Weather Summary - February 2022

Rainfall: 131.3mm

Temp High: 13oC on 18th

Temp Low: -8oC on 12th

Temp Average: 1.8oC

Saturday 19 February 2022
<em>Vitrinobrachium breve</em>, Christophstal February 2022

Vitrinobrachium breve, Christophstal February 2022

Flock of bramblings, Christophstal February 2022

Flock of bramblings, Christophstal February 2022

The snow has gone from our garden and we could finally do some tidying up. We've had some extremely mild and stormy days this week - it actually reached 13oC yesterday. It was a lot colder today, but the sun was shining and it was nice being outside.

I moved some big stones and found this surprise snail. It's a surprise because it was really distinctive and easy to identify as Vitrinobrachium breve. The black colour, huge mantle and vestigial shell mean that the ID was quite easy compared to some of the other snails I've attempted. The species is quite local to this area.

Here's another photo of a flock of bramblings in our hawthorn. There are around 40 I think (it's a phone photo through a window so it isn't very clear).

Thursday 17 February 2022

We've has a series of storm lows passing through and the weather has been extremely mild, hitting 9oC today. The pond has melted and the kingfisher is back. I saw him catch a decent sized fish earlier this week and he has been coming regularly since.

The brambling numbers have been gradually increasing. Here's a photo of some of them on our feeding table.

Kingfisher, Christophstal February 2022

Kingfisher, Christophstal February 2022

Bramblings, Christophstal February 2022

Bramblings, Christophstal February 2022

Monday 14 February 2022
Turkey, Christophstal February 2022

Turkey, Christophstal February 2022

Turkey, Christophstal February 2022

Turkey, Christophstal February 2022

I saw an unusual bird in the distance this morning. I couldn't identify it until I opened the window and heard it gobbling. It is a turkey that has obviously escaped from someones garden. Sadly, I can't put this down as a new bird species as we don't have wild turkeys here.

Saturday 12 February 2022

There have been some hard frosts overnight. Our car had a full head of ice hair this morning.

Ice on top of our car, Christophstal February 2022

Ice on top of our car, Christophstal February 2022

Sunday 6 February 2022
Brown Beret Lichen, Sankenbach, February 2022

Brown Beret Lichen, Sankenbach, February 2022

We went for a run up to the Sankenbachsee to make sure the paths are all open for Christine's guided walk next week.

We spotted these fruiting bodies on a lichen which we think is Brown Beret Lichen, Baeomyces rufus.

Saturday 5 February 2022

I've now installed our weather station at the top of the garden. I'll eventually update the website to show the data somewhere.

We have a different microclimate here, being in the valley, so local weather forecasts and temperature predictions are rarely correct. This will hopefully give us the information to ensure that sensitive plants don't get hit by frosts.

Weather Station, Christophstal February 2022

Weather Station, Christophstal February 2022