Long Winter, Slow spring

We had a really cold winter and lots of snow in February and sporadic snow in March and early April. Snow we had last week (April 8-10) melted and the crusty bits of old snow remain out by the pond under the forest canopy. A lot of ice has broken up in the wetlands where the water rushes, but Beatitude Pond is only 1/4 of the way clear. I predict a complete ice out the first weekend of May.
Everyone is tired of cold and snow and very much looking forward to seeing a bit more of green.
The woodducks came back about a week or so ago and this evening we saw marganser ducks. The Kingfisher is also back and the morning doves are hanging around again.
Little bits of iris are poking up here and there, but the river plants are not up, yet.
Frogs won't defrost until ice out.
In the meantime many other parts of the world are warmer than normal.

First Nor'easter of the Season

Thanksgiving Eve we had the first Nor'easter of the season, and not yet winter! When I hear Nor'easter I always say, "Oh, no!" went to work and had a long ride homeward. 10.5 inches in Concord. We got about the same here. Wet snow that caused 200.000 power outages around the state. Some people didn't have ovens to put their turkeys in this year.
We escaped power outages here in our town.

Drying days after 5 plus inches of rain in one day in western NH

On Wednesday of this week, August 13th, we experienced more flash flooding, rivaling the flash flooding we had last June. And this wasn't even a Nor'easter or tropical storm, just a plain old depression. It dropped 13 inches of rain in some parts of the mid Atlantic and 5.5. inches in our town.
I got trapped in the eastern part of the town and couldn't get home, but was able to stop at a friends' house until the roads opened up. In the meantime, Lindley came out to rescue me and also ran into lots of closed roads and had to take a very long route home.
The water crossed out driveway, but the culverts did their job and held. We have lots of potholes, but can be fixed for now with rocks, sand and gravel.
the water is the town lake is freezing!

Summer 2014

We've been having more than enough rain this summer so that everything has started to resemble a big mixed salad. Days of fine not too hot weather followed by warm and sultry, almost tropical weather with billowing angry looking clouds and frequent downpours, wind and lightning.
Meanwhile the West coast still has drought as does Jamaica.
We have a northern water snake who has made the wetlands crossing her favorite spot this summer.

Much is happening on Beatitude Pond, just  a couple of days before summer is officially here. Lindley spotted the eagle flying near the same area it had before. I know the fish & game person thought our property is not suitable for a nest. Still we wonder.
On our evening walk we saw a merganser duck with six ducklings. First time we've seen merganser ducklings on the pond.
Lots of red winged blackbirds this year...all flying to the same location on the pond....good food source?
Black flies are gone, thank goodness.
Lindley said a snapping turtle laid eggs on the driveway by the crossings.
Muskrats have been active, beavers less so.

Colors and Sounds of Spring

Spring has been slow in coming this year - with many days below average temps. Now on - May 12 - it's warmed up a it, but a cold front is coming in tomorrow so it will be back to somewhat chilly temperatures.
The end of April, we had a bat on our bathroom window screen. It didn't move for several days and I thought it was dead. It was a small brown bat, a endangered species due to white nose disease. But on the fourth or fifth day, I can't remember exactly, it had vanished. After consulting with Vermont fish & game, I found out it had probably be in torpor, a period of reduced energy output when the beaver goes into kind of a temporary hibernation on cold nights to save energy. I hope the little bat made it to wherever it flew next and does not die of the white fungus.
Last week we saw an eagle flying from our property! Saturday and Sunday I saw a solitary sandpiper and some turtles, soaking up the sun on a log in the Beaver Pond.
After not having seen any beavers since Easter, we saw a medium sized beaver swimming in Beatitude Pond. He has made a small shelter. Also saw the muskrat a couple of times.
Any many hawks!

Beavers, Wood frogs, ducks and geese

Happy Easter - and also my birthday this year!

During the week (Tuesday) I heard the faint sound of a wood frog, but then we had a freak snowstorm after heavy warm rain all Tuesday (which almost flowed over the wetlands' crossing culverts!). Today while wandering about the property I can hear a deafening sound of wood frogs. Happy return for them. Since I last posted we have seen a larger beaver several times...out scouting in Beatitude Pond and nibbling on sticks here and there. Still no major construction or renovations, just yet. The beavers are probably too hungry to work just, yet...there is time for that.
River plants have started to poke up and garlic is coming up in the front garden. I also found some young onions I had overlooked in my harvest last year. I planted peas. No black flies, yet!
Other creatures we have seen this week: mallard duck couple, Canada goose couple. Today I saw a red tailed hawk flying over head, some unidentified warbler in a white pine tree, moths flying over the surface of Beatitude Pond, numerous whirly bugs in the ponds, a tick.