Spring Is In The Air... I Think! (1 Viewer)

Tammie · Feb 14, 2004

Good Morning Forum!

While having my coffee this morning, I glanced out the window and spotted 3 or 4 ravens playing on the wind. And it's a cold, cold wind today!!! -50C windchills..... again!!

I don't know how the birds do it.
Lately, I've been watching woodpeckers chase each other around the yard as well. I just recently realized that I've got at least 2 male hairy woodpeckers and they chased each other around the yard and feeders for almost 2 hours straight the other day. Very amusing to watch. I'm wondering if one isn't last years' baby? My pair of hairy's had twins last year... a male and a female.
My male and female downy can actually stand being near each other once again. I even saw the big pileated this week, working on a tree in the backyard. Hopefully soon, I'll be able to see both pileateds together again. Ususally only see that once or twice in the spring.
It's definitely getting interesting around here!

Karl J · Feb 14, 2004

Hi there Tammie, got to say i'm at a loss to see how '-50' and 'spring' can be in the same paragraph !!! .... heaven only knows how we'd cope with that.

Does sound interesting though

Tammie · Feb 14, 2004

Carlos GY said:
Hi there Tammie, got to say i'm at a loss to see how '-50' and 'spring' can be in the same paragraph !!! .... heaven only knows how we'd cope with that.

Does sound interesting though

Hi Carlos,
The only reason they are mentioned in the same paragraph is because of the birds!

If they weren't beginning to act so funny, I'd think it was still the beginning of January! Hopefully, it'll warm up again by Monday. In the meantime, I'm staying near the woodstove!!

pauco · Feb 14, 2004

Hi Tammie.
It does sound like things are getting interesting!! i hope it warms up for you soon!!! this country would come to a standstill if we got weather like yours.
regards bert.

Tammie · Feb 14, 2004

bert said:
Hi Tammie.
It does sound like things are getting interesting!! i hope it warms up for you soon!!! this country would come to a standstill if we got weather like yours.
regards bert.

This weather doesn't bother my husband much... he's been outside all day, first with the snowblower and now, with the snowmachine! Too cold for me. I'm a wimp... I'm staying in!!
Hopefully another month or so, the purple finches will show up.... then I know spring will coming!!

Edward · Feb 14, 2004

Spring is in the air here, Tammie. Really! It's been very mild in Reykjavík in the last few days, the snow and ice of recent weeks all gone and the numerous Redwings were all in full song yesterday and today. Even the ubiquitous Ravens have started "singing", i.e. making those very soft strangled sounds in addition to the normal metallic "krunk krunk".

E

Beverlybaynes · Feb 14, 2004

I've been hearing Cardinals singing for about a week now, and the Downy Woodpeckers are starting to pay a little attention to each other.

Thanks for sharing your weather, Tammie! While it's a beautiful and sunny 30F right now, it's supposed to be down around 8 tonight (with windchills in the -teens) and only about 15 tomorrow.

But things are looking up -- supposed to nearly 40F by Thursday or Friday.

Biggest sign of spring I've seen, tho, is that the race at Daytona is tomorrow!

songbird6666 · Feb 14, 2004

I don't know how you folk cope with such cold temperatures, a case of have to I suppose, but I would shrivel up and die, I am sure! I am freezing if it's below about +50f here!

Spring has arrived in my garden anyway - all my snowdrops have opened this week!

Beverlybaynes · Feb 15, 2004

Songbird:

Just because we endure it doesn't mean we like it! After a day of beautiful sun and temps near 30F, I realize how very tired I am of cold and snow.

Actually, snowdrops would be blooming in the neighbor's yard about now, except there's still far too much crusty icy snow on the ground . . . .

Nancy · Feb 15, 2004

Hi Tammie and Beverley, I don't know how you stand it either, but then I was cooped up inside the house yesterday and a bit today because it was too hot! 41%C yesterday but a dry heat, today was about 35% but humid which is even worse. I have to play golf tomorrow so hope it is cooler; the forecast is for 25% so I hope that is correct. We don't have very prolonged spells of intense heat there in Victoria, its usually only two or three days then a cool change comes for a week or so.
I do hope your spring is on the way and your trees and flowers start to regenerate after the long freeze. you will be happy to be able to get out for a walk without putting on heaps of clothing.

yellow_belly · Feb 15, 2004

I think the birds think that Spring is definately here (Lincs, UK) as I have just watched 2 colared doves mating on my fence.

Terry

deboo · Feb 15, 2004

yellow_belly said:
I think the birds think that Spring is definately here (Lincs, UK) as I have just watched 2 colared doves mating on my fence.

Terry

I've just seen a bloody Garganey!!!!!!!

Dave.

Beverlybaynes · Feb 15, 2004

Ah, Nancy . . . I know what you mean about the heat. Unfortunately, we get some miserable heat here in the Midwest as well -- temps in the high 80s and low 90sF are not at all unusual, and high humidity (25-50%) is fairly common. And when it comes, it seems to last for the entire season! Blech!

