Return of Heavy Snow

The latest winter storm began dropping snow on Blue Jay Barrens early Wednesday evening.  Snow fell steadily through the night and continued until late Thursday morning.  The total snowfall was eight inches. That wasn’t close to being a record, but an eight inch snow is considered to be a major event in this area.  Temperatures are predicted to warm rapidly over the next week which should melt this snow fairly soon.  Of course, thick snow cover has a way of keeping temperatures colder than predicted, so I expect to be seeing this snow for a while.

Unlike our last snow event, this snow began with a couple inches of large wet flakes that stuck to whatever they touched.  This formed a base of snow on tree branches that caught much of the dry snow that followed.  Cedar branches developed a noticeable droop.  Some cedars lost their cone shape altogether and took on the appearance of sprawling shrubs.  Most will recover their shapes once the snow melts, but there are always a few left with a permanent disfigurement.

The Indian Grass managed to remain upright through this snow.  A few stalks developed a strong lean, primarily due to becoming saturated with water during a heavy rain event preceding the snow.

This winter storm officially began as rain on Tuesday afternoon.  Temperatures reached 50^oF and almost two inches of rain fell during the next 24 hours.  By the time the rain changed over to snow, most of the snow from the prior storm had melted.

The rain was more than enough to fill the pond.  Cloudy water made it impossible to make a visual check for any new salamander activity.  Frozen slush now covers the pond’s surface, so I’ll have to wait for the melt to see what may be occurring in the water.  A few Spring Peepers began calling late Wednesday afternoon, but they grew silent when the temperature and the heavy snow began to fall.

During that brief period between one snow cover and the next, I noticed that voles had left the tall grass fields and extended their foraging tunnels into the lawn.  Voles forage in areas that provide a thick grass canopy capable of shielding their activities from predators.  Deep snow offers a temporary canopy cover that allows foraging in normally inaccessible areas.

Voles are plant eaters that feed on a variety of leaves, stems, bulbs and roots.  As they progress through an area, eating whatever they find suitable, they develop runways that are then used as travel lanes to quickly escape predators, move to and from temporary nests, or to access new foraging areas.  The floor of the runway is generally bare ground and the sides are lined with plant material unsuited to consumption.  Extensive systems are often developed.

I’m impressed by the amount of work the voles were able to accomplish in the short time the yard was covered by snow.  It’s a more impressive accomplishment when you consider that the vole was eating its way along.  Fortunately, I have no desire to make the lawn a manicured landscape of introduced grasses, so am not disturbed by the activities of a few hungry voles.

Heavy Snow - Round One

The first half of winter 2015 was rather unremarkable at Blue Jay Barrens.  We had some cold weather and a few light snowfalls, but overall it seemed that we were headed for a nice winter.  That seemed only fair since I didn’t feel fully recovered from the trials of the previous winter’s persistent cold and snow.  Then really cold weather arrived and I began to wonder what that would do to exposed plants.  When a light snow was forecast for Presidents Day, I felt that a couple of inches of snow cover over the plants would be a good thing.  I hadn’t counted on three storms in a row leaving us with over a foot of snow.  I guess that snow was valuable as an insulating blanket against the several mornings of below zero temperatures that followed.  Three mornings were in the minus teens and the coldest morning temperature bottomed out at -23^oF.

A bit of freezing rain managed to put a nice crust atop the snow layer.  Sunny days caused a bit of snow melt, but the wet surface froze even more solid each night.  The resulting crust was strong enough to allow medium sized mammals to walk across the snow without breaking through.  These conditions make it tough for most birds to forage for seed on the ground.

Fortunately, most of the snow fell as dry powder and did not stick to plant stalks.  Seed heads remained well above the snow line.  Stout stalks like those of the Orange Coneflower were common across the prairies, but I wondered if they still contained any seed.

I checked a few seed heads and found some seed in each one.  I also found seed on stalks of Monarda, Goldenrod and various grasses.  The curious thing was the absence of any evidence that the birds were utilizing this food source.  If birds had been feeding on these seed heads, debris from the disturbed head would litter the snow. 

