Scotland/Alba Regional Weather Discussion 23/04/17 onwards

[Halfamilefromnowhere]

3 hours ago, Northernlights said:

What appeared to be a frosty sunset last night at 7c turned out to be true as its now very bright at 1c with a ground frost. Very topsy turvy weather we are having. Grass is very crunchy.

0.7C here and frosty early doors, Tuesdays rainfall was only 0.64 inch here but was still the wettest day for 151 days!

[scott125]

On 2017-5-26 at 17:17, CatchMyDrift said:

2nd July 2009 hit 30C, if that 29.3C is correct it's the 2nd warmest temperature in eleven Years. The temp records I'm looking at are incomplete before then. 

https://en.tutiempo.net/climate/ws-31600.html

Feeks like summer of 2012 with the rain

[NUT]

Probably going to have more rain by the end of this week than we might get for the rest of the month. Next week looking good (eventually)

[Sunshineandshowers84]

Horrible day that was. Heavy persistent rain all day was very heavy at teatime. That clears and you think it may be a nice evening but no torriental showers have followed now.

[Hairy Celt]

Been darn sarf for a few days, got wet repeatedly. Visited youngest HC in Edinburgh on the way home today and got drenched just looking for a cafe.  Home this evening, got hosed just unloading the car. Garden flourishing, house cold. Not complaining, yet.

[Northernlights]

Moderate rain and currently 9c.The reason I know this is were woken by a terrible  noise outside the house which appears to have been a fight between badgers or a cat and badgers although to dark to tell. One cat rescued from hedge and we now know the reason the dog was growling earlier this evening as badgers seem to be patrolling round the house every night just now.

[Hairy Celt]

It's not raining now - at last - but it's as dull as erm a tory voter's imagination and the cloud base is pretty low. 

And that's a nice picture above here, CMD.

Edited June 9, 2017 by Hairy Celt

[Ravelin]

Well since nothing much of interest is happening this morning I though I'd better let everyone know that it's cool and dry here with the sun getting out though gaps in the fluffy white clouds. Not warm though.

[Hawesy]

Back home after my Reykjavik & Toronto trip. Weather in Reykjavik was grim, windy and raining most of the time with temps in the 10c-13c range. Kind of late October, early November weather here. Much better in Toronto with plenty of sun though not especially warm, about 20c-22c (more like 32c this coming weekend!)

Back home and it's been the wettest few days since I moved to Broughty Ferry. Got soaked in St Andrews leaving work a while back. Not used to all this rain after such a dry spring! 

[Hairy Celt]

Gawd, raining again. At least it doesn't look like an all day session.

[Hawesy]

16 minutes ago, Hairy Celt said:

Gawd, raining again. At least it doesn't look like an all day session.

Yep, same here. Going to head out for a walk anyway as going through to Glasgow this afternoon. Leuchars already recorded 90mm for the month (June average 57mm).

[ciel]

11 minutes ago, Hawesy said:

Yep, same here. Going to head out for a walk anyway as going through to Glasgow this afternoon. Leuchars already recorded 90mm for the month (June average 57mm).

Grey skies here too, but relatively mild and no wind to speak of.

I'm hoping to head for, and catch up   on the garden weeds.

[Northernlights]

 

Very wet walk round cows this morning although mild.Neeps coming on well as in the disparaging words of an Orkney farmer I knew. "They are 90% water" He was a silage fan.

With regards to cat/badger incident of a few nights ago noticed this freshly dug hole next to gate post in neep field this morning 30 metres from farmhouse. This massive rise in badger numbers is going to have to be addressed. Two pairs of oyster catchers have relaid eggs in neep field on new nest sites which we have marked with sticks for further operations.  I just hope they will remain undiscovered by the badgers.

Just read an article in Scottish Farmers Guardian where a sheep farmer had 17 lambs heads eaten off by badgers . I think he winessed the last one being attacked.He claims hunger due to overpopulation is doing this. My own thoughts are that they are no longer shy animals but are becoming more aggressive and no longer wary of human habitation

Edited June 10, 2017 by Northernlights

[Hairy Celt]

1 hour ago, Northernlights said:

 

Very wet walk round cows this morning although mild.Neeps coming on well as in the disparaging words of an Orkney farmer I knew. "They are 90% water" He was a silage fan.

With regards to cat/badger incident of a few nights ago noticed this freshly dug hole next to gate post in neep field this morning 30 metres from farmhouse. This massive rise in badger numbers is going to have to be addressed. Two pairs of oyster catchers have relaid eggs in neep field I just hope they will remain undiscovered by the badgers.

