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Animals, Plants and the Weather, Natures Signs :MOD note 121

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    #62
    Lucreto
    Registered Users Posts: 1,003 ✭✭✭Lucreto


    Since we humans are animals as well I have got one.

    Since I was a kid anytime we had any snow I was sick. Usually its the same thing a chesty cough days before snow progressing to a chest infection just before the snow falls.

    I used to live in Bray so snow was rare as the best of times. I had about 3 or 4 snow days and was ill so I couldn't enjoy it. 2010 I was not tuned in do the boards so I didn't know snow was forecast but the cough arrived but I caught it early so I was able to enjoy the snow.

    As you can guess where I am going with this the cough has returned and with this cold in the charts heading our way I think we are in for some snow.:D


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    #63
    Joe Public
    Registered Users Posts: 1,777 ✭✭✭Joe Public


    Icanseethewind wrote: »
    I not at all worried about the cold... I still going to let the sheep out ont o the high pastures, plenty of grass after all this lovely mild weather. I can bet my life on it there will be no snow.... some sunny coldish days but pleasant...just the way I like it. The mountain has that dark colur on it again today a sure sign of rain and mildness for the next two weeks... I was talking to neighbour and he a great forecaster and reckons February will be very mild after this cooler air passes and March will be the same.... great news

    Some of the Wicklow hills have a nice covering of snow and thus don't have the dark colour so how does that fit into the forecast.?


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    #64
    Sponge Bob
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 25,234 ✭✭✭✭Sponge Bob


    He can't see them Joe, he is in Mayo :)


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    #65
    Joe Public
    Registered Users Posts: 1,777 ✭✭✭Joe Public


    Sponge Bob wrote: »
    He can't see them Joe, he is in Mayo :)

    He could still be right, mild in the west and cold in the east.


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    #66
    Calibos
    Registered Users Posts: 7,796 ✭✭✭Calibos


    We're getting ahead of ourselves here. Its too early to talk about downgrades. Lets just wait and see if there is model consensus between the Crow and Magpie 00z's. We should see the first ensembles at the beginning of the Dawn Chorus about 3:30am


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    #67
    Strangegravy
    Registered Users Posts: 356 ✭✭Strangegravy


    Anyone seen any genuine weather or nature signs recently, if this colder weather does come to pass, it'd be a good time to keep an eye out for any of the birds or animals acting a bit out of character!

    (Not that I'd know what they were like IN character, tbh!)

    All I know is that the Daff's that have started growing in my garden already are either very well informed and confident that this cold snap won't reach us, or they didn't get the memo from Mother Nature and are in for a bit of a shock next weekend!! :D


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    #68
    jimmy.d
    Registered Users Posts: 200 ✭✭jimmy.d


    Strangegravy wrote: »
    Anyone seen any genuine weather or nature signs recently, if this colder weather does come to pass, it'd be a good time to keep an eye out for any of the birds or animals acting a bit out of character!

    (Not that I'd know what they were like IN character, tbh!)

    All I know is that the Daff's that have started growing in my garden already are either very well informed and confident that this cold snap won't reach us, or they didn't get the memo from Mother Nature and are in for a bit of a shock next weekend!! :D
    ya had the blackbirds at the back door today and have not seen them since the snow in november 2010 a week before it snowed


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    #69
    Strangegravy
    Registered Users Posts: 356 ✭✭Strangegravy


    jimmy.d wrote: »
    ya had the blackbirds at the back door today and have not seen them since the snow in november 2010 a week before it snowed

    That's the kind of sign I like to see! :)


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    #70
    kenmc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,276 ✭✭✭kenmc


    birds of all sorts have been demolishing the fat balls in my feeders. much faster in the last couple of days than all winter so far


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    #71
    Nabber
    Registered Users Posts: 2,855 ✭✭✭Nabber


    The daffodils in my garden have started to ungrow themselves.
    It's either going to be cold, or we have a bigger issue with Sellafield than I thought.

    Animals may sense changes in humidity, pressure, wind ect..
    But I don't think they can see beyond the weather system at present.


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    #72
    snow ghost
    Registered Users Posts: 1,379 ✭✭✭snow ghost


    As an avid Crow watcher for signs of impending weather doom and catastrophic snowfalls I can confirm that I have seen little evidence of any strange crow behavior. However, that in itself could signal the calm before the storm, as I have a hunch we may be snowed under this coming weekend.

    That said yesterday I did see a crow with a half eaten scone stuck onto its beak . It had to walk around for nearly an hour - unable to fly - before it finally managed to free itself. That could be an omen of a major blizzard.


