Monday, December 16
My, my, it’s winter! The temperature dropped to 16 degrees each of the last two nights; by far the coldest nightly lows of the winter. As I walked out to the road to get the paper this morning at 6:45 I could feel the cold on my cheeks for the first time this winter. Now this was not the “real” cold. “Real” cold is the kind of cold that freezes your nose hairs. That seems to occur at about zero. I’m ok without that kind of cold.
The winter has been very mild. In fact the local paper noted that at this point we are on schedule to record the second warmest winter and the second least snowfall on record! We did have a very unusual heavy snowfall on October 30. I measured six inches here at the house. Fortunately, my fears of heavy damage to the trees due to the substantial foliage still present were not realized. The combination of dropping temperatures and persistent wind during the snowfall kept the trees nearly free of snow. Many areas in the mid-state were not so lucky. Our oldest son’s property just south of York suffered heavy tree damage. When I was helping him to clean up, a full week after the event, chain saws could still be heard throughout the area cutting up downed trees. The differences in storm damage got me curious about relative temperature differences throughout the state.
I always presumed that the Philadelphia area was the warmest in the state and the northern tier the coldest, but I had not verified this. The daily high/low temperature in mid-January in Philadelphia is 39/24. In Harrisburg it is only one degree les. In Pittsburgh it drops to 34/20, getting colder. Now for real winter, you have to go to Bradford, PA where the daily high is 30 and the low is 12. Must be some tough people!
The bird feeders in the front and back yards have been lightly attended all winter. I asked my marketing manager where the birds are. He attributed this to the warm temperatures and to the complete lack of snow cover. Of course he is right. Feed sources are readily available in the fields and woods so far this winter. Even the pesky squirrels have been mostly absent. I did have the pleasure of watching six blue jays feeding simultaneously last week. They were spectacular! They were also typically testy with each other. There is a lot of “John Wayne” in blue jays! Come on, you know, “this town ain’t big enough for both of us…”
The bluebirds that nested in my clothesline birdhouse last summer startled me in early November. There they were perched on the clothesline intently inspecting the birdhouse. It’s been a mild winter, but it’s not that warm! Perhaps they were just considering their plans for this spring?
I got another surprise when I removed the top of the small birdhouse near our grapevine to clean it. Assuming it had not been occupied at the end of the summer I lifted the lid and found that the wrens had filled it with twigs nearly to the top! The twig bed was five inched deep. This is either their habit or they did not like the depth of the birdhouse. I am hesitant to change the structure for fear of discouraging their return next summer. It sure seems like a lot of work!
Wren's Nest
And in a final bit of bird news, while walking recently I came upon an impressive tree evacuation done by a Pileated Woodpecker. The bird was, of course, not interested in the design, but the insects that were recovered. I include pictures of the big bird’s work for your admiration:
Pileated Woodpecker Art
Pileated Woodpecker Art
Christmas came and went so quickly, as always. Most of our family journeyed to Philadelphia to join in greenlimbs’ second annual Christmas tree recycling event. It was held on January 7th on the ten hundred block of South Street and supported by the local merchants in cooperation with the city of Philadelphia. It was a huge success—338 trees were collected—and a lot of fun. The beautiful weather—we were near 60 degrees all day—certainly helped. Other organization held similar events in other areas of the city to save some 2,000 plus trees from the landfill. Next year consider joining in one of the events or organizing your own. Out here in the country it is a little simpler: just take your tree to a nearby woodlot or fencerow. There it serves as cover for the various animals and over time nature recycles it.
It is time for winter tree pruning if you have it to do, also for some types of shrubs. Be careful of pruning your flowering shrubs lest you trim off the blooms. (I suggest that you consult a book or internet source for advice relative to your specific plants.) If you raise your own garden plants from seed the planting time is near. I’m getting a head start this year, as you may recall, I didn’t start early enough last year.
That about does it for now. Enjoy the season.
Get outdoors,
Pa Perry
