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Category Archives: winter

Signs of the Season

Despite the calendar, it really is winter now! Christmas Bird Counts started this past weekend and last night we received nearly a foot of new snow! My first CBC was the Bridgeport circle, about fifty miles south of here. That meant a very early start to meet the other volunteers and find out which area we needed to cover during the short daylight hours available this time of year. The weather started out gray and then went to misty and then to snowing hard by mid-afternoon. Despite that, we saw lots of fun birds and enjoyed the company and celebrated with a wonderful dinner shared with all of the counters. Many thanks to the organizers and compilers for a fun day. If you want to learn more about Christmas Bird Counts, see this link.

Some areas of Douglas County can seem pretty remote

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This cow wanted some company

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Foster Creek in Douglas County. I think the green plant is watercress.

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The neighbor’s snow measure stick

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We have a reliable snow plow service and needed it today

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A little bit of color

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Luna reluctantly broke trail

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Too much fun in the snow!

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It’s a hard job but someone’s got to do it!

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Riser Lake

Luna and I drove into the lower Rendezvous yesterday in hopes of maybe spotting a Snowy Owl. Again, no luck finding Bubo scandiacus but we did see a variety of raptors including a Golden Eagle, female Northern Harrier, two American Kestrels and a few Red-tailed Hawks. Near town there was a Northern Shrike hunting from a powerline.

After the owl-less drive, we stopped at Riser Lake to stretch our legs and see what else we could find. The lake is almost entirely frozen over and the little bit of open water held a pair of Mallards til they realized we were going to walk around the lake. They took off and then returned before we left. The only other birds were Northern Flickers, a couple of Black-capped Chickadees and a lone Bohemian Waxwing.

It was a good day for a walk with a little bit of crusty snow and no precipitation. Luna is still nursing a sore back so she doesn’t have the energy to run like she always has in the past. It seems harder for her to jump in the car and she sleeps more than usual.

 

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Abandoned fruit trees indicate that people once attempted to make a living off the land in these arid hills.

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The colorful fruit is welcomed by the wintering birds, especially the waxwings.

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Thin ice

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Frozen in time

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What thing doesn’t belong in this photo?

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Interesting low-growing plant on top of the hill overlooking the lake

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And one lone pine tree too

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Whose nest? It is about ten feet off the ground. Seems low for a Common Raven but what else would use a nest so large?

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I found pears, but no partridges

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After the Snow Fell

Yesterday, St Patricks Day, another four inches of snow fell! Much as I love winter and snow, I am ready for Spring. The weather gurus say this wet weather pattern will continue into next month although with maybe more rain and less snow. And after that, more typical spring weather, whatever that means.

As always, the fresh new snow was beautiful and now it’s melted and there is mud in the cleared areas.

 

 

 

 

 

Mt Robinson appeared as the clouds began to part

 

 

Rose Hips

 

Lichens

 

 

Likin’ these lichens.

 

 

Today the driveway is mud again

 

 

 

 

 

Says Phoebe singing from the highest peak of the roof

 

Across the valley

Patterns

After the storm yesterday, this morning is glorious with sunshine and the promise of spring. I took my macro lens out for the morning walk and in retrospect I should have also taken a tripod and waterproof pants (for kneeling in snow and ice and puddles). There were patterns everywhere I looked. In the pine bark. Pine needles. In the ice and snow. In the frozen puddles. In the branches, leaves and unearthed roots. So much to see. After yesterday’s long struggle with SEO and finally coming to the conclusion that it’s a battle I am destined to lose, it was a relief to do what I really enjoy – make images of the patterns of everyday life – My Everyday Photos.

 

Lichen

Dried grasses

 

Serviceberry leaf

 

Dry grass

 

Bitterbrush bursting into bud

 

Another serviceberry leaf

 

Pine bark scarred by what? Maybe a deer rubbing its antlers

 

Buds from the ponderosa pines

 

 

Even our ice-covered driveway has a nice pattern

 

Pine needles embedded in the ice

 

Tiny icebergs

 

A plant unearthed by the snow plow last night

 

Tiny green shoots of grass

 

Interesting miniature ice sculpture

 

Now this is a puddle

 

 

An ice amoeba?

 

 

Tiny fracture lines in the ice

 

 

Winter to Spring and back to Winter again

March is a month that cannot make up its mind. Of course, there is still lots of snow on the ground at the start but warm days soon begin to shrink it. We go outside and see what shows up after the long winter. Birds return. Spring skiing is grand. Yesterday it was fifty degrees! Farenheit.

Today it is snowing and the wind is blowing. Visibility is lacking. Bare ground is once again covered and I need to go out and shovel snow. I wonder how many times we will go through this cycle before April gets here?

Last week we had spring skiing at its finest!

A large flock of Bohemian Waxwings hawked insects over the Methow River

Today is a different story

Today is a good day to stay inside with a cup of tea and update my website