Dried Sumac fruit hung in full clusters, untouched by any feathered foragers.

Snow beneath the Sumacs didn’t show any signs of debris falling from above.

The Sumac fruit itself looked just as did three months ago.  I guess the birds weren’t being as stressed by the weather as I had imagined.

Some birds are not stopped by a little bit of crusted snow.  Wild Turkeys can claw through the snow and forage in the leaf litter below. 

Exposed areas like this also provide feeding opportunities for small bird and mammal species.

Cedar branches managed to catch and hold a significant amount of the snowfall.  The dark cedar needles allowed sunlight to warm the branches and melt the snow.  Sunlight angling in from the south was then able to melt the shallow layer of snow beneath the tree.  These grass islands beneath the cedars provide additional snowfree areas in which the birds can forage.

This is where the snow halted my cedar maintenance activities a couple of weeks ago.  I’m hoping the snow disappears within the next couple weeks so I can get in here and complete work in this field.  I hate to leave things half done.

The foot bridge is looking like railroad tracks.  The bridge supports held the cold and slowed snow melt on the deck above.  The center of the bridge was exposed to air from beneath and experienced accelerated melting as a result of circulation of sun warmed air along with heat rising from the creek water.

Deer took advantage of every patch of open creek water.  Deer consistently broke through the snow crust and provided about the only tracks to be found in the woods.

Several inches of snow still cover the barrens.  I keep wondering how the Leavenworthias and Drabas are doing beneath this winter cover.

The Indian Grass has managed to stay upright through every storm.  This is the grass species that is most likely to hold up under adverse weather conditions.  Many bird species spend the cold nights tucked down into the tall grass.

The golden colored grass absorbs heat from the sun and melts the snow around its base.  The tall grass patches are the first to become snow free.

Most of the snow has disappeared from the standing Indian Grass on the left side of the trail.  To the right, in the mowed field, six inches of snow still covers the ground.

A warm rain brings up clouds of water vapor from the remaining snow.  March 3 saw 50^oF temperatures and heavy rain moving through in advance of a major winter storm due in tomorrow night.  Snow totals tomorrow are predicted to reach 10+ inches followed by another dip into the subzero temperatures before conditions become more seasonal next week.  Winter weather often has a significant impact on plant growth the following summer, so I keep records of winter conditions just in case I’m looking for an explanation of strange plant behavior later on.

Final Last Snow of the Season

I am reporting my snowfall totals for this winter because I have promised my daughter that we have seen the last of the snows.  Actually, the snow we had last Wednesday was the one I promised her to be the last.  Yesterday’s storm gave us another inch of snow, but it was only a rain event at her school about one hundred miles south of here, so I’m arguing that my promise has not been broken.  At Blue Jay Barrens we have had 22 snow storms this season and a total of 44 inches of snowfall.  In addition we have had three more storms that brought a total of 0.8 inches of ice.

This most recent storm began as rain and ended as heavy, wet snow driven by a powerful wind out of the north-west.  The snow was melting rather quickly, but the temperature suddenly dropped and the wet snow froze into a hard crust. 

The north side of the ant hills developed a nice cap of snow.  The south side was sheltered from the cold wind and retained much of its heat.  The snow never got a foothold there.  By mid afternoon the temperature was in the fifties, the snow was gone and the ants were out working on their mounds.

The Indian Grass has taken a lot abuse this winter, but it has managed to remain upright.  Dozens of sparrows have spent the past few months roosting and foraging in the tall grass stalks. 
 

Some patches of grass were pushed almost to the horizontal.  By the end of the day they had rebounded considerably.  I’ve noticed that wet stalks have the ability to bend without breaking and tend to regain their shape as they dry.

The top of the hill is always a pretty sight when covered with snow.  Many of the late spring blooming prairie plants are already beginning their growth and they won’t be put off by a little late winter snow.

