took a turn for the worse. We bought a barbecue one year and it rained for the whole of the summer. We just never learn.
The snow didn’t put off the birds who arrived at the feeder in force all day.
I had to fill the feeders twice.
Some birds had to look carefully to find an empty perch.
I put some time into making a sour dough loaf and by lunchtime, this was the view out of the window.
The snow came and went but the birds kept on coming…
…and coming.
Mrs Tootlepedal and I got in the car and headed south. It was snowing as we left and when we got to Carlisle, it was raining there.
On our way, we took my speedy bike into bike shop to get a new chain and cassette fitted and then we continued into Carlisle for a bit of routine shopping.
When we got home, the rain eased off for a moment so I popped out and took a picture which reflected the day pretty well.
The snow didn’t even have the decency to give the hills a proper covering, just a miserable grey sprinkling. It was a day with no redeeming features.
Oddly enough, when I leaned over the Town Bridge after taking that picture, there was a good number of birds flitting over the surface of the river, obviously finding insects to eat in the rain. I just caught one in the corner of a frame by pointing the camera and hoping.
I thought they might be swallows at first but they were very brown in colouring when seen from straight above so I am open to suggestions. House martins?
When I got home, our resident birds were as busy as ever.
Very busy.
Having seen a recipe in a handy booklet. Mrs Tootlepedal made us some falafels for tea which made a change from our usual diet.
Then Susan arrived and I went off for my second trip of the day to Carlisle, this time to play with our recorder group.
In spite of a very gloomy forecast, the rain and snow stayed away and we had an uneventful drive and an excellent play when we got there.
The forecast for tomorrow is much the same as the forecast for today. Sigh.
The flying bird of the day is a siskin.
Tootlepedal's Blog 
The feeding stations look quite busy! Lots of conversation going on there.
Snow! I thought we might get some ourselves this April, and there are only a few days left. So far, only a frost has come our way this week and the forecast is for rain tomorrow. I have seen rare snows in May back in Connecticut. Trees in full leaf do not bear the weight of heavy wet snow very well, and many branches came down.
A wonderful picture from Plessey Woods. 🙂
The chatter is sometime almost deafening.
Maybe you should buy a snow blower so the snow will stop. I did that one year and we didn’t see a flake.
I hope the snow and cold didn’t hurt all those beautiful flowers in the garden.
The tulips are suffering quite a lot but the daffodils seem largely impervious and keep on going.
Are you back to Winter? 🙂
We are….temporarily I hope. 🙂
Those are stunning photos of all the pretty birds in the snow with spring flowers in the background! 🙂
They would look all the better if it stopped snowing!
🙂
I hope that the snow and cold don’t damage the flowers! The wider photos of the feeders with the flowers in the background are very pretty, I’m loving them! You know that getting the speedy bike serviced and ready to go will only prolong the cold and snow, don’t you?
I realise that but some things just have to be done.
The background to all those birds is a very colourful flowerbed despite the awful weather. So sorry you have been hit with such a miserable time. May it change very soon.
Very sorry about the bad behaviour of the weather – surely it must get warmer soon, even if Dropscone does plan a golfing round.
Certainly a martin, maybe house, though looking a bit pale, possibly sand martin if you have any suitable habitat nearby.
I have taken another opinion and we agree on sand martin.
Oh, I was about to say house martin. ..
Possible but the brown-ness points to a sand martin I think.
I just love your bird photos. when I am out cycling I look more carefully at the birds I pass but never seem to see such colourful ones.
we had decided to cycle camp in Northumberland but the weather has really scuppered our plans.
You need to be really close to them and have a good zoom lens too before you see the colours well.
There is a beautiful garden in the background. Hailstones here again.
Leave it to the birds to get on with spring, no matter what. And nothing like a touch of inclement weather to stimulate their appetites. Great photos all. The incongruity of the snow falling with the feeders and all the flowers and greenery…!
It is getting late in the year for snow.
Excellent photos of the cold and hungry birds in your lovely garden. I’m sorry you are having such unpleasant weather so late in the season. We have had mainly short sleet and hail showers which are bad enough!
We had a lovely day today to make up.
Good!