Winter, and our discontent...

"When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn't imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter." ~ Phil Connors, "Groundhog Day"

I'm starting to lean towards the Chekhovian view. The 12-18 inches of snow on Feb. 13th-14th, and subsequent below normal temperatures, have left us with a thick blanket of snow that refuses to yield to the warmer sun of March. It will take quite a while to get short-distance migrants moving north from their wintering grounds just to our south. A few reports of Turkey Vulture, Common Grackle, and Red-winged Blackbirds (I saw a group of sixteen in Niskayuna along the Mohawk) have been noted over the last ten days, but the pipeline is not full of birds yet by any means. The Hudson River is frozen solid as far south as Catskill. The Great Lakes are approaching 90% ice coverage. Medium-range weather forecasts offer a brief return to near normal temperatures this coming weekend, but no hint of a real thaw.

 female Red-breasted Merganser, Crescent Power Plant, Cohoes

 Cedar Waxwings, Five Rivers, Delmar

female Purple Finch, Five Rivers orchard, Delmar

What's Next:

MARCH 1-7: Mute Swan, and Killdeer. Neither species will find tolerable conditions this week, although a few ambitious Killdeer will probably show up in favored locations. Hope they have a round-trip ticket.  

Next Week: Ducks (?) and more

Capital Region Bird-finding Calendar is here


TW