Jac and I walked into Stratford yesterday for Christmas lunch to see large slabs of ice on the moving River Avon. It hit a max. of minus 5 dec C yesterday and dropped down to to minus 17 dec C overnight for the second night running.
I took myself out first thing with a couple of cameras down to the river, with the temperature about minus 12. Well the river was now just about frozen solid, with just a couple of small areas of water where all the birds had congregated. This had bought in more Goosander, Great Crested Grebe, and another first for this year, Pochard.
The temperatures were killing the old 5D batteries in no time, even with taking them out of the camera and putting them in my gloves. The much newer battery technology in the 7D coped so much better, with just one coping with the temperatures for all the time without taking it out of the battery grip.
As I have said before this really is a life and death struggle for wildlife, particularly the small birds. Even I was surprised to see a Mute Swan had not survived.
Given my movements today, I am not able to share the images I took, but will bring them as soon as I practically can.
I hope you are coping with the extreme weather, if you have been suffering with it wherever you live, and I hope Santa bought all the things you were hoping for.
After a good few days of extremely low temperatures, even the Bee Em wouldn't start in the extreme temperatures first thing, as the diesel had got too cold, and emulsified.......that is bad for the UK.
At least it is starting to warm up now, thank goodness.
Martin
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