And as tired as I may be of the cold, at least I can always put on another sweater or pair of socks, or wrap another throw around my legs while on-line.

But it's all balanced, I guess, by the beauty of the change of seasons here -- there's little that's more beautiful than a crisp October day with bright sun and brighter foliage!

peligirl · Feb 15, 2004

Hey ladies...The sun is finally out in Houston, Tx. I have two sharpies and three re-shouldered hawks that are already acting agressive, I guess for territory rights. So I'm going out to take a look-see!
Nancy...I have a best friend who lives in Perth WA, she's not a birder YET!! But I make her tell me all she see's. I figure she'll have to get a guide soon! Ha.
PELIGIRL

Tammie · Feb 15, 2004

Nancy said:
Hi Tammie and Beverley, I don't know how you stand it either, but then I was cooped up inside the house yesterday and a bit today because it was too hot! 41%C yesterday but a dry heat, today was about 35% but humid which is even worse. I have to play golf tomorrow so hope it is cooler; the forecast is for 25% so I hope that is correct. We don't have very prolonged spells of intense heat there in Victoria, its usually only two or three days then a cool change comes for a week or so.
I do hope your spring is on the way and your trees and flowers start to regenerate after the long freeze. you will be happy to be able to get out for a walk without putting on heaps of clothing.

Hi Nancy,
I read your post about that kind of heat and I think I prefer the cold!! At least you can dress for that!

I can't handle the humidity very well so I'm glad we don't get a whole lot of that... sometimes we do tho'.
Good luck with the golf. Hope it cooled off for you!

Tammie · Feb 15, 2004

peligirl said:
Hey ladies...The sun is finally out in Houston, Tx. I have two sharpies and three re-shouldered hawks that are already acting agressive, I guess for territory rights. So I'm going out to take a look-see!
Nancy...I have a best friend who lives in Perth WA, she's not a birder YET!! But I make her tell me all she see's. I figure she'll have to get a guide soon! Ha.
PELIGIRL

Hi and welcome to the forum!!

Katy Penland · Feb 16, 2004

It went from -13C day before yesterday morning to +13C this afternoon. I don't know how the birds cope with the changes (*I* can, I just stay inside!). I think you're right, Tammie -- spring's not far off. We've had white-breasted nuthatches doing territorial displays, and two other spp offering food bits to (presumably) the opposite sex. But the real test of spring is the return of the swallows and Lewis's woodpecker, neither of which are around yet.

We could really use more snow, though, or rain. Our poor forests haven't recovered from the past few years of drought, and more than half of the Ponderosas are dead already from that and bark beetles. :-(

snowyowl · Feb 19, 2004

Spring! Bah! Humbug! It's a full scale blizzard outside with 35 cm of snow called for with wind gusts that will probably hit over 100kph (it is mild. however, about -3 C). There will be a major storm surge tonight as the high tide is pushed by the NE wind. That means lots of flooding in low areas. The last major surge took out some roads, cottages etc.
All of the snow plows and police cars have been taken off the roads because it's too dangerous for them to operate. If ambulances have to move they will be led by plows.
Hopefully power will stay on.
The Confederation Bridge is still open but will probably close soon. (For those who don't know it, the bridge is 14 km long, (still the longest in the world I believe) linking the rest of Canada to us.
Spring!
Feeder birds are down to about 10% of normal, just a few Redpolls, BlueJays, Juncos and Crows so far.

Michael Frankis · Feb 19, 2004

snowyowl said:
The Confederation Bridge is still open but will probably close soon. For those who don't know it, the bridge is 14 km long, linking the rest of Canada to us.

Reminds me of the occasion a few years back when it was too stormy for the England-France ferries to run, one of the UK newspapers ran a headline
EUROPE CUT OFF

Hope all goes well for you!

Michael

Tammie · Feb 19, 2004

snowyowl said:
Spring! Bah! Humbug! It's a full scale blizzard outside with 35 cm of snow called for with wind gusts that will probably hit over 100kph (it is mild. however, about -3 C). There will be a major storm surge tonight as the high tide is pushed by the NE wind. That means lots of flooding in low areas. The last major surge took out some roads, cottages etc.
All of the snow plows and police cars have been taken off the roads because it's too dangerous for them to operate. If ambulances have to move they will be led by plows.
Hopefully power will stay on.
The Confederation Bridge is still open but will probably close soon. (For those who don't know it, the bridge is 14 km long, (still the longest in the world I believe) linking the rest of Canada to us.
Spring!
Feeder birds are down to about 10% of normal, just a few Redpolls, BlueJays, Juncos and Crows so far.

I've been watching this storm on The Weather Network and wondered how you were making out! Sounds nasty!! I can't remember the last time we had a storm like that. I guess technically, they can't call it a blizzard tho'.... doesn't it have to be like -12C minimum for that?
If you were a bird right now, wouldn't you be hiding too??? Take care and keep us posted on how things go.

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