A better morning than expected with light drizzle on a strong W>5 but very mild at 8 degrees. Heavy rain started to appear at 1000 hrs as I was tackling up.
Surprisingly this morning the gull count was very low with only 12 Black Headed and 2 Commons though the wind ,early doors, was SW before turning to the more favoured direction of west mid watch. The single Pink Footed goose was in the gull field along with 18 Canada and 14 Greylag though more Greylag could be heard in a further field.
Just the one Curlew today on the deck, looking like the group I got a couple of days ago were moving through. The resident 2 Little Owl were on the wall sheltering from the wind whilst good groups of Lapwing, Jackdaw and Starling were mobile in the conditions. Still 4 Oystercatchers present but keeping in the north fields.
By mid afternoon conditions had deteriorated rapidly with winds blowing at gale force 8 reaching 43 m.p.h. and gusting at force 9 reaching 51 m.p.h. and nearly taking the anemometer out of my hand as I walked the dogs over Foxhill. A very short walk with horizontal rain lashing from the west and the wind getting frighteningly strong , the poor poodles ears were off like propellers.
Its a night like this that I spare a thought for the brave crews of the R.N.L.I. lifeboats who, over the next few days , are on high alert and expecting a launch. I,ve done a lot of work for the RNLI fund raising wise and been out on the Humber lifeboat on exercise on what they called a calm day ! Its unimaginable that they turn out on a night like this, and worse, on seas with a 60 foot swell and near hurricane force winds, unbelievable.
BS