Turbulence on Thor'sday

After having so many weeks of dry weather this year, I am enjoying the more turbulent aspect of our atmosphere at the moment. Just last week whilst the temperature remained warm, cooling gales caressed the land for days on end. Warm humid air travelling over the British Isles from the Atlantic brought welcome respite to the suffocating heat of the preceding months. I'm not a fan of lazy hazy days of summer, when the air is still and a stupefied atmosphere comes over me.

Don't get me wrong. I love the long hours of sunlight, being able to sit out of an evening and watch bats in the sunset; but to feel of a breeze on my face as I walk excites me. I long for rain, and that special cooling effect summer rain brings to a parched landscape. And that unique scent of dry earth being rewetted, there's nothing like it.

And so today's changeable weather is exciting for me. This morning looking out over the fields from home, all was calm and summery. Blue skies and white cotton wool Cumulous clouds. But I know, we all know, these are clouds forming because of rising air, rising as the sun heats the land and then cooling with altitude, allowing water vapour contained within the rising air to condense. Given sufficient moisture and energy in the sky Cumulonimbus may form, and that's what happened today.

Cumulonimbus the rain-bearing cloud can be considered as a bigger, better organised version of the cumulus cloud, though one does not always lead to the other. As Cumulonimbus form they feed more and more on the updraft of energy from the land, often growing rapidly, sometimes in less than 30 minutes until in most cases they lead to rain, often torrential but short lived. Or more excitingly, a thunderstorm as we had today.

The above photograph was taken from just outside my office at about 4.30pm this afternoon. I'd gone outside as a mass of herring gulls were circling around a rising column of flying ants. Were the herring gulls feeding on the ants? Or were they just rising with the updraft of warm air the flying ants were trapped in? I'm unsure, but the air felt warm and humid and a breeze picked up while I stood there talking to a friend. Then we felt the first raindrop. Big and wet, a single spat on the ground. In seconds, it was as if the taps of heaven had been opened and lightning flashed about us, followed milli-seconds later by the crash of thunder.

Most apt given it is Thursday, or Thor's day. Since a child and discovering my Scandinavian ancestry, I have been interested in Norse mythology, and Thor in particular, the God of sky, thunder and fertility. Although various incarnations of Thor exist, most refer to Thor as being associated with law and order in Asgard (Norse World in Mythology) and guardian of the gods. He was the son of Odin and Fjorgyn, the earth goddess and husband of Sif. Also known as the "thunder god" and "charioteer". During a thunderstorm, Thor would ride through the heavens on his great chariot, pulled by two magical goats. Whenever he swung Mjolnir (a magical hammer), lightning flashed across the sky. Was Thor up there today? I like to think so, because I find Thunderstorms are absolutely energising.

Thor's Battle Against the Giants (1872) by Mårten Eskil Winge.

And so to finish this blog entry on thunderstorms, a poem by Thomas Hardy. After all this is the WessexReiver blogsite and Mr Hardy was the creator of Wessex as we think of it today

A Thunderstorm in Town by Thomas Hardy

She wore a 'terra-cotta' dress,

And we stayed, because of the pelting storm,

Within the hansom's dry recess,

Though the horse had stopped; yea, motionless

We sat on, snug and warm.

Then the downpour ceased, to my sharp sad pain,

And the glass that had screened our forms before

Flew up, and out she sprang to her door:

I should have kissed her if the rain

Had lasted a minute more.

Being a blue sky thinker clouds my thoughts

Apologies for the lack of postings recently, I'm recovering from man-flu. I have been bed ridden for days and near to my maker for weeks.......actually what I have is a blooming awful throat infection, cough, cough, cough. All day and all night, it's driving both myself and my work colleagues to despair. Which is why they sent me packing this afternoon with a "just go home we don't want your germs"

As I drove home I thought maybe a bit of sea air down at Sand Bay would help. It did and it didn't, as I just felt worn out when walking along the beach, presumably as I'm not sleeping, so just sat there, looking at the clouds. And pretty spectacular they were too. The Bristol Channel provides an aerial backdrop for some stunning sunsets. I was once told this is because of the muddy sea, the Channel being an estuary, it provides more red in the sky, so an enhanced sunset. That may or may not be true, but I just like looking at the end result.

In terms of birdlife out there this afternoon, nothing spectacular to report, though good numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare about at the moment. I love those winter Thrush's, how they all fly off at once from a hedgerow, wheeling and flying over fields, landing again in another spot. I could watch them for hours.

But being at home this afternoon, allowed me to do something I've been putting off for weeks. Much like watching the sky and the shape clouds make, my dominant personality is to be a blue sky thinker. I am absolutely hopeless at detail. People at work are surprised at this as a lot of my work involves detail. Believe me I can do it, but I find it hard graft and it bores me rigid. Give me a massive problem to resolve quickly and I'm your man, just don't expect me to follow my answers through with actual action, I'll have moved on and become distracted by something else just as interesting before then.

So unlike many birdwatchers (or men generally apparently) I never keep accurate records of what I've seen. It's all in my head, but never organised (the lists, not my head before you comment). I did though say to myself in January, Andrew, for once in your life, record how many birds you've seen in the UK in 2008. It was the reason for the blog. Keep a record on-line. I never write anything down on paper, but find writing on the pooter very fluid and easy. Other birders say to me "what is your life list". I have absolutely no idea and nor do I want to know. Shocking eh?

And I was doing okay until June, which is good going for me. Then it all went a bit haywire. So tonight I've re-read my blog postings and can without a doubt confirm the number of birds species seen in the UK this year is 157, or 158 if one includes the Eagle Owl in Bristol (which we had a robust discussion about at lunch yesterday, with opposing views, escapee or second generation wild bird) I'll leave it there as more blood will be spilt no doubt over that one. I'll stick to 157.

It could be 158 of course if I could be bothered to drive the 30 miles or so to East Cocker to see the Dark-Eyed Junco, which is entertaining a plethora of twitchers at the moment. But do you know what, I think I'll leave that one for the real birders.

And finally I have a stalker, well a new follower of my Blog.... Birdguides Blog .... which is very nice, mind you now they've read I'm not hoofing it down to East Cocker, I'll be ex-communicated.