The cold snap in late spring had an impact on the food available for native birds. Bird ringing volunteers at Gibside reported poor survival rates of the great, blue and coal tit chicks, and the rangers at Allen Banks and Staward Gorge noticed lots of abandoned nests.
Some wildlife was later than usual
Swallows arrived for summer at Wallington much later than usual this year, with far fewer making it back than in previous years. And the rhododendrons at Cragside, which usually cover the estate in bloom from late May, flowered up to three weeks later.