12-7-20 SHORT HILLS: We are getting regular rain here now and, I think, the drought we had last summer is over here. In VT, however, the precip total is still way below normal—there was about 1.5 inches in November. BTW this November was the warmest November on record, and 2020 will probably set another warmest year record.
In the back yard, at Judy’s urging, I bought a pole for the feeders and set it up so that it’s not under a tree, and, so far, the squirrels haven’t gotten to the seeds. The birds had no trouble adapting to the new location.
December is giving us our first colder weather with some below freezing temps. We walked this morning with Lynn in Loantaka Brook Park, which is a wetland with streams and ponds in the woods off the trails. It’s a nice level walk on paved paths. The ponds had a thin cover of ice.
The first taste of winter in December is always invigorating because of the novelty and all the holidays and Xmas music, but once New Year’s has come and gone, it’s just a slog through the winter doldrums. I used to be OK with winter because I skied and snowshoed and didn’t much mind the weather, but now it’s just two months too cold, windy and icy.
Mallard on our Sunday walk.
The new backyard pole, equipped with a squirrel baffle. The chickadees were the first to find it.
The front yard feeders are still hanging from the apple tree, but a bit higher so the deer can't reach them, but the squirrels still have no problems stealing from that downy woodpecker.
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