This is what greeted me when I got up this morning
and it continued to snow for another three hours or so. The rain gauge showed two inches but it seemed more like an inch and a half on the ground. I’ve seen enough snow down here in my lifetime to not have any desire to go out in it, only to refill the bird feeder and take the dog out who won’t go out in it without me. Later I’ll have to go across the street to feed the cats and try and entice them into the shed with food for the rest of the day and night. The only good thing is that the low has been revised upward from 12˚ to 19˚.
Snow here used to be a rare event and when we do get some it’s usually only an inch or two. My first experience with snow was when I was 10 in 1960 when we got a little over 4” of snow. I was home sick from school that day but my mother, after lots of begging and pleading, bundled me up and let me go out and play in it. The next time was about an inch in 1968, then another snowfall in 1973. I remember that one because I was still married to the Rat Bastard and we had been in Chicago visiting his family and convinced some friends of ours, who were sick of the snow and harsh winters of Chicago, to move back to Texas with us as we lived in a two bedroom house. On their second day here we burst into their bedroom waking them up. They couldn’t believe we woke them up to come look at 2” of snow when they had just moved to get away from snow. Snowed in 1989 and again in 1994 (these are the only years a search turned up between 1973 and 2004) but from 2004 and this year it has snowed six times; 2004, 2008, 2009, 2017, 2021, 2025; so it’s definitely getting more frequent.
I filled the bird feeder around 5 PM yesterday and I have filled it twice more already today. There’s been a big flock of brown headed cowbirds (at least I think that’s what they are) the first I have seen on the feeder this winter and the snow must really be confusing them reflecting in the glass because they keep flying into the window and the glass in the door. Besides the brown headed cowbirds the cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, titmice, house finches, goldfinches, white wing doves, little warblers, bluejays are all vying for space on the feeder. They’re all puffed up. A little warbler just fought off two much larger cardinals.
Major drama right outside your window. Love the tiny feet.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, pitched battles.
DeleteCodex: Alright stubborn Ellen. Please listen. This might freeze overnight. Whatever concrete path you take, I'm assuming you have no snow shovels, if you have any kitty litter or sand sprinkle it for traction. This is a sprinkling of snow for me but you're not used to it.
ReplyDeleteIf you care about those birds put something up on the glass so they know it's a barrier. Cut out some dark shapes, tape it with something you can remove easily. Birds don't just stun themselves, they can break their necks. Told you to bring the cats in.
Thank you for your concern and advice but I'm not a novice when it comes to snow and ice. I know how to deal with it or avoid it.
DeleteOf course I care about the birds. I have a decal on the glass in the door and the window glass they were bonking into is dense textured glass that only allows light in, can't see anything through it. It was only the brown headed cowbirds and they would fly at the glass in the door even if I was standing there looking out. So some sort of disorientation from the snow and intense cold I guess. Anyway, it was just a couple of hours Tuesday morning and none were even stunned so they didn't it it very hard.
The cats aren't exactly feral but they are outdoor cats. And while I can pet them and pick two of them up for a minute of affection after which they want down, I can't catch them or make them do anything they don't want to do. Got a different heater in the shed for Tuesday night and tried to entice them in by putting their food in there but only one went in to eat. The other two would not go in if I was standing anywhere near the door and would run out if I approached it so I moved their food back out. So, no success but they do have shelter under the house.
Codex: Apologies. It sounded like you were despairing about the weather.
DeleteI used to volunteer for rescue groups so it's unusual behavior. They must perceive some reflection regardless. Cats well...been there. Some strays are quite happy with a heated box and would go in at night when we were nowhere near it. At least you tried.
I feel for you. I hate snow and I hope it's gone soon.
ReplyDeleteSupposed to get near 50 today so most the snow should be melted by the time it gets below freezing again tonight. And good riddance.
DeleteThey do look like Brown-headed Cowbirds but there’s not quite enough definition to be sure.
ReplyDeleteI was taking the picture through the glass in the door.I know we have them here but I've never een them in that quantity before.
DeleteEnjoy your snow. Daylight is longer every day and soon it will be DST.
ReplyDeleteSupposed to get near 50 today so it should all be gone soon.
DeleteI have some of those reusable stickers that go on the inside of my windows and it works to keep the birds from crashing into the glass.
ReplyDeleteI have a decal on the glass in the door and the other pane is heavily textured glass that lest in light but can't see through. It was just the cow birds and they weren't hitting it that hard. Don't know why they were so disoriented, would even fly at the glass in the door when I was standing there looking out. Only lasted a couple of hours, I guess the sun finally got high enough to change the angle.
DeleteWe got SO much snow. I can't believe it. In the sixty-three years of my seventy that I've lived in Florida, I've never seen anything like this. The snow on our feeder is frozen solid so we're feeding them on the ground and there are so many.
ReplyDeleteWe got 4" here, and it was beautiful. My neighbor's dog wasn't so happy. It took four or five attempts to convince him to go out yesterday morning. He'd poke his nose out, give it a try with his front paws, and say, "NOPE. Not going to happen." Today, with a little melt and a brand new coat, he was out prancing around on his leash. I rescued a dove yesterday morning. I couldn't understand why it didn't fly with the rest when they took off, or why it let me walk right up to it. I thought it might be injured, but I brought it inside and put it in a towel in a big plastic box with a lid. After about an hour, it started to flutter a bit, and I realized it was thawing out. It must have gotten caught in the freezing rain that set in so quickly. In another half hour, it was even more active, so I took the box out, took off the lid, and it flew right off. I was way too proud of myself!
ReplyDeleteNot just a Chicago guy, but a Northwest Indiana guy. I am so grateful to my parents for moving here from Indianapolis. Snow in Indianapolis is meh. Snow south of Lake Michigan, life effect snow, makes me forever love snow. Winds from the north? If Chicago got an inch we got 16. I love snow.
ReplyDeleteLake effect. Fucking spell check. AI sucks will be the 2025 t-shirt. Meanwhile ERCOT blowing megawatts on crypto instead keeping Texans warm. I love Texans too. Not as much as snow.
DeleteOh man, hang in there. Crazy weather.
ReplyDeleteI thought about you with the snow. Sorry you're having to deal with it. I still have the little kid flash of excitement & then I come to my senses when I have to go outside in it. Ha!
ReplyDeleteYeesh. I am glad I'm not in that! It was interesting reading about your history of snow in that area. We had a terrible freeze in Florida in 1989 and I'm guessing it was probably the same storm that brought your snow that year. Sometime just after Christmas, I think.
ReplyDelete