View from the Shed by Shaun Finnie - BLOW, WIND, BLOW

BLOW, WIND, BLOW

You may have noticed that it's been a tiny bit blustery this week. Blustery in the region of 60 miles per hour. I hope you've managed to stay safe.

High winds are my least favourite weather conditions, probably due to the high risk of danger they bring. You never hear people say, “The fog ripped my garage roof off last night”, or “I had to tie a string around the little 'un's ankle, to keep him from sunning away”. High wings are dangerous, They destroy some things and move others around.

Some of you might have been at Old Moor last weekend to witness a group of us staff and volunteers wrestling to save the big gazebo that has been keeping visitors dry and shaded for the last few years. Through brute strength, ignorance and physically laying on top of it, we managed to stop it taking off. If we hadn't brought it down as quickly as we did I think it would be sailing somewhere over the Atlantic by now, possibly with a young volunteer still attached. Sadly the gazebo didn't survive the encounter, but at least nobody was hurt.

If we have to take such drastic actions in times of high wind, what do the birds do? Well some of them are big, powerful and agile enough that all but the strongest of winds don't seem to bother them too much. Our raptors have still been out to see if any potential prey has been daft enough to break cover in such conditions. The same with the bird that was once called the Wind Bibber, Wind Fanner, Windhover, Wind Cuffer and other names that are far too vulgar to mention in a family blog like this one, all of which basically mean 'the bird that isn't all that bothered by the wind'. We usually simply refer to it as Kestrel these days.

The medium birds are the ones that make me chuckle in high winds. Corvids and pigeons, that kind of thing. They think they can handle the wind but suddenly you see them flying sideways out of control or suddenly doing the avian equivalent of a handbrake turn, trying to get down as quickly as they can. It's as if they're saying, “Tried it, Failed at it, Won't do it again in a hurry”. I once saw a Tawny Owl make three attempts to land on a branch in not much more than a stiff breeze. The first time he went beak-first into the tree's trunk and fell to the ground, much disgruntled. His second attempt was a failure too. He at least hit the branch he'd been aiming for this time, but got the speed all wrong and was blown straight over the other side, talons grasping at the bark as he scraped along it. On his third attempt he managed a graceless landing yet totally styled it out as if he'd meant three goes all along. Priceless.

And then there's the little birds, the finches, tits and sparrows. They basically do what we do when it gets too windy. They get to shelter as soon as possible and hide. They literally weather it out. For me that would be with my legs tucked up on the sofa with a book and a drink. For the birds it could be huddled in the middle of a thick bush, a tree hole or a nest box, even just pressed up tight against the sheltered side of a thick tree trunk; anywhere to ride out of the worst of the storm. For our elusive Bearded Tits, shelter is found in the densest part of the reed bed, warm and protected. And if the little passerines – birds that perch – can't find any shelter then they will simply hold on to a branch for dear life. That's not as difficult as it may sound as their legs have special tendons that automatically clasp tight as soon as they land on something graspable. This is a mechanical response that requires no actual effort on their part so their real threats are from cold and hunger, not being blown away. Not like our gazebo.

Here at RSPB Old Moor we try our best to remain open through pretty much all kinds of weather. Come sunshine, rain, wind or snow, the birds will be here and so will we, if at all possible. The only time we won't open is if it isn't safe to do so.

So please make an effort to come down to our reserve whatever the weather conditions. It's a very different experience when it's foggy or raining hard, I can assure you. If nothing else, you'll pretty much have the place to yourself and you'll appreciate your half-time coffee even more. Remember though, “there's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing”. I've heard this quote attributed to Ranulph Fiennes, Albert Einstein, Oscar Wilde and even Mark Twain. Most people agree that Alfred Wainwright said it, although there's plenty of evidence to question even this. To set the record straight, it was ME who said it, the other week when I was stood in front of the (recently dismantled but soon to be replaced) Old Moor Welcome Shed, getting drenched in the horizontal rain. At least my head was dry as, as usual, I was wearing my trusty big white Tilley hat (other big daft hats are available). I wonder if the Tilley company make waterproof onesies?

Stay safe in these stormy days, and if you do come to see us, keep an eye out for the birds on our sighting board.