Al Larson Photography

This is a scene that shows what may happen beneath the snow in winter. This is the work of a rodent, perhaps a vole. What we see is tailings left behind as the critter forages for food. Aparently it is after the tastey crowns of grass. What is discarded is left behind filling the tunnel in the snow. The grass soon recovers when new growth occurs in the Spring. When these guys work in non-grassy areas the tunnels may be backfilled with dirt or soil leaving a trail of twisted, winding ridges of earth after the spring thaw. When my children were growing up I called these ridges “lennuts” which is tunnels spelled backward.

It is interesting to go outside after a slight snowfall and check the stories written in the snow. It’s best when the snow falls on bare ground and the tracks are highlighted by the dark ground below. Here we have a set of squirrel imprints as it leaped across the snow. Also an Oregon Junco passed along this route then doubled back a few hops and took to the air. The Junco footprints ended. Then we see the marks left in the snow by the bird’s primaries as it left the ground.

We got another 6 inches of snow the morning of March 1. I am anxiously awaiting Spring. When the ground is covered with snow like this it is hard to imagine Snow Drops blooming in the garden before the end of the month.

Winter offers many unusual sights. This ice formation hung on the eaves for hours. After a thin blanket of snow had fallen on the area it began sliding off of the roof. The air temperature was freezing and froze the snow as it slowly slid from the roof. A portion of this minature glacier is cantalevered to the main section of ice. The dark background helps dramatize the scene.

I looked out of the window this morning and was greeted by a view of fresh snow. This is the 15th of February and I was wishing that Spring would be peeking around the corner. Seven Pine Siskins have recently arrived and seem to be taking the weather in stride. The coat hangers in the photo tend to deter jays so that smaller birds can feed peacefully. The hangers also make handy perches for the smaller birds

After a light snowfall yesterday I ventured outside with the camera. One never knows what may get in front of the lens. We have five wild turkey toms that visit us nearly every day. They have found where I scatter seeds for the smaller birds. On this day just enough snow had fallen on the wet frozen ground to record the passing of various wildlife. The soft white snow gave way to the dark ground below giving contrast to the tracks of our passing toms.

It was rather cool for our field trip on the last day in April. A light skiff of snow fell a couple days earlier but the temperature stayed low and there was very little melting. On the entire trip 53 species of birds were seen but the number of individuals was down. Our group of birders were good sports and a good time was had by all.

Eleven days earlier I checked all of the bluebird boxes on this route. A couple of the boxes had completed bluebird nests. The majority of the boxes displayed some bluebird activity, if only just a few blades of grass. After that the weather turned cold and stormy. The bluebirds seemed to have lost interest and little or no progress was evident in nest building. Barely a half dozen bluebirds were seen on the day of the field trip.

I am concerned that with this delay in nesting some birds may not nest and those that do may not finish raising their first brood in time to start a second. Broods produced in late summer have to contend with high temperatures, less insect prey and increased numbers of predators. This looks to be a repeat of last year’s problems when nestling production was way down from previous years.

A view from my living room window taken on St. Patrick’s day. Three days before Spring sprung we had a light dusting of snow. This flocked the trees for a post winter scene.

When these little guys make their appearence I know that Spring is here. I would guess  I’m about a week late to witness their arrival. Actually first arrivals may be seen when the stem exits the snow and the flourescence is surrounded with white. Now I must get out on the hill and search for the Yellow Fritillary or Fairybell as they are sometimes called. This starts the season of wildflowers!

It looks like I may be rushing it a little bit, but hey, it’s 52 degrees outside. The ground hog was really fooled this year with his 6 weeks more winter prediction.