Snow cover makes it easier to see the open fields on a distant hilltop.  Those fields are used for hay production and are already showing a lot of green.  Once the trees put on their leaves, the distant view will be lost.

This former site of a Multiflora Rose infestation is looking clear and free of roses.  I’m thinking about removing a couple of these trees to allow a little more sunlight into the field.

It’s easy to tell the direction from which the storm winds were blowing.  The snow was half an inch thick on the north-west side of the utility pole.

I love taking photos from this position because everything in the picture is a part of Blue Jay Barrens.  No matter how much things change on neighboring properties, this view should remain relatively constant.

Winter Feeder Birds

Activity at the bird feeder typically increases after a snow and this year has been no exception.  Over three feet of snow has fallen at Blue Jay Barrens this season, making it difficult for birds to forage in their usual areas.  Each new snow seems to push a few more birds to the feeder.

The bird feeding area is located just west of the house.  I spread cracked corn on the ground beneath the overgrown apple tree to the right and feed sunflower seed from a pole mounted feeder.  This area is left unmowed and generally develops a thick cover before frost kills off the top growth.  By this time of year, feeder visitors have knocked down all but the stoutest of vegetation.

Cover produced by a half dead apple tree is enhanced by the addition of the annual Christmas tree.  This year’s addition has been heavily used as a roost area by various sparrow species.  Branches of the apple tree are a primary destination of birds flushed from their feeding area.

Despite below zero temperatures, open water is maintained by a seasonal spring feeding the pond in front of the house.  This is often the only open water within a quarter mile.

Bird activity at the feeder often reminds me of a crowd at a street fair.  The birds are in constant motion.  Some species seem to have preferred feeding times.  Mourning Doves are generally most abundant early in the day.

Cardinals are usually the last birds to retire from the feeder in the evening.  This habit of late feeding makes them targets of Screech Owls.  I have found several collections of owl pellets containing Cardinal bills, but I’ve never noticed any decline in the number of Cardinals.

A crowd forms awaiting sunflower seeds that are knocked from the feeder.

Feeder visitors are a mix of migrant and resident birds.  The Blue Jay and Cardinal will nest nearby and bring their fledglings to the feeder this summer.  Juncos, Tree Sparrows and Fox Sparrows will disappear in the spring.

The local Wild Turkey population has been represented by a lone pair of Toms.  These large birds are able to break through the crusted snow and access what’s left of a bumper crop of fruits and nuts.  The large turkey flocks tend to visit the feeder only when the natural food supply is lacking.

Maybe these two are the lazy members of the flock.  They prefer foraging in the lawn exposed where snow is melted by heat radiating from sun warmed house bricks.

The only thing that moves birds to the feeder faster than heavy snow is an ice storm.  A February 5 ice storm coated trees and sealed the snow cover with a frozen barrier impenetrable to most birds.  Most of the tree ice has since melted, but the iced snow pack still persists beneath six inches of more recent snow.

The ice also sealed away Indian Grass seeds, a source of food for flocks of wintering sparrows.

Many of these sparrows are now supplementing their diets with cracked corn.

Feeding these birds is like scattering scratch for the chickens.  They take to the trees when I come out, but drop down quickly when I begin to scatter the seed.

Dozens of Cardinals showed up at the feeder soon after the ice appeared.  Their bright colors in the sparkling trees would have been a cheery sight if I hadn’t known what a disaster that ice foretold for so many wild animals.

As bird numbers increased, the feeding activity took on a more frantic pace.

Foraging birds ranged far from the feeding locations.  These tracks, all made within 24 hours of the last snowfall, show that the birds have searched every square inch of the snow covered lawn.

Activity at the feeder is not limited to seed eaters.  Several hawk species use the feeder area as a hunting ground.  This Red-tailed Hawk is carrying off a squirrel that had been stuffing itself with sunflower seeds.  Warm temperatures forecast for next week promise to melt off the snow and ice, so this temporarily concentrated activity should spread back out over a more natural area.