The First Harrier

Wednesday 1st February 2012
A change in the weather -

Clear sky and an Easterly breeze.

Winter's First Hen Harrier
We have been promised thick frost and ice for the last three mornings, and each morning it has failed to materialise, at times feeling surprisingly warm, though that could just be because the air has been still and the sky clouded. I'm also a hardened smallholder now, impervious to whatever Mother Nature throws at me!
This morning there was a distinct biting chill in the air. Something felt different. Living in the countryside, you come to notice small differences. When I first moved here, it astonished me how observant the locals were of small changes. Now I'm beginning to notice too. For today the smoke from the chimneys was blowing the wrong way. We had an Easterly - a rare origin for our weather here.
At the moment there lies over Russia a high pressure system which extends east to the Bering Sea and west to the UK - virtually half way round the world. This means the air rushes from the high pressure centre to fill the lower pressure surrounding it. So we have Easterly winds forecast for the next week, which at this time of year always drag cold continental air with them.

With the change of weather, I decided to take the back road to work in the morning. This proved to be a good decision, as over the road right in front of my car floated a majestic female Hen Harrier, the first I have seen round here this winter. Last year they were almost common, but I am realising that the extended cold periods and deep freezes of the 2010-2011 winter brought winter birds to our area which may not reappear for quite some years.

As the Hen Harrier drifted away over the swan field, above it a small raptor was pursueing a small bird vertically into the sky. For over a minute the hunted bird miraculously evaded the Merlin's claws. It's resilience paid off as the falcon eventually darted off.

A little further along, a Shelduck accompanied 150 or so Teal in the dyke by the millenium copse. This is marked by the three tall trees which often feature in my sunrise pictures. The copse houses a meridian obelisk as well as a small shrine to a young local woman who passed away in the recent past.


Cider Vinegar - A Tonic for the Chickens
The first of every month means it's time to give the chickens their dose of cider vinegar. This acts as a general tonic, improving their condition and beneficial to their general health. The chickens love the taste too. I have a big 5L bottle of the stuff, which I mix 10 - 15ml to a litre of water. I find that if I mix enough up, it lasts the chickens all week. When it's bitterly cold or you're rushing off to work, you don't want to be measuring out tablespoons of cider vinegar every morning for a week.