Total monthly rainfall: 99 millimetres.  Maximum daily rainfall: 22.5 millimetres (25^th December).

There were 19 days when measurable rain fell, and 20 days when cloud-cover reached 100% for at least part of the day.

Maximum temperature on the warmest day was 14C on 29^th and 31st December.   Maximum temperature on the coldest day was 4C on December 2^nd. Overnight frost occurred leading up to the 7^th, 11^th, and 22^nd.

Seven of the first ten days experienced wind speeds of between force 5 and 7, as did December 28^th.

There have been several species of small numbers of wild flowers which have been seen this month, beginning with field speedwell, groundsel, and shepherd’s purse on December 10^th; continuing with dark mullein and meadow vetchling on the 7^th; including common knapweed and sow thistle on the 12^th – and finishing with creeping buttercup on the 28^th, and stitchwort on the 29^th. Remaining flowers in bloom at the month’s end were red and white deadnettle, lesser periwinkle, feverfew, canadian fleabane, common daisy, and dandelion. The last shrub, hazelnut, became bare on December 10^th.

Although we saw no butterflies at all this month, we have seen 25 species – a commendable number - during the year, but numbers within the species were generally down.

• December sunrise December sunrise
• Last clump of stitchwort Last clump of stitchwort
• Last creeping buttercup Last creeping buttercup
• Woodland pond full Woodland pond full
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Following a poor year for moths, we fared no better this month – having only 3 winter moths on lighted porch windows on December 3^rd, 16^th, and 20^th.

Like butterflies, our dragonfly species numbers remained reasonable at 20, but some Individual numbers were down. Also like butterflies, we saw no dragonflies during the month, as the last  disappeared on November 28^th.

Sightings of wild-birds continued the pattern seen during November, with those high up the “pecking order” dominating attendance at the feeding station, moderate flocks of starlings and crows perching in the trees, and almost daily visits from the heron. Very few Canada geese turned up, and the cormorant dropped in from time-to-time, but we saw nothing new or unusual. The jay visited the feeders on dull grey days (Dec 1^st, 16^th, 24^th) when photographs were unsuccessful, and the buzzard hunted above the wood on December 31st. We saw 6 black- headed gulls flying round the main island on the 2^nd and 8^th, and 100 plus flying west-east on the 13^th.