Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Woke up at 3:30 to the sound of heavy rain. At 5 AM, 39F. The winter bird bath is full of water (no ice). What month is this?

Winter bird bath.

By 7:30 AM the rain has eased up and birds have arrived. Joining the regulars–a dozen juncos; 2 dozen goldfinches, some of which have specks of bright yellow and white; a few chickadees, titmice, and house finches; a downy woodpecker, a blue jay, and a male purple finch; two male cardinals–are three robins, two bluebirds, and a Carolina wren. 12 species before 8 AM. And a gray squirrel.

9:30 AM: Ten robins fly into the crabapple. A lone song sparrow forages beneath the feeders. Two starlings check the feeders then fly off. The robins stay only briefly. Two gray squirrels of different sizes busily shell and eat sunflower seeds. The larger one has a very large, luxuriant tail that it holds over its back, like an umbrella to shed the rain. It has white fur behind its ears. The smaller squirrel has little white on ears and a much less robust tail. Male and female gray squirrels do not differ in size and color so I assume the small one was born in the summer of 2024 and has not yet reached its full adult size.

10:30 AM: Still raining. A female red-bellied woodpecker on the suet feeder.

Midday: The rain has stopped, but sky remains gray. A lone mourning dove casually struts around pecking at sunflower seeds. A female hairy woodpecker on the suet feeder. 17 species of birds so far today.

3:15 PM: Light rain in our yard, while the sun and patches of blue sky emerge in the west. A few minutes ago, about a dozen male and female house finches at the feeders. Four chickadees, each taking a turn to snatch a sunflower seed at the feeder and bringing it back to the crabapple where they can safely peck at the shell to reach the seed.

The sun disappears behind clouds just as quick as it emerged. It is 40F at 4 PM and the rain will resume tonight, according to the forecast. Darkness arrives early; there is no twilight. Two male cardinals close out the feeders at 4:30 PM.

Final Bird Tally for Today:
1. Blue jay — 2
2. Downy woodpecker — 3
3. Hairy woodpecker — 1
4. Red-bellied woodpecker — 1
5. Carolina wren — 1
6. Black-capped chickadee — 4
7. Tufted titmouse — 3
8. Mourning dove — 1
9. American robin — 10
10. Eastern bluebird — 2
11. Dark-eyed junco — 12
12. Song sparrow — 1
13. House finch — 12
14. Purple finch — 4
15. American goldfinch — 24
16. Northern cardinal — 4
17. European starling — 2

Monday, December 30, 2024

My mother would have said, “What a dreary day.” Solid gray above, fog among the trees, bare limbs and snowless ground, steady rain, damp but warm for December. In her later years, she saw more dreary days, in part because of her macular degeneration. For someone who loved to read, it was hard for her to see only individual words and not the full meaning of sentences. When she looked outward, she saw images that weren’t there.

My eyesight is still intact, but I would agree, Mom, today is indeed dreary. The weather forecast says it will reach 56F today. The rain will end by noon. People will be out running and cycling in shorts this afternoon. We might even go for a spin on our gravel bike. The day will be less dreary.

Still, it feels more like March than the onset of winter. Where is the snow to protect the roots of plants and provide cover to subnivean animals? The cold air that reddens my cheeks and quickens my step to stay warm? Where is the ice-cover on ponds? Where is the frozen ground that allows for winter logging and outdoor recreation? Where is the cold that keeps bears in their dens and salamanders deep in their underground burrows?

My goal for 2025 is to enjoy the beauty of nature, to appreciate each day — even the dreary ones, to be thankful for good health, to strive to understand those I do not understand.

Wednesday, Christmas Day, 2024

A beautiful, bright, blue sky morning with a dusting of snow from two days past. We ventured out for a long walk in a nearby conservation area, a 4+ mile walk with Henna. We pass only two other people. A family with two small children was just heading out for a walk, one of the boys was carrying a large walking stick.

We crossed the Piscassic River on Old Lee Trail, noting a fresh bobcat track on the pristine snow covering the frozen water. A three-some of red-bellied woodpeckers cavorted at the top of a sun-cloaked oak tree. Chickadees and titmice, a downy woodpecker, and a few white-breasted nuthatches were busy foraging for insects here and there.

A section of this walk is on Old Lee Road. One yard was hosting 40 wild turkeys this morning. We first heard a ruckus as some were still in the roost trees even at 9 in the morning. As we passed by, the last flew down in a grand style as a handful of toms spread their tail and wings.

After that the woods were mostly quiet. No animal tracks on the wetlands. A network of cottontail tracks on the rail trail, along with a few deer and one fox track.