Snow is a very lovely thing if, and it is a big if, you don’t have to travel. Fortunately for me, “Snow Sunday” couldn’t have come at a better time. I didn’t have anywhere to be and the January issue of Nature's Home magazine is all but finished, so I was able to watch what my local wildlife made of it all from the comfort of a warm house!
I did have a date with some showy otters an hour or so from home, but the snow started at 5am and didn’t stop until 3pm, giving us a good four-five inches in my village of Buckden in Cambridgeshire. Now, I like to think of myself as someone who a bit of challenging weather, and will do anything where seeing exciting wildlife is concerned, but there was way I was going out in that.
There's something "just right" about a robin in the snow - this portrait by Nature's Home magazine photography expert Ben Andrew
Farewell fungiThe snow was also perfectly timed because Saturday was my last fungi foray of the year and it was great to wrap up the season in good weather with a good haul of around 60 species at my local wood, Brampton Wood, including some new ones. The snow will knock back quite a few of the late toadstool species now.
It’s now time to get into planning mode for spring specials and my top targets of scarlet elfcup and morels. Keep looking though, even after all this snow because there are some species you’ll find all winter, especially the “small stuff” on the back of sticks and on and under logs. You just need to work a bit harder to find it!Stocking upI trusted the weather forecasters that the snow would arrive, so I spent 20 minutes late on Saturday afternoon filling up my feeders and bird tables in preparation and of course that faith was repaid with a lot of snow. Therefore, I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t awake to a garden full of birds taking advantage of my oh-so-generous act of filling their bellies for them!
It actually took until early afternoon before things started to get busy on my feeders. Still, I think I’ve perfected the right mix of food and feeders ready for Big Garden Birdwatch at the end of January. With a rather nice birdtable on my Christmas list, my birds are really going to be spoiled over the next few weeks.
Hard weather can bring more unusual visitors to gardens, such as Jays (Chris Gomersall - rspb-images.com)
And if you’re looking for ideas for Christmas, take a look at the RSPB shop where there are loads of things for your – and your birds’ – Christmas list, so have a look and see if you can grab a bargain. And in a shameless act of self promotion, you could also buy someone special a copy of my 2017 book, Wildlife on Your Doorstep all about finding, and making the most of, your local wildlife each season. Speaking of which, look out for our revamped "Wildabout" section in your Spring 2018 Nature's Home magazine which has been reworked so that all the action is broken down month-by-month.
I'm still unbelievably happy that Nature's Home and the RSPB youth magazines won an award at the International Content Marketing Awards - a wonderful early Christmas present. It's your magazine and we couldn't do it without your support and of course all your contributions of stories, sightings and photographs, so every member and Nature's Home reader can call themselves an award-winner!
I hope you managed to stay safe in the snow and that your Christmas preparations are going well.
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