Thoughtful Thursday. December….. and has Winter arrived ?

Wintering Tundra Swans

2022 has been a strange seasonal year.  Each season out of kilter with the once accepted timescale. Whilst November was wet, the month still maintained the records set throughout the year for above average temperatures.  Nor is the UK alone in this phenomenon.

Above average temperatures have been mentioned for the late arrival of what we call the   ‘Tundra Swans’ ….. that is Bewick and Whooper Swans.

Traditionally large flocks arrive at various Wetland sites across the UK.  They come to over winter here, away from the extreme winter cold of Iceland, Russia, and other northerly Tundra regions, their usual summer breeding grounds.

Although arrival times do vary from year to year, 2022 is extremely late.  This is the latest they have arrived since 1965.  Weather and climate are always the key determining factors for the Swans to time their departure.  Epic flights across oceans and continents, daunting for the adults but for the first-year cygnets it is a real endurance test. 

Whilst we can ponder just what December has lined up for us, we can also wonder just how our seasonal calendar will adapt both next year and those years that follow.

A  new month, the last of 2022…. maybe more surprises, both good and not so good…

So as always……

Please Remember ….

Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other

1st December

(C) David Oakes 2022