I was going to skip SoS this week since I’m still catching up on reading the last couple of weeks’ posts from everybody and didn’t think there was much to share out here other than more snow. Yet here I am again because I realized that I’ve never tried documenting winter in the garden before and even if I do nothing more than post pictures of the snow getting deeper, it’ll be useful for looking back on for next year. So here I am, with a garden that is growing a prolific layer of snow if nothing else! I also apologize to those of you who will get random late comments in the coming days.
1. We hit our lowest temperature so far this past Tuesday, -13°C. It might reach that again tonight, but it’s been mostly hovering in the -5°C range the rest of the time. I was going to walk around and see how the cutting garden was doing, but the snow was so deep that it started getting into my boots, so I’ll probably have to strap on snowshoes next week if the weather keeps up. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get good photos of animal tracks for next week at least!
2. A closeup of snowy plum trees.
3. Little feathered friends are constantly coming and going now that their favorite winter cafe is open for business. The first to arrive after a refill are usually the fearless tree sparrows (Passer montanus). There’s a family that builds its nest in the eaves above our front door every spring, so we hear cheeping babies whenever the door opens. They’re so used to us that I’m not surprised they don’t flinch at me coming over with a camera on the other side of the kitchen window.
4. After I stay still for a while, the great tits (Parus major) usually arrive in a mob and start pushing each other about because obviously, the seed that’s already in their friend’s mouth is always The Best One. One particularly cheeky one had a staredown with me for a good several seconds!
5. The shyest of the bunch are the blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). They’re also the smallest, so tend to get pushed around a bit in the frenzy. They manage to get in there when the others aren’t looking, though, and get their share. I also put up tallow balls on several of the trees, so that they have different places to eat if the main feeder is too crowded. I hope that we’ll get a few more different birds this year — I’ve seen one with a bit of red come by in past years but haven’t figured out what it is yet.
6. With darkness arriving by 4 PM, we’ve got plenty of hanging lanterns outside. The candles last two evenings if I time it right and look pretty flickering from various points in the night.
Thanks for visiting and please do check out what the other SoSers are doing over at Jim’s page!
Little Blue and White House 
Wonderful Angela, seeing your garden through the seasons is still exciting.
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Thank you, that’s very encouraging to hear. I admit I love poking my nose into other people’s gardens too, no matter what the weather 🙂
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The snow is very pretty, even if it does bring most gardening to an abrupt halt. Seeing your birds at the feeders has reminded me that I need to fill mine. It’s not nearly as cold and the landscape isn’t bare here but the migrating birds still expect a bit of help 😉
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Feeding the birds is never a bad thing! I’m surprised yours haven’t come to the tap on the window and remind you, hehe. I was actually reminded to refill mine back in October, when some of the sparrows started sitting on the feeder and staring with displeasure up at the window, as if they were lodging a complaint with management 😀
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Ah yes snow…it has been a while since I experienced that! It always looks pretty but is so ghastly to walk about in, especially when it turns to slush.
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That is my biggest fear when the snow comes down this heavy, to be honest. It’s all fine and good as long as it stays in snow form, but the minute the weather turns (we usually have a few “false springs” every year), it will be wet and miserable we will all be waddling around trying to avoid severely injuring ourselves. Every year, I can count on on seeing at least two coworkers and/or students wearing casts at some point…
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A lovely six. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tree sparrow before.
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Wow, that sounded so odd that I had to go look them up, because they are pretty common here. Looks like there might have been a decline in their population out your ways. We are surrounded by farms and forests, which is a situation they particularly like, and that seems to be where they are most likely to be found in the UK as well.
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Lovely photos, nice to see your birds feeding, will look forward to the animal tracks!
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Thank you! It’s looking more and more like animal tracks are going to be an extended photo project, if only because they usually seem to be snowed over by the time I get outside to look for them!
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I didn’t think I would see great and blue tits as far north as that, especially with the very low temperatures at the moment. When it’s really cold here, they hide and only come out when it’s a little less cold to peck the seeds that we prepare for them.
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Yes, we have resident breeding populations that stay here all year. I’m sure the fact that so many people put out food and housing for them in the winter helps, too, of course! Their French cousins are too used to the beautiful warm weather and not ready to put on their winter coats 😂
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Beautiful photos of snow covered scenes and small birds that have an amazing ability to find shelter in the freezing temperatures.
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Thank you! I’m pretty sure they’re sleeping in birdhouses and nooks in the outbuildings, so they definitely are taking advantage of human habitation.
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Lovely photos, especially of your feathered visitors. We have loads of snow too!
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Yay! It definitely is feeling like the holidays now. I was just thinking that I might visit the Christmas market after work next week and see if anyone is selling those old-fashioned carved birdhouses…
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White is beautiful too. I also love the outside candles. A light in the dark.
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There are few things more welcoming than seeing candles in lanterns on a dark night, yes 🙂 I’ve also just realized that I could heat the greenhouse with one of my 96-hour candles, so might just be trying that later this winter.
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Your plum trees look great in the snow, great candle! 💞🐦 It’s lovely to see your lucky birds enjoying their seed! I bet you enjoy lots of ‘indoor gardening’ in your mind, with garden catalogues in winter planning your summer garden! 🌸
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Thank you! Oh gosh, I definitely get a little overzealous with garden planing in the winter 😂 I must be on my third iteration of this spring’s veg bed plan by now and have already put in my first wave of seed orders. Good thing the bulbs and plants aren’t available to shop until well into the near year. There’s also the entire indoor garden to keep going, of course, so getting to do a small amount of repotting here and leaf snipping there helps!
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