Long winter.

john step · Feb 3, 2016

Is it just me or has this been a blooming looooong winter? Its been exceptionally mild, hardly a winter at all in fact. But it has dragged on and on for me. The wet, the wind and mud particularly.

Just February to get through which is normally my least productive month.
Roll on the spring.

There have been many posts started on here which if one was unkind could be said to be navel watching and needing to "get a life". Mine included. These have been well received by me and "keeping my pecker up" sort of jobs, at least its to do with fishing sort of thing.

Anyone else aching for spring?

tigger · Feb 4, 2016

John, don't forget March and even April, they can be bad months weather wise also. I always look forward to the end of April and into May as usually by then spring is in the air. Only snag is the rivers shut for coarse anglers.

robtherake · Feb 4, 2016

Yes, mate, I'm buzzing for spring. However, I seem to have found a place where the perch keep biting in the nastiest of conditions and it's made all the difference in a period when I'm traditionally a hermit. Watch this space, hopefully, 'cause I know they've come out to well over three pounds and no-one else seems to be fishing for them right now.

binka · Feb 4, 2016

Unusually for me this winter seems to have whizzed by in a flash so far.

I was out and about with work yesterday and noticed a white cherry blossom in full bloom and, in a sheltered sunny corner of an open air car park, a patch of hedgerow which had burst open into a spray of green.

Hang on in there John, the nights are noticeably drawing out and it's just around the corner now

no-one in particular · Feb 4, 2016

Certainly I do John, I hate September when that first cold night air kicks in; ,gives me the blues but always feel better by February. Still not good but at least it does not seem so far off.
Most of my winter fishing these days are spent gazing at nothing next to the fire with a nice bottle of malt in my mitt but boy have I had some good fish! Unbelievable what I have caught, I have kept it quiet till now but a single malt is the best winter fish killer known to man and never fails to catch me some record fish and now my secrets out I might just start to post them on the "How did you get on thread".

seth49 · Feb 4, 2016

There are some signs of an early spring,I have crocus and daffodils in flower in my garden.
There's a pair of frogs already coupled up ready to spawn in my pond.
Out in the country there are hawthorn bushes showing leaves in sheltered spots.
And the hazel catkins are showing. Plus the curlews are back early, not calling yet, which I love to hear always think Spring is coming when I hear them.

So even up hear in Lancashire there are signs. But it could all change,usually it's at least April before it warms up, even longer if the winds go in the east.
Roll on warmer weather.

robtherake · Feb 4, 2016

I caught a brief glimpse of what looked like a couple of yellowhammers pairing up, although it was just a flash before they made cover and they could have been greenies (which is more likely, I suppose.) The daffs on our north-facing sea front have been up since before Christmas, but we've yet to have a hard frost here in sunny Saltburn; a couple of mild ones is all. Mildest winter I've ever seen - crusts and so on that people have been putting out have been ignored so I guess the winter pickings have been good and we might see a small resurgence in songbird numbers this year since fewer young birds will have succumbed to the cold, you'd expect. Still plenty of time for a nasty spell, though it looks less and less likely. When I fished last week the water wasn't particularly cold so it'll take no time to warm up. Fingers crossed, it may pick up quicker than expected.

Edit: Some of the spring-maturing vegetables are ready now - there's been no dormant period. I was up planting garlic yesterday and the spring planting types don't usually go in until March/April. Cabbage seeds sown last week are away already. It's all good!

greenie62 · Feb 4, 2016

robtherake said:
I caught a brief glimpse of what looked like a couple of yellowhammers pairing up, although it was just a flash before they made cover and they could have been greenies (which is more likely, I suppose.)...

Nah mate - not me - I've got an alibi!

Doing the Garden Birdwatch on Sunday - had high hopes for a good haul after the rehearsal on Saturday - but how do the birds know to go and hide when you want to count them for real?

Saturday - 6 Longtailed Tits on the feeder at once - Sunday - not a single one showed!
Saturday - 4 Coal Tits, 5 Blue Tits, 4 Great Tits - Sunday - 1 Coal Tit, 1 Blue Tit
Saturday - Wren, Robin, 6 spadgers - Sunday - 2 spadgers only

How do they know?

mg:

thecrow · Feb 4, 2016

greenie62 said:
2 spadgers only

Are they Sparrows? we call them spuggies round here

greenie62 · Feb 4, 2016

thecrow said:
Are they Sparrows? we call them spuggies round here

That's right! - Thanks for that - not one I'd heard before!
I thought thecrow would refer to them as 'supper'!

:thumbs:

john step · Feb 4, 2016

greenie62 said:
Nah mate - not me - I've got an alibi!

Doing the Garden Birdwatch on Sunday - had high hopes for a good haul after the rehearsal on Saturday - but how do the birds know to go and hide when you want to count them for real?

How do they know?mg:

I reckon the same way the fish in the lakes used to know when the old open on 16th June arrived!

rayner · Feb 4, 2016

It's Autumn I dislike, from the end of September till Christmas I couldn't get motivated since the cold crept up I've got my mojo back.
Totally hate getting wet though.

Alan Tyler · Feb 4, 2016

Dunno about Winter, but it's been a very long Autumn.
We've had one day of snow, and that was on my pike match/trip, so I have a "Tit with fish" photo with a suitably wintry background, but apart from that... a very pleasant change from some of the vicious winters we had at the turn of the decade.

I blame my lack of bank-hours on lack enough brain to get myself organised and my tackle sorted out.

And having to get an half-awake teen to the tube at eight each weekday, shop and cook.
Next it'll be blasted gardening. Can someone lend me a couple of moles? No, wait, they'd eat all the worms. Decking, maybe that's what I need. The wooden sort, not getting knocked out, y'understand.

no-one in particular · Feb 4, 2016

Ah , the garden, can be a pain. I shut mine down in October and wont even look at it until April. Planning a lot less this year though, maybe get some more fishing done.
The birds must have had a pretty good winter, should have been plenty more surviving than usual. Looking forward to getting into my valley, often good for spring migrants and a few Hobbies etc and having another crack at the Tench and Rudd there. Thats were I am going to be this summer.
I wonder how the fish would have fared. Loads of small chub around last summer, maybe a bonanza of them in the years to come? Cant work that one out really but I expect it may happen.
Anyway, plenty to look forward to which is what life's about.

The bad one · Feb 4, 2016

This is how daft it's got, I photographed a cowslip (plant) two days ago in our local park. I noticed others just coming into flower today on my walk round.

greenie62 · Feb 4, 2016

The bad one said:
This is how daft it's got, I photographed a cowslip (plant) two days ago in our local park. I noticed others just coming into flower today on my walk round.

Similarly Phil, We've just found some Giant Hogweed growing in a Park on the banks of the Irwell - there's not been enough frosts to have set them back much this Winter!

I also hear that oil-seed Rape is likely to be in flower shortly! - a joyfull time for us hayfever sufferers - not!

mg:

robtherake · Feb 4, 2016

The bad one said:
This is how daft it's got, I photographed a cowslip (plant) two days ago in our local park. I noticed others just coming into flower today on my walk round.

I have some climbing roses that "guard" my allotment and they haven't stopped flowering all winter long. They've had all their blossoms blown to smithereens but they're still going for it.

Long winter.

john step

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tigger

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robtherake

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binka

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no-one in particular

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seth49

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robtherake

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greenie62

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thecrow

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greenie62

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john step

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rayner

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Alan Tyler

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no-one in particular

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The bad one

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greenie62

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robtherake

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