It is official. Even the scientists confirm my suspicions. It has been a very windy spring and while we are used to that here in windy Wellington, many of the gales have been much stronger than the usual blustery conditions we live with.
Almost without fail there have been wind warnings forecasting gusts of up to 140kms per hour. Fortunately my particularly patch on earth has a degree of shelter from these northwesterlies. But we have sustained damage, most recently to an old television aerial.
You can see the trees in the tall tree part of our garden taking a buffeting. The fresh leaves of the birch trees are already looking bedraggled and bent in response to the prevailing bluster.
The Viburnum “pom poms” are burnt and brown.
Those are the ones that have survived on the trees. So many have been stripped. In past springs they looked like this.
The rock roses have proved to be hardy and flourishing bushes but the relentless wind sees the crepey flowers brown and shrivel.
And then there are the birds who must be exhausted battling through the endless gusts and the strength of the wind. Look at these two blackbird fledglings sheltering in a sunny and calm part of the garden this afternoon, resting while the parents are off foraging.
Blackbird fledgling resting to the right of the green tray.
As I went outdoors the parent bird flew near me and waited hopefully in the Magnolia tree.
I had nothing to offer him this time but I have been tossing scraps and crumbs out in greater quantities to help the birds survive.
Other parts of the country have been hard hit again today and we are hoping that the winds will abate tomorrow as predicted.
ordinarygoodness 
Gosh, your photos really show the strength of the wind. Thank goodness there is some shelter for the birds in your garden. I find ‘wind’ absolutely exhausting. Apparently some areas quite near us lost power this afternoon because of trees falling on lines. Canterbury has lost so very many trees this spring.
I have discovered the “sport” setting on the camera which captures movement better than “auto”. Really the trees are almost bent double at times at the moment. We are all tired of the noise and the battle with it. At least it is not dreadfully hot as it can be in ChCh and Hawkes Bay at this time of the year. I remember everything slamming and banging in the wind in HB when I lived there in my teens.
We have had a similar tree toll since June:-(
Yes, the noise!!!! I have tried the Sport setting on my camera but must have another go with it, now that you remind me of it.
I read that someone had used the sport setting on a camera and had captured pounding waves on a shore that way so I thought it was worth trying for the bending trees. Nice outcome and I will use it for the birds now and see what happens.
I think I may have a blackbird fledgling in my garden. Haven’t seen it yet, but there was a busy ma and pa couple out this morning digging up worms.
That is exciting news. Some of our parent blackbirds are looking very lean – plenty of worms about thanks to the rain but this wind and the demands of parenting are showing I think. Mr Thrush is full of voice again or is it son of Mr Thrush from early spring or did the original Mr Thrush produce a bevy of tenor Thrushes we wonder.
I am sure we have “Newy” the Tui visiting today – young, small and the plumage is much duller than the larger birds. He is not as adept at slurping either – perhaps I could sew him a bib. So we have “Meerkat” Tui who stretches up tall and peers all about after each sip, “Lefty” who always sits on the left of the feeder and “Hoppy”, another young bird who loves hopping up and down off the fence to the feeder and back.
You are getting to know your birds so well, but I am quite sure they know your household members equally well 😀 A bib for Newy; how funny that would be. It’s a pity you can’t band them somehow so you could tell which ones return each year. Although,by the end of the season, you may have your eye so well trained you will recognise your birds even from afar.
They are becoming more daring! IF this wind ever goes away I plan a sit-in nearer to the feeder with the camera at the ready.
I am hoping for another feeder for Xmas to extend a greater welcome.
Getting to know the wax -eyes could test me!
Do hope Father Christmas gets, or has got, the message about the bird feeder 🙂
🙂
They’ve been hard hit by the wind in Canterbury as well. Not too bad up here, but dry…
I too, am truly sick of all this wind. We’re in a very exposed spot and I am surprised that there are any trees left standing!!
I cannot imagine being in a very exposed spot through such relentlessly high winds. 140kms is not to be sniffed at. Lots of trees have been lost around here and many damaged.
It sounds as if Canterbury has been battered as well….cold comfort that is shared around though.
The first pic certainly gives an idea of the wind. Love the young birds! They must be glad of a respite in your garden. We are promised gales and heavy rain today and tomorrow – an ‘unusual’ autumn gale brought by the jet stream, apparently. Great!
I think the leaves and trees will stay that shape after so many strong gales – 140kms one after another is being deemed “unusual” here.
Those two fledglings certainly found the warm, sheltered spots yesterday….no sign of them today other than early this morning. Keep safe….the weather is interesting to say the least at the moment.
You’ve certainly been getting some wild weather there Lynley.
The winds have been extraordinarily strong this spring Juliet. Today is breezy by comparison but warm and sunny!!!