Wicked Wind

My last post of the year includes the peaceful scene of a small bird walking on the snow by the large pond. The second picture is just two minutes later with a wicked wind blowing the snow sideways. The weather prediction for today is 50 degrees, if that happens it will be only the third day this month when we hit 50 degrees. The report is this has been the sixth coldest December since records have been kept. It would be nice if January is much warmer than normal but I won't be holding my breath.

Snow Doves

With the temperature so cold, there is little water around for the birds. One of our local neighborhood doves took advantage of the pond to satisfy his thirst and maybe take a bath. See in the first picture, he is spreading his wing - maybe to wash under his arm. In the second picture the Dove is taking off right in front of the water pouring out of the snow covered filter. If he gets too close, he'll get a shower with 45 degree water.

Snow Storm Aftermath

The storm is over and all that is left is a bunch of snow. We ended up with 12 inches. The pondscape is a winter wonderland. Today the temperature should get into the mid thirties and warmer later in the week. The piles of snow around the greenhouse are from cleaning off the solar panels twice yesterday and once this morning. The sun did come out today and melted the little bit of snow left on the panels so they could produce a little bit of electricity.

Major December Snow Storm

It started snowing last night and we already have 8 inches on the ground. The prediction is the snow will continue for at least 8 more hours. I really hope it slows down because this is becoming absurd. I have already cleared the driveway twice and the solar panels once. At the rate it is snowing, I feel like I am fighting a losing battle. The bird feeders are very popular with the birds but the squirrels are staying in their nest.

Snow Fog

As long as the pumps keep moving water, the waterfall doesn't freeze. The snow covering everything except the river makes a nice looking winter scene. An interesting bit of fog formed over the pondscape. It must have been caused by different temperatures of air, patio stones and water. The light fog added the sense of being in a cloud.

Sticky Snow Curve

An interesting snow structure was created as the snow slowly slid off the greenhouse roof. The snow held together so well that the curve extended more than a foot in thin air. The form hung around until the outside temperature rose above freezing and then it fell to the ground.

December Snow Storm Covers Ponds

While it was only about two inches, the snow stuck immediately and quickly covered everything. The small pond almost disappeared under the snow. The pumps kept air holes open so the ponds didn't freeze solid keeping the fish alive. Now the weather predicts the possibility of more snow tonight though they say the worst of the storm should miss us.

December Snow Storm

After the latest cold snap, we actually had a brief snow storm. These pictures capture the flakes as they fall. It is interesting the difference between the appearance of the snow in these pictures and the rain in the pictures a week ago. I guess the rain drops are moving faster so they appear to streak while the snow is falling slower so appears as round spots. We were lucky that the snow didn't stick but the outside temperature remains colder than normal.

Ice in December

Winter may have been slow coming but it hit with a vengeance last week. The lows at night are near 20 and the highs 36 degrees. The normal highs are in the 50's. Here the large pond is displaying an elaborate ice sculpture at the bottom of the filter. The second picture is the sad looking small pond which is almost completely covered with ice. It is hard see because of the overwhelming leaf coverage. I didn't get a chance to clean the leaves before the pond started to freeze. It may get into the 50's this weekend so maybe I can get the leaves out.

Meteor Shower at the Pond

The spectacular light show continued into the night. We had a bright shooting star and then a meteor shower. The odd thing was the meteor shower wasn't falling to the ground. It appears to be moving sideways or even from ground to sky. Maybe the wind was blowing the rain causing it to move reflecting the light in unexpected ways. At any rate, it produced some pretty neat pictures.

Extraterrestrial Visit

The camera captured an interesting light show a couple of nights ago. The first reminds me of the transporter used in Star Trek. This column of light must have been cause by the camera flash because there was no moon that night unless the extraterrestrials are now visiting the pond. The second picture may be one of those extraterrestrials climbing out of the pond after beaming down. When I first saw the picture, it reminded me of "liquid light" because of the shape. It really looks like a creature and I can't figure out what might have caused the light from the flash to form this shape. Maybe ET is alive and well living in our pond.

Squirrels and Doves

The pond always attracts the local yard residents. We have had a bunch of visits from the squirrels who chomp down on the plants all year long. This guy took the time to pose nicely for the camera. In addition to the squirrels, we had a flock of doves visit one day and these two walked in front of the camera as if in formation. Two great looking specimen from the dove family. One interesting thing is I haven't had a picture of a predator since the pond cleaning (if my memory is working right).