Insane weather patterns

 I returned to the "Carp Puddle" for a short session, this morning, and managed just five fish in a couple of hours. The best one might have weighed six pounds had I bothered putting it through the ordeal of a spell in the sling! The erratic swirling breeze, with a very easterly bias, was such that I was forced to change swims in order to present my baits in the best fashion I could. Even after the move I still had to resort to using a small controller float (a tiny Nash "Bolt Machine") with an ABU Cardinal 55 instead of my preferred free-lining approach with a centrepin. I probably spent more time watching a Great Crested Grebe, than staring at the controller, such was the effect of the conditions. 

I've just read the latest update by SBBOT stating that a flurry of House Martins, today, was probably a direct consequence of this current run of NE winds? No shit Sherlock! (It's just an observation, not a criticism of the Obs.) Migrants were still piling through NE Greece during the first week we were out there. Common Whitethroats and Reed Warblers certainly ain't what I expect when wandering around the Pefkohori area, yet there they were in good numbers. I commented, at the time, about the big numbers of Bee-eaters moving north. This late Spring is not limited to the UK, it's a far bigger picture if seen from a different perspective to that of a parochial "tunnel visioned" position. Obviously these conditions will also have an impact on many other aspects of natural history observations. The garden mothing has been been dire, and that's probably looking on the bright side? 

Tortrix sp. (Flax ?)

Our first Toadflax Brocade of 2023

When things aren't going to plan it's very easy to moan about this and that, seeking to blame factors over which you have no control. With the BBC weather forecast predicting these easterly biased winds to continue into the start of June, I'm quite happy to leave to rods in the study and get out birding. Bullfinch, Yellowhammer, Peregrine, Willow Warbler, Nuthatch and Little Owl are still missing from my 2023 self-found list. If casting a baited hook is such a waste of effort, then seeking alternative enjoyment will do nicely whilst I await a change in conditions. June 16th will be here soon enough and, with it, access to venues that offer alternative challenges which I'm very much looking forward to.