IT is amazing to me just how often I can be confused by the weather in late Winter and early Autumn. One day the sun is shining from a blue sky and it seems almost warm enough for June, and the next minute flakes of snow appear by magic and the temperature drops like a stone.

It was one of those days when I strolled from Horwich to Rivington. There were still lots of hawthorn berries left on a couple of trees and therefore it is Autumn! Actually, it is February and the Winter of 1998-99 has not been so harsh. In a bad Winter, the birds have stripped the trees of edible fruit long before January. On the side of the reservoir, I saw a Brent Goose, easily distinguished by its dark head and a sort of parson's collar around its neck. The Brent Goose is not normally seen inland and is usually to be seen feeding among the grasses growing around the seaside and estuaries. I wondered what it was doing there and then I remembered a friend of mine living in Farnworth who told me of a night of high winds a few days ago. In his garden he had long tailed tits, wood pigeons and wrens feeding on and around his bird table. High winds often cause birds to move about as they are buffeted by the weather. This accounts for long tailed tits seeking refuge in gardens and the Brent Goose being blown off course. Like most waterfowl, geese (with the exception of the resident Canada Geese) will soon be migrating from the arctic regions. They are already showing signs of mating behaviour but they will not leave for the breeding grounds until these are free of ice. The arctic summer is short but very sweet.

When the wildfowl leave us (and not until) I will relax and begin to enjoy snow without worrying too much about more snow and frost.

The signs of Spring are, however, with us. Tucked in sheltered corners around the reservoir is the odd group of lesser calandines shining brightly as their almost metallic yellow petals almost seem hot enough to warm your hands on!

The world is living even in Winter, but it becomes alive and vibrant once late Winter fades into Spring.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.