Apparently out of nowhere, we got over a foot of snow today. (I saw a mildly cautionary winter weather advisory last night, but nothing particularly threatening.) And here I thought winter was over!
And this wasn't just any snow.... It was the kind of thick, wet snow that sticks to everything and turns the world entirely white. I loved this mid-storm view from our apartment's windows this morning, power lines and all:
And whenever the wind knocked down clumps of snow, the already thick snowfall would turn into an impressive avalanche:
I don't know if I've ever seen snow quite this clingy before. It stuck to objects, and then the snow stuck to itself, until inches of snow were hanging down off of various structures. The bird feeder in our yard looked like it was being enveloped by an over-large hat (see this feeder looking relatively normal after last month's blizzard for comparison):
Quickly, chickadee, escape before the snow collapses!
I couldn't stop admiring this snow, and in the process, I found several birds to admire as well. An American Crow cut a stark profile in the snowy trees across the street:
And a male Northern Cardinal looked especially red among all that white:
Our local pair of Red-shouldered Hawks is still hanging around (I saw them sitting together on a branch the other day), and one of these extremely awesome birds took up a snowy post near our yard this afternoon:
(I love that we have these gorgeous creatures around, and I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for a nest!)
Finally, a Northern Mockingbird spent a good deal of time eating old Red Cedar cones and Bittersweet berries in the trees outside our windows, and I got to admire this handsome bird up close. This is how I usually think of mockingbirds, all sleek and long:
I absolutely love the subtle range of colors on this bird's face, and those hazel eyes and tiny white "eyelashes" are very pretty indeed:
One more picture:
Later, I saw another mockingbird (I think this is a different individual), and it gave a totally different impression. Rather than sleek and slim, from this angle the bird was positively puffy. I didn't ever think I would want to call a mockingbird "cuddly," but there you are:
A couple of times, this bird shook its head and spit out some berry seeds. I had no idea this was something birds did! Mouth open... get ready...
Ptoo!
Aaaand again! (This last picture has a certain grossness factor, but I think the inside of the mockingbird's mouth looks really cool.)
Wow, the things you learn watching animals up close!
And that pretty much sums up my snowy day. (Pretty snow, pretty birds, and spitting. Yay!) I wouldn't be surprised, though, if this storm was winter's last gasp. The snow turned to rain late this afternoon, and the weather report is calling for 50-degree temperatures over the next few days. In any case, I'm glad I got to enjoy this beautiful, thick snowfall, even if it only lasted a day!
So I was at Hammonasset Beach State Park on Wednesday, and I'd just gotten to hang out with crossbills, which was awesome. But there was still a lot of the park left to explore! I headed off to the southernmost end of the park, Meigs Point, where the shoreline is littered with huge rocks (courtesy of ancient glaciers) and the land juts out into the Long Island Sound.
Several small birds showed up along the path, including this very puffy Northern Mockingbird (with its surprisingly yellow-soled feet):
And about a dozen Horned Larks huddled among the smaller rocks (hello, funny bird faces!):
Waaay out at the end of the point, stretched out on some rocks still mostly covered by the tide, was the second creature I came to Hammonasset hoping to see: Seals!
It really just never occurred to me that there might be seals in Connecticut, but indeed, here they are! This is the same species of seal, even -- Harbor Seals -- that we got to see up close all the way on the other side of the continent, in San Diego, almost a year ago. I love how comfortable these big blubbery creatures look on their rocks. :)
Finally, there were some really weird-looking birds in these waters. Meet the Surf Scoter, a type of sea duck:
OK, what in the world is going on with your bill, Mr. Duck? The female Surf Scoters look downright normal, but wow, the males are just super bizarre! (I love you, weird bird!)
The scoters looked perhaps even weirder when they took flight, with the males showing off their fancy maroon clown feet:
And there was another type of scoter out on the water, too -- a lone male White-winged Scoter -- and this duck was just as strange-looking (and un-duck-like) as the others, but in totally different ways:
Between the seals, alien ducks, and crossbills, Hammonasset certainly was exciting! It's always great to get to explore a new place and see new things. :)
This morning, I paid a visit to the meadows at the Western end of Osbornedale State Park, a lovely place close to home that I really should visit more often. It was a misty, foggy sort of morning, and just beautiful:
I especially loved the way the pond looked decked out in floating mist:
With all that water in the air, the spiders webs became nets of dew droplets:
So basically, everything was gorgeous. Then, after a little while, the sun rose higher and the fog went away -- it became a perfectly clear day, and the meadows came to life with activity!