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    #73
    snow ghost
    Registered Users Posts: 1,379 ✭✭✭snow ghost


    Icanseethewind wrote: »
    I not at all worried about the cold... I still going to let the sheep out ont o the high pastures, plenty of grass after all this lovely mild weather. I can bet my life on it there will be no snow.... some sunny coldish days but pleasant...just the way I like it. The mountain has that dark colur on it again today a sure sign of rain and mildness for the next two weeks... I was talking to neighbour and he a great forecaster and reckons February will be very mild after this cooler air passes and March will be the same.... great news

    Icanseethewind,

    Did you see that singular brilliant white streak near the top of the Reek yesterday? You may be aware of the claim that that is a sign of more of it to come, and in my experience that is usually accurate.


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    #74
    slowburner
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,218 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    Salmon can sometimes predict a drought. Experienced anglers tale this for granted.
    I posted in June 2011 that there was a prospect of a drought based on the migratory patterns of salmon.
    (here)
    A drought did indeed follow.

    Neither flora nor fauna might be consciously predicting the weather, it might be just that they have just developed behavioural patterns in response to atmospheric effects which we cannot perceive.
    I think it would be foolish to rule out the behaviour of flora/fauna as a possible indicator of impending weather, just as it would be foolish to depend on it.


    Purely out of interest:
    The word temple derives from Latin templum, whose original meaning was 'viewing-space'.
    This space or platform was in early- and pre-Roman times not for viewing celestial bodies,
    but for viewing birds - birdwatching. For augury (from a proto-Latin word for 'bird') was practised
    by observing the flight of birds     (often geese) [FONT=Bookman Old Style, Book Antiqua]at prescribed times, or before taking important decisions.
    Augury was practised by augurs, who would then inaugurate proceedings or actions.[/FONT]
    http://www.irishmegaliths.org.uk/seanchlocha1.htm


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    #75
    Trotter
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,362 ✭✭✭Trotter


    Here's an odd one. I got bird feeders in November and had sunflower seeds in them. The amount of small birds that visited was unreal. I bought a load of peanuts then recently and put them in and for the last 3 weeks there wasnt a bird to be seen.

    This morning for some reason, there's a queue of tiny birds taking the peanuts and heading off. They havent touched them in ages and I was all set to dump them and get new sunflower seeds.

    Do they sense the cold kicking in?!


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    #76
    ZX7R
    Registered Users Posts: 3,426 ✭✭✭ZX7R


    Trotter wrote: »
    Here's an odd one. I got bird feeders in November and had sunflower seeds in them. The amount of small birds that visited was unreal. I bought a load of peanuts then recently and put them in and for the last 3 weeks there wasnt a bird to be seen.

    This morning for some reason, there's a queue of tiny birds taking the peanuts and heading off. They havent touched them in ages and I was all set to dump them and get new sunflower seeds.

    Do they sense the cold kicking in?!

    The birds in my area acting the same,i have not seen so many small birds eating so much and it is also raining hard and there still eating,also the last fue days i have seen the smaller birds attacking the starlings and crows keeping them well away from the food.
    has any one noteced the amount of swans flying west the last cople of days.


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    #77
    Lucreto
    Registered Users Posts: 1,003 ✭✭✭Lucreto


    I have a bird feeder and I noticed the same. Also the resident squirrel was not bothered with the feeder and I bought one of those squirrel proof ones.

    This morning the squirrel was swinging out of it trying to get the nuts. I wish I had a camera nearby. I never seen it do that before and he succeeded as well. He knocked it to the ground and it opened.

    That is one happy squirrel.


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    #78
    gbee
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,388 ✭✭✭gbee


    Lucreto wrote: »
    That is one happy squirrel.

    Squirrels are relentless, you'll be terrorised by them now. They are officially pests, the invading ones that it, I won't say a colour off hand as I'll pick the wrong one.

    Youtube Squirrel action to be amazed, they can even find a simple letter code and remember it apparently.


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    #79
    nacho libre
    Registered Users Posts: 16,637 ✭✭✭✭nacho libre


    snow ghost wrote: »
    Icanseethewind,

    Did you see that singular brilliant white streak near the top of the Reek yesterday? You may be aware of the claim that that is a sign of more of it to come, and in my experience that is usually accurate.

    Welcome back snowghost. Another sign of colder weather is robins coming close to the house.

    If the robins then come knocking at you door. It's a sure sign the Siberan cold express has stopped for a while in the west of Ireland.


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    #80
    cyclops999
    Registered Users Posts: 402 ✭✭cyclops999


    All I will say is with the amount of rain that has fallen over the midlands since yesterday I now have a bloody swimming pool in my back garden. If the weather gods play ball I hope to have an ice rink by Friday .


