Bloody cold wind …

We've been suffering a belated cold snap of late … well, actually, the weather chaps report it as "seasonal", but since our weeks of warm weather, this seems pretty damned chilly. I went down to the Lake the other day, and there was a good, stiff breeze out of the NNW, which gives the moving air about as long a fetch as can be got, to come ashore here, and the water is far from warm. So, naturally, the already-cool air gets cooled some more by its 200 – 300 mile passage over the cold water (Think "Giant Swamp Cooler"), and bestows its gift upon us. It's called "Lake Effect", folks, and sometimes it's great, but just as often, it's not.
Anyway, I managed a few pics, mostly just for record, but I thought I'd post some, just so you could see what it looks like … it doesn't look particularly cold, but it's driven most of the birds inland, over warm asphalt carparks, looking for free grub, except for a few hardy gulls, determined to brave it out.
You'll observe the whitecapped waves, rolling into our little cove, and actually breaking on the rock seawall:


Notice the lack of the usual flights of gulls …

And this is with the long lens … these fellows were hanging there, with no ground speed at all, but plenty of airspeed … they had their wings and feathers trimmed to the wind so that they were motionless, looking down for something yummy to wash by in the waves. And observe the horizon … it's "bumpy" because the true waves can't be resolved at that distance. At this point, the horizon is some 30 miles away.


And THAT'S why I haven't been out much … this bloody wind makes everything so chilly, and then, to add insult to injury, blows anything I want to photograph around so that it's out of the frame when I click the shutter.
I believe a week or so is enough, though … the lads on the telly are predicting that it's going to moderate … soon, whenever that is.
LOL
Cheers …

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