New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff
Mother Nature tucked the Suncook River in for the winter under a white sheet of ice last night.
Friday 12/18/2009
Brrrrrr. How the view from my home office window has changed. Yes when I woke yesterday morning the thermometer by my bed said 5 degrees, but it didn't look that cold outside. But this morning's 9 degrees looks more like yesterday's 5 degrees as the Suncook River is now covered with a white sheet of ice. Mother Nature has suddenly tucked the river in for the winter. Yes, suddenly, for only two weeks ago it was spring-like with temperatures in the mid 60's and not a hint of winter. Remember November temperatures ran 8 degrees above average. Old Man Winter has now exhaled his frosty 10 degrees below average wind from somewhere near Santa's domain. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly things can change around here. Two weeks ago I figured I might have to mow my lawn again. Now my lawn is gone somewhere under an icy crust as I stare out my windows as a frosty cloud coats them with each of my exhalations. Old Man Winter and I have suddenly become one.
Although my bird activity has picked up some with this cover of ice and snow on the landscape there really are not that many or diverse. The juncos, maybe a dozen in numbers, trade between the feeders in the front of my house and those out back. Only a couple of chickadees can be spotted at any given moment. A half dozen blue jays come and go from the feeder out back. And down over the banking the remnant of my deer has three or four crows pulling and pecking first thing in the morning. But that's about it around here. I did watch a small flock of turkeys forage around the back side of the parking lot at my dentist office in Concord the other day. They meandered about the snow covered ground pecking this and that. Leaving me to wonder what they were finding. A great thought to hold in my mind as a cracked filling was drilled out and replaced a few minutes later.
Yes winter has arrived here on the banks of the Suncook River in Epsom. Really almost perfect timing as I glance at my calendar which shows Christmas just a week away. I wish Santa smooth sailing on this frosty air pouring down from the North Pole.
