View from the window...upside down

It is snowing in the realm today. In this part of the world there is a skepticism about the weatherperson's ability to accurately predict the weather, so when it actually happens as foretold there is a certain amount of surprise. We awoke to a winter wonderland with flakes still falling gently and the wind had produced deep sculptured banks and valleys. 

Quite lovely to look at from the window but it required a bit more effort to shovel a path and find the cars. Our street, being a side one, will probably be plowed around midnight tonight effectively sealing each homeowner in their driveway; a not altogether pleasant start to tomorrow morning should one have to leave said driveway to go to work.

Our street abuts a busier street which is also a bus route, meaning that it was plowed early this morning to prepare for the day. It also means that with the amount of snow that actually fell, (still surprised) there is a sizeable berm at the entrance to our street, making for an exciting time accessing the rest of the known world. Aaah, winter.  

The birds are busy in the yard so the storm must be waning. The wind swept a bare spot on the ground in front of the window so sunflower seeds have already been tossed out. The squirrels are beginning to appear having stayed longer this morning in their tree hole havens or leafy dreys in the treetops. (That is 'drey' as in squirrel nest, as opposed to 'dray' as in cart, or the horse who pulls said cart, or Dre, as in Dr.)

The juncos are here in a group, picking up seeds and then retreating to the safety of the tree or denser shrubbery. The chickadees zoom in for one seed then sit on a branch where they hold the seed with their toes and peck at it until they puncture the shell. There are several here today which means they are dining out because other options are less available at the moment. During breeding season seeds like this would make up a small part of their diet, their preference being bugs and spiders. In the winter the balance shifts as bugs are hiding, and spiders sleeping in nooks and crannies that are presently, like today, snow-covered. I am hoping that they notice the 'vacancy' sign on the little birdhouse and someone will move in before long.

Interestingly the Red-breasted nuthatches that have been around all winter, seem to have noticed the wee house. I read that their preference is to nest in cavities which they excavate themselves, a practice which I thought only applied to woodpeckers, and most often in an aspen tree because the bark is softer. They apply resin from a conifer tree to the entrance of the cavity as well as inside, and sometimes use a piece of bark to do this which is pretty remarkable. This may be some kind of security measure, which is pretty ingenious.

They seem to be most interested in the shelled peanuts at the feeders but will take sunflower seeds also. In the summer, like the chickadees, they will feed primarily on a variety of bugs, which they will also feed their young. They generally travel on a tree in a downward spiral which seems to be characteristic of nuthatches. Even at the feeder they feed upside down. This does not seem like it would aid digestion but there must be some reason for it that is particular to them.

We have been fortunate to see nuthatches this winter, and it is largely due to our big spruce tree. The larger White breasted nuthatch prefers deciduous trees; the smaller nuthatches, the conifers. I am hoping that even if these feisty little birds leave us to find an aspen tree closer to the river to nest in, that they will return if we keep the feeders full.

(White-breasted nuthatch)

(A Red-breasted nuthatch that visited in the summer of 2016)

Glimpse of red and blue

A presence on the spruce bough

Welcome in my heart

 

View from the window...squirrels

 

In these dark winter days, at this 'stay at home' time, it is easy for the spirits to flag. In those hours I am grateful for my front window. through it I see a glimpse of my neighborhood, the tall, graceful maples across the street, their architecture evident in the absence of the cover of leaves. I see the apartment building across the park and wonder if they see me. A large portion of my view though, is the towering blue spruce that some kind soul planted there in the 1960's when this was a new house on the edge of town.

The spruce is a landmark for the house, provides us shade and privacy, but most importantly, is a haven to the local birds and wildlife. 

Nearer to the driveway, feeders hang on a tall pole with shelled peanuts, sunflower seeds, niger seeds and whole peanuts the buffet on hand. These draw lots of activity year round. Lately I have been throwing sunflower seeds on the front porch and in the snow in front of the window as well so there is a lot of activity to watch from my perch on the couch.

The first to arrive is always a squirrel; they are particularly attained to the presence of food. The sound of peanuts hitting the driveway, even if muffled by snow, draws them in like pins to a magnet. In order to keep the squirrels busy we have set out cobs of corn, in special holders, for them. The corn keeps them, at least for a short time, away from the seeds on the ground. 

The antics and acrobatics necessary to get every last kernel from those cobs have given us hours of entertainment in the watching.

And when the cobs are finished 

someone will stop by and enquire if there is more

then sit and wait.

A change in the air...

There is a change in the air, and despite the remaining presence of snow and cold temperatures, there is definitely the scent of spring. I am hoping that the change of the external season will also bring a change in my internal season. Winter has been a long, grey time and I don't think I have been in hibernation exactly, but perhaps more like in a state of torpor. Hibernation and torpor are methods animals use to survive winter, with hibernation being like a deep, deep sleep and torpor being periods of sleep broken by periods of activity. So while outwardly continuing the activities of life, inwardly, I have been quiet, removed, needing of a great deal of solitude. This is the first time that I have written for a while but perhaps there are seasons for words also. 

I felt that the time of snow was ending so I had better enjoy its presence before it had gone completely. There are many wonderful things about these last snows when the season is on the cusp of a new fresh one. A pristine cover of snow in the bright sun is a thing of great beauty, but it also allows a glimpse into life in the forest become invisible once it is gone. Like...nature's artwork in the snow..

showcasing small things of beauty..

like a vine tendril..

or an beech leaf..

or a feather.

Or showing evidence of who has been present in the forest like..

a deer mouse with tiny feet and a dragging tail,

a hungry rabbit..

a meadow vole, whose subnivean (under the snow) tunnels become apparent as the layers of snow begin to melt,

or this intersection of prints which show that a deer mouse (diagonal), a deer (vertical), and a squirrel (horizontal tracks) have all been in the same area recently.

Ice is a winter companion also, dangerous underfoot but spectacularly beautiful in all its forms....

gravity-defying icicles.

ice baubles dangling over the creek,

patterns in frozen puddles and

 at the river's edge.

Not only is there a whiff of spring in the air, but the silence of winter in the forest is beginning to give way to the sounds of approaching springtime. The birds that remain here year-round are quieter in the winter. They call to each other to communicate where they are, or if there is food to be shared, or if there is danger close by. Now their repertoire expands to include mating calls and territorial warnings.

The male cardinal is heading up from the shrubbery to the treetops to sing for a mate and to establish his 'patch'. The chickadee's songbook will now include a distinctive two-note song as well as the well-known 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee', as he sings seeking companionship. The sparrows are starting to squabble and investigate the possibilities for nesting.

One of my favorite things is to watch the squirrels waking up and joining the mating game. Many are nesting right now, probably in a hole in a tree, but there is plenty of noisy chasing and chattering going on.

The grey squirrels and the black ones,(who are also grey even though they are black and often have red belly fur), are busy building a drey to nest in. (Not dray, as in cart, or dre as in Dr.) There is a hollow centre to these nests that is lined, warm and soft for babies. They seem to defy gravity and the effects of weather, so they must be well built. With the leaves still being absent, it is possible to see the squirrels doing parkour in the trees, as they pursue the activities for which the nest is prepared, ahem.  

The remaining snow highlights the changing colours.

The Red-osier dogwood's red bark is so bright and cheerful, 

while the youngest branches of the willows glow a soft and warm gold.

The moss seems more verdant as it is still the only thing around that is green. 

Even the sky seems a brighter blue as we welcome back the presence of the sun. Life will go on as before, but it just seems more hopeful and easier to bear when the sun is shining, and when we know that Spring is in the air.