A Dose of Nature in Challenging Times

Happy New Year!

It’s been a minute. I confess that I’m finding it hard to get motivated this winter—the state of the world has got me down, and gray weather hasn’t helped. But I am trying to take a dose of what I always recommend, and get out there. Nature keeps on going, thank goodness.

We are having a winter here! It was -20 Celsius (that’s -4 Fahrenheit) this morning and we have had enough snow to remind me of the winters of my childhood. The snow in the woods is up to my knees, and areas where it drifts are much deeper—the dog actually walks in my snowshoe tracks, because the snow is too deep for him to run ahead!

But I left off in November, so let’s catch up, with a few last images of fall.

An American Goldfinch. Compared to today’s cold white scene, that yellow head feels like a ray of sunshine!

We see deer all the time, but I still get excited to see a big one with large antlers. I crept up, staying low behind the brush, to get a shot of this one.

And then discovered he was with a friend! I stayed low to the ground, wearing a khaki green coat, and kept my camera in front of my face—so they didn’t run off immediately. They’re actually pretty curious, as long as you don’t do anything to spook them.

You knew there would be more birds, right?

This Barred Owl hung out in the woods across the road from us, for a week or two. Although I haven’t seen it recently, it may still be around—their territories aren’t huge.

This is how they hunt: at dusk, perched on a low(ish) branch, intently watching the ground.

I’m sure they always know I’m there. As long as they look toward me only briefly, I stay for a short while. A wide-eyed, direct look often means an owl is concerned, and if I see that I back off immediately. This next photo is literally one second in a series; before and after, it was looking away from me, scanning for prey.

Leaving its perch, the pointy tree stump on the left.

The last day of November, a first for me: a Northern Shrike! These birds eat insects and even frogs and small rodents, and impale their prey on thorns or branches. This one was doing a circuit, going from one treetop perch to another and then back again.

And then the ice came! Snow turned to rain, that turned to ice. It’s beautiful, as long as it doesn’t get thick enough for the weight to break branches or bring down power lines. These American Tree Sparrows—birds that spend summers on the tundra in the far North and come to us for the winter—must have had cold toes!

All the little birds, like this Black-capped Chickadee, puff themselves up, to stay warm.

The ice coated every twig, blade of grass, and dried flower head.

If the ice looks heavy, I avoid the woods, preferring not to have a branch come down on my head. That means walks in the field or on the road, or going for a drive. One outing with the car was a particularly good day to spot eagles!

This snag was a busy place. Pure white head and tail indicate mature (5 years or older) eagles; at this distance it’s a bit hard to see if there are also some brown feathers that would indicate a 3 or 4 year old bird. The mottled brown one is even younger. Eagles have been known to live more than 30 years in the wild!

This one was busy with a furry carcass in a field. I can’t tell what it is—probably coyote, raccoon, or deer.

Late one afternoon in early January, more antlers! The deer often hang out in the corn and soybean fields (like this one), gleaning the leftovers.

Which brings us to today. It’s cold but sunny, which means stripy blue shadows in the woods. I love finding the few leaves still hanging on—beech, I think—bringing some warmth to the scene.

I’ll leave you with one last image for now—this is Storm, our Great Pyrenees, loving the snow. He’s my daily reminder to get outside and look for joy in the little things, every day.