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    #81
    kenmc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,276 ✭✭✭kenmc


    oh oh oh i just remembered another one.
    Saw a thing on the news there last week where some lad in Ballinteer had an all-white blackbird visiting his garden. Now if that's not hard evidence of blackbirds evolving a new colouring as camouflage like the snow-leopard, Arctic hare, Arctic fox and polar bear, I don't know what is :pac:


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    #82
    Tom Cruises Left Nut
    Registered Users Posts: 9,010 ✭✭✭Tom Cruises Left Nut


    When you see an animal frozen solid on the side of the road... thats a sign from nature that its cold ;):pac:


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    #83
    kenmc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,276 ✭✭✭kenmc


    t|nt|n wrote: »
    When you see an animal frozen solid on the side of the road... thats a sign from nature that its cold ;):pac:
    Unless of course it fell out of a Tesco frozen delivery truck :)


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    #84
    Joe Public
    Registered Users Posts: 1,777 ✭✭✭Joe Public


    Trotter wrote: »
    Here's an odd one. I got bird feeders in November and had sunflower seeds in them. The amount of small birds that visited was unreal. I bought a load of peanuts then recently and put them in and for the last 3 weeks there wasnt a bird to be seen.

    This morning for some reason, there's a queue of tiny birds taking the peanuts and heading off. They havent touched them in ages and I was all set to dump them and get new sunflower seeds.

    Do they sense the cold kicking in?!


    I've been putting out peanuts in a feeder since October and the feeding pattern hasn't noticably changed. It usually takes them a few weeks to discover it and after that it's relentless. You left yours empty for a while so they fecked off and then slowly rediscovered you refilled it.


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    #85
    Trotter
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,362 ✭✭✭Trotter


    Joe Public wrote: »
    I've been putting out peanuts in a feeder since October and the feeding pattern hasn't noticably changed. It usually takes them a few weeks to discover it and after that it's relentless. You left yours empty for a while so they fecked off and then slowly rediscovered you refilled it.

    No it wasnt empty at any time. I had seeds in it all the way to getting the peanuts.


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    #86
    Joe Public
    Registered Users Posts: 1,777 ✭✭✭Joe Public


    Trotter wrote: »
    No it wasnt empty at any time. I had seeds in it all the way to getting the peanuts.

    They left in protest so, not happy you changed the feed without consultation.


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    #87
    Trotter
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,362 ✭✭✭Trotter


    Joe Public wrote: »
    They left in protest so, not happy you changed the feed without consultation.

    Hehe.. I had one little fella last year that used to come to the feeder closest to the window and picked out the sunflower seeds from the mix and threw them away.. looking in the window between every throw. If you dubbed a voice on it, you'd be hearing him giving out about low quality seeds :D I named him Elvis because it was all about him.


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    #88
    snow ghost
    Registered Users Posts: 1,379 ✭✭✭snow ghost


    nacho libre wrote: »
    Welcome back snowghost. Another sign of colder weather is robins coming close to the house.

    If the robins then come knocking at you door. It's a sure sign the Siberan cold express has stopped for a while in the west of Ireland.

    And if they come in the door Nacho it is a sign of death. Which could mean someone is going to freeze to death in an impending Siberian blast while Mr Robin gets to eat all of the dead dude's bread. :eek:

    Then again someone that vehemently believes in such pisheogs could just have died of shock at the sight of the grim-reaper with the red breast prancing around their kitchen.

    I prefer the former myself. ;)


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    #89
    snow ghost
    Registered Users Posts: 1,379 ✭✭✭snow ghost


    Trotter wrote: »
    Here's an odd one. I got bird feeders in November and had sunflower seeds in them. The amount of small birds that visited was unreal. I bought a load of peanuts then recently and put them in and for the last 3 weeks there wasnt a bird to be seen.

    This morning for some reason, there's a queue of tiny birds taking the peanuts and heading off. They havent touched them in ages and I was all set to dump them and get new sunflower seeds.

    Do they sense the cold kicking in?!

    The amount of insects, etc, around lately has been amazing, spiders have been happily spinning away catching flies. So they may not have needed the feeders for a while.

    Back in November they may have been instinctively stocking up as they knew that time of year was coming - days getting shorter, etc - when the natural food would normally become more scarce.

    At this stage I'd suspect that any current increase in feeding was more to do with the recent few colder days we had, rather than predicting what is on its way in the next week. I noticed the spiders retracted with the few colder days and the little flies have been more absent.


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    #90
    snow ghost
    Registered Users Posts: 1,379 ✭✭✭snow ghost


    slowburner wrote: »
    Salmon can sometimes predict a drought. Experienced anglers tale this for granted.
    I posted in June 2011 that there was a prospect of a drought based on the migratory patterns of salmon.
    (here)
    A drought did indeed follow[URL="http://"][/URL]


    Salmons' instincts and behaviour are that profound that they are beyond the comprehension of modern science... so who knows what they may be able to sense that is currently impossible for humans to understand.


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    #91
    Fineout
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭Fineout


    A flock of Redwings have just arrived to my field this morning. They always come about two weeks ahead of very cold weather. Last winter they arrived in November 2010 - so they awful late this winter. Delighted to see them.


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