Miniature landscape.
The outside temperature was 13 degrees (F) when first I checked this morning. Hazy sun turning to overcast. Not much wind, at least, which made my long hike with Jack more pleasant. No crazy birds to report, but it was nice to walk all the Beech Hill trails for a change—in fact, it’s the first time I’ve done that since at least the 02 November storm, judging by the fresh deadfall and human prunings down there.
Tiny glacier, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 03 January 2015.
One thing that did make things a little less pleasant was the very hard frozen earth. Every now and then, in fact, I took to bending my knees a little, which makes it easier to use gentler footfalls (and is good for the leg muscles, to boot (to boot, ha)).
Down in the woods all the soaked-in rainwater from our soggy past weeks had frozen up through the topsoil in small protruding columns due to the stack effect or some other laws of physics, leaving great patches of crunchy ice underfoot. It also made for some interesting miniature scenes.
This evening it began to snow. A couple inches out there now. It is winter, after all.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 9:15 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Black-capped Chickadee**
2. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
3. Downy Woodpecker
4. Herring Gull*
5. American Crow*
6. Hairy Woodpecker
7. Northern Flicker
Elsewhere
8. European Starling
9. Rock Pigeon
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, downy woodpecker, European starling, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, northern flicker, rock pigeon, white-breasted nuthatch
