New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff

Well the last several days and on into next week looks like we will be locking into winter. A record warm September, October and November had us all wondering about the upcoming winter. In fact we kind of bounced around the edges of winter a few times. This was shown by the local farm ponds skimming over with ice in early October. Then thawing open again a few days later. In fact by my count this cycle of freezing then thawing actually happen five times this fall. But now the sixth freeze looks like we are definitely into the freezer once again.

And it seems like no sooner than December arrived then it started snowing. Oh it was three inches one day. Then four or five inches a few days later or even a couple days later a little more. So while the ground here in Epsom is all white there really isn't that much snow on the ground. I'd say only six or seven inches that has stayed. So no big snow banks. And really walking in the snow is not too bad yet. I don't think it is hampering the wildlife all that much. We had a pretty good acorn crop this year so I bet some of the wildlife is pushing through the snow to stay fed.

The flock of turkeys I had around the house did disappear when the snow came and stayed. My neighbor who fed them religiously for years and kept them around all winter died this year. I guess that's why I'm not seeing them this winter. Although a couple nights ago, just before dark, a lone turkey flew over my house to roost in the tall pines down back. It landed near the very top of the tree well over a hundred feet up. It got me to thinking how despite the cold and winds at that height it likely was well above the place where a bobcat or fisher might catch a whiff of it and slay it overnight. So survival of the fittest in this case may be the turkeys that have learned to roost highest.

I did see a number of deer around before the snow but none since. But since the snow my bird feeder has finally brought in the birds. Funny all fall my bird feeder just didn't attract hardly any birds. My 94 year old mother a mile down the road was lamenting the lack of birds all fall as well. But now I have more than a dozen blue jays, twenty plus juncos and a flock of about fifteen cowbirds. I never had wintering cowbirds before. And a few other birds like cardinals, chickadees and such.

Looks like we'll have plenty of ice for ice fishing this winter. A noticeable change from the majority of winters the last several years. And although the snow is not that deep yet, just this week the snowmobiles started using the trail that passes by the front of my house at the road's edge. Yup we are locked into winter. Today's high here at the house was only seven degrees.

Brrrrrrrrrr.