Barbwire is thorny enough, especially when working with it, but with the frost it seems extra spiky.
Bristly Barbwire
Picture of the Day for January 12, 2014
Due to the vibrant colors, which most male birds have compared to the females, the female often doesn’t get displayed in pictures even though she often does the majority of the work. In the case of the cardinal, the female does the nest building although the male sometimes brings nest material to the female.
The female cardinal has a rare trait of singing as few North American songbirds females do. Her song often a longer and more complex than the male and join their mates in a practice known as antiphonal singing.
Female Cardinal
Picture of the Day for January 11, 2014
The landscape was still covered with heavy frost today leaving very little color besides white and at times when the wind blew stronger, it looked like it was snowing.
Frost Covered Landscape
Picture of the Day for January 10, 2014
The slightly warmer day (still below freezing) but above zero, was very foggy and with mist in the air, the trees and many objects were coated in frost. It always amazes me how the frost can build ten times or more in thickness than the object or limb it is forming on. It looks like rigid ice but if you bump the branch, the frost quickly falls off and the photo opportunity disappears until the next frosty winter day.
Frosted Branch
Picture of the Day for January 9, 2014
Although I had filled the bird feeders frequently during the arctic blast, I saw little bird activity during the below zero days. Today, with the temperature finally above zero, even though below freezing yet, the bids were more active and coming to the feeders and some birds add some nice color contrast to the winter landscape like the cardinal.
Male Cardinal
Picture of the Day for January 8, 2014
The predawn landscape may be very muted in color, but the pink glow of a foggy morning seems more colorful than a chilly winter day, or at least seems warmer!
Morning Fog Rising Off Lake
Picture of the Day for January 7, 2014
The deer left tracks all over my driveway so I’m not sure if they wanted in the garage to stay warm over night or they wanted a handout but they would have had better luck getting something to eat from the corn shocks in the field.
Snow Covered Corn Shocks
Picture of the Day for January 6, 2014
With wind chills near -60ºF this morning and near -50ºF tonight, these horses might want to hide in the barn because I am definitely hiding indoors as much as I can today.
Out in the Frigid Winter
Picture of the Day for January 5, 2014
Winter activities like cross country skiing, snowshoeing or just walking in the snow is enjoyed by some and one can hear the birds singing in the winter sunshine except when I was outside this afternoon, the squeaky snow was scaring any birds away. You know it is cold when the snow squeaks when you step on it.
There are three physical factors which lead to one mechanism cause snow to “squeak” when it reaches a certain cold temperature; lubrication of snow. No lubrication, then squeaky snow and with lubrication, quiet snow. Temperature, pressure of stepping on the snow and the shape of the snow crystals play into whether the snow has lubrication.
If the snow was squeaking today, I wonder what it will do tomorrow when it is really, really cold. It probably will be screaming instead of squeaking; screaming it is too cold!
Squeaky Snow
Picture of the Day for January 4, 2014
Falling water, a babbling brook, and the gentle breeze on a warm summer day is more appealing than falling temperatures, frigid wind chills and blowing snow this winter day. Nature sounds of the glen erases all the modern world sounds and remote waterfall is a nice place to spend the afternoon.
Glorious Glen
