Maine Owl

Northern Cardinal


Browsing through the scatter below the feeder

I've been trying to get a good songbird photo since Friday. Finally caught Mr. Cardinal. Where's the missus? They were both around a couple days ago, but they tend not to sit still for pictures.

West wind


Weather vane on roof of Salmon Club lodge (Maine Owl photo)

Sunny, dry, cold, and quiet today. The wind actually was very light, so the walk down to the Salmon Club was not too bad, even though the temp. was a nippy -10C. There is talk of another false spring by the middle of next week.

Beautiful afternoon w/January thaw


Puddles from rainstorm at Salmon Club


Where's chickadee?

We had a foot of snow on Monday, ending the week-long false spring. Today we had a fast-moving storm that turned out to be mostly rain. It left an absolutely gorgeous afternoon in its wake. I hear arctic cold is not far behind, however.

Can you find four chickadees in the photo?

Dead of winter?


January thaw evident

Okay, I didn't clean it up very well last fall. That broccoli never did produce. But the fence brings back great memories of snap peas. Today is just about as far away in time from snap peas as we get during the year.

There was a big thaw this week with two straight days up over 10C. The thaw is supposed to continue into Sunday, with winter back Monday. Will we have a series of false springs, like we did in 2006?

Aftermath


Five years later, trees still grotesquely twisted

The Bangor Daily News ran a pretty good retrospective over the weekend:

Tales of how emergency management personnel, utility company workers, radio announcers and ordinary neighbors responded after three days of freezing precipitation sent trees, power lines and poles crashing to the ground in glassy explosions are now the stuff of legend. More than 300,000 households, about half the state’s population, were left in the dark and cold, many for days on end. Six deaths were attributed to the storm, according to state figures.

Ten years later, those experiences have been seared into the state’s collective memory, and many lessons have been learned if there is ever a similar weather event, say officials.

Evidence of damage to trees ten years later still easily is found around the state. The photo was taken in 2003, more than five years after the storm, at the base of Bald Pate near Sebago Lake in western Maine.

January thaw? Not yet...


Penobscot River in fading light

The very cold days we've had since the two New Year's snow storms (50 cm total) have not let up yet. But a thaw is on the horizon. One thing that is just noticeable, though, is the daylight is staying a wee bit later.

Spot the mailbox

My back seriously would be at risk this winter if we did not have this petrol-powered machine.