8:00 AM temp: 25
Yesterday: 39/27
Normal: 48/27
There are a couple dozen swans on the lake this morning. I’ve been watching them through the telescope, white bodies floating on the gray water with snow lightly falling. It’s beautiful in a Japanese, wintry sort of way.
Tundra or trumpeter swans? I can’t tell from this distance.
8:00 AM temp: 26
Yesterday: 43/27
Normal: 46/26
Morning sun hits a ribbon of cloud
There was a conclave of goldeneyes on the lake most of the morning, a large number of them rafted together. I also saw a handful of snow geese in flight, and the neighbor pheasants were squawking and walking down the road. Several eagles were gathered on the edge of the ice over by City Beach.
After seeing deer in the yard daily during the summer and fall, they have disappeared for the winter. These days, it’s all about the birds.
8:00 AM temp: 33
Yesterday: 49/28
Normal: 46/25
Sun and clouds
It snowed this morning and clouds obscured the mountains for much of the day. In the afternoon the clouds lifted, the wind picked up and there were pockets of sun.
The afternoon wind sent waves smashing up against the ice, breaking off chunks. I watched a pair of Canada geese standing on a piece of ice about the size of a surfboard, bobbing in the waves, then navigating their way among the ice chunks back to open water.
8:00 AM temp: 32
Yesterday: 55/34
Normal: 44/24
I’m seeing lots of goldeneyes on the lake again. They are hanging out along the edge of the ice, sometimes sitting on the ice and sometimes in the water paddling along and bobbing under.
Yesterday at dusk we saw a large flock of geese on the far side of the lake, lifting off in waves, circling, and landing again. They looked small for Canada geese, making us wonder if they could be migrating snow geese. It was too dark and they were too far away to tell. We’ll keep our eyes open the next few days.
There’s big melting going on with this warm spell. It’s supposed to reach 55 again today. I can see patches of ground in the yard again, reminding me that I need to do something about landscaping – last summer’s repair work on the house left much of the yard torn up. Time to make a plan, a good task for early spring.
Current temp: 32
Last 24: 37/27
Pheasant Tracks
Pheasant tracks in the yard this morning. I love the shape of their footprints, and the way they walk, one foot directly in front of the other.
We often hear them, and we see them walking down the train tracks. It’s easy walking there in the winter, and recently a leaking grain car left a thin ribbon of grain on the tracks.
As the snow starts to melt out in the yard, bird activity is increasing. Several days ago black-capped chickadees and a pair of flickers were in the trees next to the deck. It’s great to hear more bird noises again.
8:00 AM temp: 19
Last 24 min/max: 19/38
Clear and cold this morning. Just the way we like winter.
One of the bald eagles was back this morning. We see them fly around from time to time, but usually they like to perch in some tall larch trees near the outlet to Whitefish River, not in our neighborhood. We did some exploring and found the attractant: the carcass of a young deer down by the railroad tracks.
Current temp: 35
This morning’s viewing was highlighted by two bald eagles
The binoculars are always handy on the window sill. It amazes me how much there is to see out there when I take the time to watch, and how changeable it is. Sometimes in the morning I drag a stool right up in front of the window. Today I was watching the early light interact with a rapidly moving snow squall when a bald eagle swooped
Bald Eagle
into view. As frequently happens, it was closely followed by several squawking crows. I wondered why crows harass eagles, and so I googled it. Apparently crows target a variety of predatory birds. The answer as to why is not simple, but this page gives a good account if you’re curious: Why Don’t Hawks Fight Back?.
The eagle came and went a few times, along with its escort of crows, and eventually a second bald eagle came along and perched in another nearby tree.
Whitefish Lake is still in good shape in terms of water quality, although studies indicate that it has been gradually degrading (a process known as cultural eutrophication) over the past decades. Lake trout, whitefish, pike, a few westslope cutthroat trout, and probably other species of fish are found in the lake…good eating if you’re an eagle.
Backyard Climate Report 