Almost February.

 1-28-21 SHORT HILLS: We got back before the last storm, a smattering of snow, slush and rain that was mostly gone the next day. It’s been cold since, not VT cold, but NJ cold with brisk winds. 

Before we left VT, I unloaded the game cams and got a lot of pix of skaters and a couple of the fox. To skate on the pond, you usually need to clear the snow. Large scoops move it in bulk, and a scraper gets the rest—but that’s all good, you get to exercise twice.

The excitement here is birds at the feeders and afternoon naps. Hopefully, four to six weeks will see the beginning of spring and some outdoor action.

Pond scoop working on several inches of snow.

Still at it.

It goes faster with two people.

Everybody on the ice.

Fox just after dark on the other pond.

Claudia Cardinal in a stare down with the camera.

Downy woodpecker, male, at the suet feeder.

Do you recognize the goldfinch in his winter clother?

Cold Days, Frigid Nights.

1-23-21 VERMONT: We’ve been here for a few days on a long weekend getaway. For the first two days, snow flurries were almost continuous, but there was only a couple inches accumulation. Today the sun has lit things up, but it’s in the single digits and windy. The dogs like it outside, Maizie like to sleep in the snow. We have stayed in except for a few errands.

I filled the bird feeders when we arrived, and the chickadees showed up in a swarm almost before I hung them back up. Nuthatches were later arrivals.

We’ll try to avoid the next, upcoming storm by traveling before it or after it on our way back to NJ.

Snow was in the air when we arrived and most of the next day.

Today we have sun, wind and single-digit temps.

I filled the feeders when we arrived, and a swarm of chickadees appeared almost immediately. There's one on the feeder and one in the tree behind the first one.

White-breasted Nuthatches showed up after the chickadees. The two resemble each other.

The nuthatch, on the left, is bluer rather than grey, they have longer beaks, and the black cap of the chckades covers the eye.

Pink clouds at sunset.

Waiting for the Inauguration.

1-17-21 SHORT HILLS: Except for a nice rain yesterday, it has been dry with a string of cookie-cutter dry days, all in the low forties in the afternoon and the twenties at night. 

The national events have been unreal, and I won’t comment but to say I’m horrified by the conspiracy believers and right wingers and their traitorous behaviors—this is what things must have felt like in 1859. The blond narcissist has set the record for impeachments in one term. Joe Biden’s Inauguration can’t come soon enough.

White-throated Sparrow.

Song Sparrow and squirrel tail.

Tufted Titmouse in gray facing away from the sun, one moment before the pic below.

Tufted Titmouse looking blue when facing the sun.

Downy Woodpecker, female.

Wet branches and raindrops lit up by the sun after the storm.

New Birds.

1-6-21 SHORT HILLS: Almost a week into 2021, and half a month since the Solstice, but the sun is still a distant memory. On January 21, the sun begins its climb back to us after almost two months at the Tropic of Capricorn. The Sun’s north-south excursion, due to the Earth’s axial tilt, follows a sine wave pattern. The flat, horizontal parts of the wave occur in Nov., Dec., Jan. and May, June, and July. March and September are the vertical parts of the wave. Anyway, after 1-21-21 the days begin to get longer for us.

The new bird feeder configuration seems to be working, and the squirrels remain baffled by the squirrel baffle. There were five of them on the ground under the feeders yesterday. We had new visitors yesterday, a pair of Carolina Wrens. We have House Wrens in the summer, who use the wren house, but they never hang around in the off-season. 

We had a brief snow a few days ago before it turned to rain. The daily high temps are in the forties.

Carolina Wrens pecking at the suet and seeds. 

Wrens again.

Birds in the snow. The male cardinal stands out, but there are other customers also.

Two birds with one shot.

Welcome 2021.

1-2-21 SHORT HILLS: We came back just before New Year’s Eve to watch the ball drop on TV by ourselves and barely managed to stay awake. We did have a family Zoom yesterday. 

It’s been rainy here, all the snow is gone and today is in the fifties and breezy. We did a dog walk with Bebe, Ronny and Sonny. Yesterday was colder, but we still did a shorter walk. 

The first weeks of January are, on average, the coldest of the year, and after the middle of the month, the mean temps start to rise. 

The birds have re-discovered the feeders. The Audubon Society says that it’s a tradition to make note of the first bird you see in the new year. I saw juncos under the feeders at the same time as I saw a male cardinal on a feeder—both are among our regular winter customers.

Maizie napping before her big NYE's party.

We had a nice sunset the night before we left VT. Most of the snow was gone.

Lily sent this IM of the new snow today.

Where'd You Go, Snow.

12-27-20 VERMONT: We did get a big rain on Xmas and over night, I guess an inch to 1.5 inches. The thermometer reached 60° for a high and a fog rose up from the ground that was melt-water mist. Most of the snow is gone including all the snow that was on the roofs. After the rain, it turned cold and froze everything that remained on the ground. Every hollow and depression in the ground was filled with rain water that subsequently froze.

The pasture is almost bare, and around the house, there’s a few inches of crusty, icy snow. The waterfall and brook thawed and were flowing. Actually, I filled a hole that developed on top of the waterfall with gravel. The ponds are otherwise still frozen solid.

High winds had been predicted, but didn’t appear. In the last two weeks, we had a big snow and a big rain, but almost no tree damage, no branches down.

We go back to NJ tomorrow.

During the rain, the roofs are clear, but the ground is misty.

The back pasture is free of snow and the pond is covered with rain.

Every dip and depression is a new pond.

The waterfall from the new pond dam has opened up.

The brook below the waterfall has cut into the ice on the old, lower pond.

The late afternoon sun shining on the thin layer of snow remaining in the woods and yard and waterfall.

The next day, the pasture is snowless.

The waterfall and brook in live action.

Thursday, December 24, 2020

Xmas Eve.

12-24-20 VERMONT: After more snow and cold, today it’s in the forties and everything is melting—benches and fences are emerging form the snow. There’s a drizzle, and water is accumulating on the ponds. We’re supposed to get a big rain tonight and tomorrow. It will wash away a lot of the snow, and if New England behaves as it usually does, what’s left will freeze solid after the rain.

We’ve been snowshoeing almost every day and the trails are almost highways now. The roofs on the houses and barns are metal and the snow is sliding off and crashing to the ground with roars and booms, which has Kaley, thunder phobic, terrified. THC drops help her a lot.

A few days ago in was warm enough to convert the powder snow to wet, packing snow—skiers call it mashed potatoes. The goldens turned into snow dogs, they were covered with snowballs from armpit to groin to all four feet and could barely drag it back to the house. It took us a half hour to comb them out. 

Snow coming off the roof means re-shoveling the deck and the doorsteps, which I have now done three of four times. It’s not so easy because the snow gets compacted into ice when it lands.

We missed the planetary conjunction like we missed the meteor shower because of overcast skies.

We have already started Holiday feasting with PIB’s, ML’s and caviar pie for lunch. It’s almost time for the Prosecco.

Judy and Shari snowshoeing across the dam.

Maizie fashioning snow balls.

Solstice bonfire at the neighbors, usually this is a big party.

Maizie testing the ice on a foggy morning.

Winter gear on the porch.

Maizie again taking her afternoon nap in early evening at a little after 4PM.

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