Wetlands in Winter, 2026 edition

Today's already the tenth, the temperature hasn't risen above freezing since New Year's Eve. This morning, my kitchen thermometer said it was -16.9°C. Walking on ice should be totally safe. I set off after breakfast towards Sułkowice.

Before getting to the end of the lane, I could hear the sky full of honking. Looking up I saw an uncountable number of cranes. Such scenes would have been impossible 20 or even 15 years ago; climate change means that many migrating birds have decided to winter in Poland rather than expend energy flying to Africa. Cranes can cope with a few days of snow and ice, but this is not good weather for them right now. They are scouting for open water and fields without snow cover where they can forage for food. The formation was so big, I could not zoom out far enough to get the whole lot in. Some of these cranes are from the wetlands beyond Dąbrowa Duża.

Over the DK50, through Sułkowice, across the railway line, and into the wetlands. This is the Czarna river, dammed by beavers. The Czarna has been at low levels, almost disappearing in stretches over the summer. This winter's snow is good news for central Poland's rivers.

Below: looking across the Czarna, with open water showing. The wetlands are dry; though the river is somehow trickling through, the land is bumpy clumps of reeds and tall grasses. Not like past years, where small islands of vegetation poked out of the ice. On the river itself here, I can see tracks of hare.

Below: further along the Czarna, walking where I can see the tracks of deer or elk. But I exercise caution as I approach another beaver-made dam. I can hear the trickle of flowing water.

On the way home, I pop into the Lewiatan supermarket in Sułkowice. I'm not using the car while the snow lasts (all that salt, corrosion, ice etc). As a result, I'm food-shopping every second day with rucksack rather than doing a big weekly shop in Lidl in Warka. And here's the funny thing. Although individual items are more expensive or much more expensive than in Lidl, my actual expenditure is much lower (like, 40% lower). It seems I'm only buying food I actually need and can carry. Once they've got you in that supermarket, they tempt you with delicious extras! At low, low prices!!

Below: altocumulus undulatus clouds over ulica Ogrodowa, Sułkowice; in winter, they commonly appear ahead of a front or during transitions between air masses. It's a bit warmer (-5.7°C at ten pm), more snow is due overnight and there's no thaw forecast until next Friday.

Back in Jakubowizna. Pawprints in the snow led me south through the fallow field that lies between my lane and the main street running through Jakubowizna, perhaps shedding light on where Wenusia goes on frosty nights – do you see the polytunnels to the left, and the two chimneys? This may be why her fur smells smoky when she pops through my kitchen window in the mornings.

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Inequality and wealth – the Polish perspective

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In which I get started on Twitter
[Happier times, when it wasn't owned by a ****]

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This time 17 years ago:
A fieldfare in midwinter