Just read an article in Scottish Farmers Guardian where a sheep farmer had 17 lambs heads eaten off by badgers . I think he winessed the last one being attacked.He claims hunger due to overpopulation is doing this. My own thoughts are that they are no longer shy animals but are becoming more aggressive and no longer wary of human habitation

Why's it dug that hole? Doesn't look like it needs to dig under a fence just there...

[Northernlights]

1 hour ago, Hairy Celt said:

Why's it dug that hole? Doesn't look like it needs to dig under a fence just there...

Massive population Overcrowding?   Looking to create a new sett wherever they can? If soil suitable they"ll just carry on. These exploratory holes are everywhere.and some turn into a new sett. 

Edited June 10, 2017 by Northernlights

[Hairy Celt]

1 hour ago, Northernlights said:

Massive population Overcrowding?   Looking to create a new sett wherever they can? If soil suitable they"ll just carry on. These exploratory holes are everywhere.and some turn into a new sett. 

What do they eat apart from lambs and worms?

[Northernlights]

23 minutes ago, Hairy Celt said:

What do they eat apart from lambs and worms?

Almost anything including hedgehogs https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blogs/woodland-trust/2016/06/what-do-badgers-eat/ They are opportunistic feeders.

Edited June 10, 2017 by Northernlights

[Hairy Celt]

9 minutes ago, CatchMyDrift said:

As a kid I remember my Papa and Gran taking me to this house near Polmont to visit their friends. The friends had photos of badgers eating corn flakes and milk, and this was supposed to be a wonderful thing to do, encouraging badgers and feeding them. Vicious little animals by the sounds of things? 

It's threatening to brighten up here but still a little drizzly. 

They will eat pretty much anything I believe, from roots, fruit, whatever's in the veg patch, wheath, carrion, eggs, lambs, hens, etc. But usually when animal populations explode like NL is describing, it's because some sort of food is becoming more abundant, allowing more animals to survive infancy, ie reach breeding age. So I'm wondering what this is in Moray. Redundant SNP politicians perhaps? I don't think that the legal protection they've had since the early 70s is the answer to the population explosion - there has to be an increased success in breeding, as I say this is usually due to more food.

Edited June 10, 2017 by Hairy Celt

[NUT]

Much better afternoon compared to the cloudy start still a little breezy. Rain was nowhere near as bad as it has been this week at times thankfully

[Northernlights]

8 minutes ago, Hairy Celt said:

They will eat pretty much anything I believe, from roots, fruit, whatever's in the veg patch, wheath, carrion, eggs, lambs, hens, etc. But usually when animal populations explode like NL is describing, it's because somre sort of food is becoming more abundant, allowing more animals to survive infancy. So I'm wondering what this is in Moray. Redundant SNP politicians perhaps?

In my area could it be the thousands of reared pheasant poults put down every July.They have no self preservation instincts and nearly always seem to roost on the ground and not in trees like their wild cousins where badgers can surprise them at night.

Edited June 10, 2017 by Northernlights

[Hairy Celt]

1 minute ago, Northernlights said:

In my area could it be the thousands of reared pheasant poults put down every July.They have no self preservation instincts and nearly always seem to roost on the ground where badgers can surprise them at night.

Could be.  This has happened on parts of the Black Isle too and I don't think the badgers have boomed here.  Do they steal cattle food?

[Northernlights]

11 minutes ago, Hairy Celt said:

Could be.  This has happened on parts of the Black Isle too and I don't think the badgers have boomed here.  Do they steal cattle food?

Possibly turnips/swedes but not silage,carrot and tattie fields are  much  more numurous nowadays   ,Carrots available all  winter till June now under plastic and straw. Know rat populations have exploded because of these carrots ,straw for cover/nests and plastic traps water an essential for rats as well.

Wetter milder winters/summers more slugs etc

Edited June 10, 2017 by Northernlights

[ciel]

On the subject of badgers, I never understood the BBC's obsession with filming them for the Spring/Autumn Watch series. I haven't viewed the latest edition.

I only know of one sett around here. However,  I rented a cottage in rural midlothian earlier this year when my dog was receiving daily radiotherapy at the Dick Vet. Came across numerous road-killed badgers in that area.

[Hairy Celt]

30 minutes ago, ciel said:

I never understood the BBC's obsession with filming them

Cos urbanites think they're cute and cuddly?

The sun's appeared and we've been out weeding, re-spacing rampant cabbages, repairing delphinium stakes (oops), etc. I'm glad I'm not a politician!

[Hairy Celt]

5 hours ago, Northernlights said:

Wetter milder winters/summers more slugs etc

You sound like my Mum...

Raining again this evening. Off out mashing molluscs next.