Alittlebitoutoffocus

Alittlebitoutoffocus

Northern Europe is experiencing some of its coldest weather for years and I hear on the BBC radio that people in the UK are ‘suffering’ from temperatures of maybe minus 5 degrees C (23 F).  Perhaps they and we should spare a thought for our feathered, and indeed furry, friends here in the Val d’Hérens.  We have had negative temperatures in excess of minus 20 degrees C (-4 F) overnight and not much higher than -10 C (14 F) during the day recently.  How these creatures survive is a minor miracle.

I have no pictures of the hares, foxes or deer that visit us overnight, (though we have seen or heard them) but below is a selection of the wide variety of birds that have regularly visited our feeders over the past couple of months.

 

6 responses

  1. Jet Eliot Avatar
    Jet Eliot

    I so enjoyed seeing the birds that visit you, Mike. Your birds are all different from ours of course, in the western U.S., so I really appreciated the labeling, and studied each one. And of course your valley and chateau and the Swiss Alps are such a beautiful sight. It is humbling to see these small birds and all other living creatures surviving in these harsh temperatures.

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thanks Jet, I’m glad you enjoyed looking at them, as I very much enjoy looking at the very different birds (and other creatures) that you post. I walked to the shops yesterday and I was glad to get back indoors after only 10 to 15 minutes outside. Brrrr it’s cold at the moment. So I certainly feel for these tiny birds. Last week, we saw an Alpine Accentor at the restaurant at the top of the Arolla ski lift (at over 2,800m / nearly 10,000 ft) the other day. They are very clever – we’ve seen them hiding in the eves and rafters of the chalets to keep warm. Maybe all these other birds do the same. Either way they bring a lot of pleasure to Judith and I each winter. 🙂

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  2. Dorothea Avatar
    Dorothea

    If you turned this into a calendar, I would totally buy it. 😄

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      You’re very kind. Funnily enough, I used to do a desktop type calendar (1 page per week) for my family. But I haven’t done one for this year – partly because all my best photos have already been posted on the blog. Most of those pictures I posted in January, while I was away in Oz, were taken from the earlier calendars. 🙂

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      1. Dorothea Avatar
        Dorothea

        Ah!

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        1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
          Alittlebitoutoffocus

          🙂

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