Snow, calm, low 30s
Winter is here for sure. Nights have consistently been in the
20s and day brings only slightly warmer temperatures. We had our first snow of the winter two days ago, and after
a one day respite, the snow has returned, covering the already white landscape
with a fresh coating. As today’s
storm began, we had just entered the grounds of the Outdoor Discovery Center of
the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum.
This has been one of our favorite and most productive sites throughout
this year, and as our daily blog will end in two days, I wanted to make sure we
got in one final visit in 2012. As
we drove into the preserve this afternoon, we were greeted by a Red-tailed
hawk, probably one of the residents we run into almost every time we
visit. As if on cue, he flew over
to a tall cedar and perched at the very top, the snow just beginning to fall
upon the tree.
As we moved on, the birds of
the winter scene were all about.
Juncos lined the road, escorting us down the trail. A Song sparrow was feeding upon the
seeds of the grasses as we drove slowly by.
Many White-throated sparrows
were feeding likewise on the opposite side of the roadway where it was more
difficult for me to shoot. I
decided to work that side of the road on the way out. As we rounded the turn, a pair of Redtails were perched
side-by-side, as if to keep each other a little warmer in the cold snow.
I turned the car to get a better angle for my photo and one
of the pair had decided that he had had enough. Off he flew while the second hawk was content to remain in
place. I later found the two at a
new location, once again perched shoulder to shoulder.
At the ponds, we found Canada
geese squeezed into the small areas of open water, the major part of the pond
having frozen over in the past couple of nights. The snow was falling more heavily and the roads were
becoming covered, so we decided to make our way back to the main road. As I had promised myself, I crept
slowly along the section of road where I had seen the white-throats with the
camera barrel hanging out the window, collecting a layer of snow. Sure enough, here were the sparrows
right where I had seen them on the way in. I had not realized how many there were until now. At least two dozen were down low to the
ground feeding on the seeds of the grasses.
The sparrows were joined by a
handsome male Northern cardinal, and neither seemed to be bothered by the
presence of the other….. “Let us come together at table” as it were.
Before heading over to our
daughter’s home nearby, we made a quick stop at Ring’s Pond to see if we might
find any new gulls or geese. The
solid surface of the pond seemed to have forced the waterfowl down to the
river, however, and the only birds on the limited open water were
mallards. It was easy to see why
our nice warm parkas are filled with down as the insulating properties of these
feathers was obvious when photographing the snow covered ducks. The warmth generated in the body of
these mallards was surely not escaping to melt the cover of the white stuff
which had accumulated on the backs of the fowl. Mother Nature knows how to care for her own!
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