The Northern Mockingbirds were feasting on berries from this colorful Pokeweed plant:
And later, I came across the mockingbirds again, hopping along the path in front of me and flashing their wing spots:
I don't know if this behavior was directed at me, at other birds, or at whatever prey they were hunting, but it was cool to watch. Flash away, funny bird!
A noisy family of House Wrens was exploring a bird house that's in need of some repair -- perhaps their former nest is inside:
Down in a very shallow pond, four Green Herons were on the hunt (there's just the one in this picture):
And a Red-tailed Hawk watched from high above, on a tree that belonged to a group of Northern Flickers until the hawk arrived:
Dragonflies of many different species zoomed around everywhere. There were Common Whitetails, both male:
And female:
A battle-worn Widow Skimmer posed on a grass stalk for a quick photo:
And I met what might be one of my favorite dragonflies so far -- a huge Common Green Darner:
There were big, impressive creatures in the grass, too. One section of the meadow sported several huge webs belonging to Black and Yellow Agriope spiders (Argiope aurantia), with a zig-zag pattern above:
And a monster below:
I think these spiders are just incredibly beautiful, if a little scary in their size. All the individuals I noticed were females (the males are smaller and skinnier), and I just couldn't stop taking pictures -- these ladies are just too cool:
And seriously, how many other spiders can take on a jumbo-sized grasshopper as their morning meal? (At least, I think that's what this bundle used to be.)
Following the yellow-and-black trend, this Locust Borer beetle (Megacyllene robiniae) looked super fancy on its bed of already-bloomed goldenrod:
Not all of the creatures I met today were pretty, though, and these next two bugs have a distinct grossness factor. (Consider yourself warned.)
Where there's milkweed, there's usually Milkweed Bugs, and their larvae make colorful piles of their weird, pudgy bodies:
And speaking of pudgy, I don't think I've seen anything quite like these False Potato Beetle larvae (Leptinotarsa juncta) -- they're like grubs, but mobile and above ground:
OK, even I'm starting to get a little grossed out now, so I'll finish with another pre-adult insect, but this one distinctly pretty in its gold-embossed finery. It's not every day I get to see a Monarch chrysalis:
Late summer definitely brings some very cool things!
While out getting my car's oil changed this afternoon, I found myself near Osbornedale State Park, and it was such a lovely sunny day, I just had to stop by and take a look around. And I'm glad I did, because there was lots to see! The Red-winged Blackbirds were calling (hello, spring!), a Peregrine Falcon soared overhead, and tons of songbirds foraged next to the paths and in the mowed fields.
I especially enjoyed watching a small flock of Eastern Bluebirds flying through the fields and using bramble canes as convenient perches. The females were pretty, like pale blue/brown flags:
And the males were gorgeous:
I mean really, could that blue be any brighter? It was lots of fun watching these guys zoom around the brown fields:
At the edge of the bluebird field, I got treated to a concert by a Northern Mockingbird -- I knew these birds were vocalizing experts, but I don't think I've ever really stopped to listen to one before. Here's a video I took of a portion of this bird's offering:
Mockingbirds pick up songs from other birds around them (hence "mocking"), and so much of this mockingbird's repertoire sounds familiar to me, but I'm still greatly lacking in my bird-song identification skills. Parts of this video sound chickadee-like to me, other parts Blue Jay-ish, but I'm not certain about any of it. Do you recognize any specific songs in this mockingbird's concert?
I have one last sighting from today's walk, and it's poop:
From what I've read, and with all that hair, I'm almost certain this is Red Fox scat, although I'll be happy if any of my more knowledgeable readers can correct me. I kept finding it all along the paths through the fields where I was walking, which makes me think there might be a very active fox maintaining a territory here. It would've been cool to actually see the creature, but it's also just interesting to think that it walked these paths before me, and left some signs to mark its passing.
We're supposed to get some really warm temperatures in the next couple of days (possibly low 60s on Thursday), so you can bet I'll be out in the woods again soon. I'm just waiting for spring to really get going!
This past Saturday, when it was ridiculously warm (high 50s) and feeling like spring, I decided to go take a walk on the beach. I wasn't the only one to have that idea, though, and Silver Sands State Park was hopping -- I haven't seen this many people here since summer!
It was a quick walk, and I have two brief things to share.
First, this immature Cooper's Hawk, who was perched in the trees right next to the path:
Not shown: the small herd of Pugs waddling by on the path below. The hawk was absolutely watching them with interest -- I don't know if it was seriously considering going for them, but in any case, it flew off when the Pugs' people made some noise.
This Northern Mockingbird on a bare Multiflora Rose is probably the most wintery scene I've encountered so far this year -- strange, considering how little it felt like winter on the day I took the picture:
It's fun to take advantage of the nice weather when it shows up!
