After a very wet end to 2015 we had a hard frost on the 1st day of 2016, but the cold weather soon turned mild with more heavy rain and on the 5th saw more spate on the river and a lot of flooding.
For the second time in a matter of weeks the Queens Bridge in Perth was closed to all traffic and the flood defences were well tested; it was good fortune that saw this extra water coincide with the smaller tides and not some of the bigger tides that may have caused more problems! When the river did settle back a bit the boys from the harbour were busy out in their boat going round checking all the navigational poles and buoys.
The wet weather saw us spending a bit of time inside in the workshop catching up on some of our maintenance jobs; the mulcher got a bit of welding done to it and a new set of paddles fitted, so it is all ready to go when the time comes.
We did get some dry spells during the month that let us get on outside, and finally get on top of all the cutting and tidying up along the back braes footpath down at Newburgh.
When we did get another cold snap for a few days the Willowgate Fishery was soon frozen over and fishing access was restricted. The cobble and outboard engine were called into action to help break up the ice so that the wind could work on the surface and help speed up its return to being fishable again.
On the 29th we had another visit from the SSPCA who brought along another four cygnets from their rescue centre for releasing back into the wild. One of these was a whooper, and they soon settled in with the other swans that were about the place at the time.
It has been a quiet month for the birds moving about on the estuary; pretty much all our regulars really, although the last few days we did start seeing a few Oyster Catchers about the beaches and the odd snipe were showing on the softer ground. Now that the daylight is beginning to stretch out and we are seeing the Snowdrops coming through it does feel like we are starting to get through the worst of the winter, hopefully we will get some decent weather soon!
The month ended with more gales, snow showers and spate on the system.