Icy

We had one of those lovely "wintry mix" storms Saturday - started off as snow and changed to sleet and then freezing rain later. It left an icy glaze on everything that's still here on Monday. Here are some icy scenes from my weekly walk in the nature park this morning.

The "back door" entrance to the park on the Dykeman Walking Trail

Ice and shadows on the old railroad trestle make for an interesting abstract shot

An icy woodland scene in the park

Part of a large flock of Canada Geese by the south duck pond

© 2020 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

A Port in the Storm

We got some more snow this morning before it changed to sleet and freezing rain this afternoon and evening. At the height of the snow my feeder station got very busy. I guess this was the bird version of buying the stores out of bread and milk at the first sign of snow.

Mama Red visits the feeder for a quick nosh before flying off into the snow

A House Finch, a House Sparrow, and a Junco grabbing a bite

© 2020 by A.Roy Hilbinger

A Little More Snow

We got a little more snow overnight and into this morning. Just two or three inches, but enough to at least be scenic. On my way to the grocery store this morning I cut through the nature park and took a few photos.

Entering the park on the Dykeman Walking Trail

Snow-capped Viburnum berries along the trail

Along the trail in the wetland

Barberries in the snow in the wetland

Wind-sculpted snow up on the meadow

The view to the north from the top of the meadow

© 2020 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Finally! The First Snow ofthe Season

Our first snow of the season finally came early this morning. It's not much, just a couple of inches, and given the rain in the forecast it won't be around long. But I made sure I got there with the camera to capture what there was before it melted. Come look!

Snowy woods along the Dykeman Walking Trail

The "back entrance" to the Dykeman Spring Nature Park

The old railroad trestle on the walking trail

Snow in the wetland

The red bridge in snow once again!

Muskrat tracks in the snow on the new bridge by the north duck pond

Winterberries in the snow by the north duck pond

Snow on the Eastern Redcedars up by the meadow

© 2019 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Hmmmmm... I May Have Spoken Too Soon!

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, 'Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.'”
― Lewis Carroll

Yes, we're into March and it's still snowing. Thursday night and Friday night we got a gentle 3 inches each time, and then last night we got another 6 inches, snowing a little harder this time. It's quite beautiful today, colder with a bright blue sky. Today and tomorrow are my "weekend", so I was lucky enough to be able to get out and enjoy it this morning, going for a walk in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park, and I brought you back some of that beauty.

Branch Creek at McLean House

Feral cat tracks on the Dykeman Walking Trail

Walking along the Dykeman Walking Trail

A snowy Dykeman wetland

The north duck pond

A copse and its shadow on the snow up on the meadow

The mountains to the north from the meadow

© 2019 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Last Snow of the Season?

Another storm came through here today, giving us around 7 inches of snow this morning. Unfortunately it turned to sleet in the afternoon and freezing rain in the evening. My boss texted me around 10 am and said the store would be closing early and I should stay home, so of course I headed for Dykeman Park so I could walk in the snow before it turned to sleet. Heh, heh! I was the first one in, and I walked the trails in virgin snow. The snow was coming down hard but with no wind, so it came straight down silently, and I walked the trails in that silence that only comes within the depths of the woods in the falling snow. Nirvana!

By the time I reached the north duck pond the snow had backed off, and by the time I headed back home it had turned to sleet. But before it did I got these pictures of Nature in the snow. Enjoy!

© 2019 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Surprise Snow!

We got a little snow yesterday, maybe 2 or 3 inches. But for such a little bit of snow it turned out to be surprisingly scenic. It's also very crystalline; it was in the upper teens to low twenties when it fell, so it's very light and fluffy, but it's also very tenaciously clingy. All in all, it's very scenic. I went walking in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park this morning (while the temperature was still very cold) and got some nice shots of this thoroughly enjoyable snow. It was especially enjoyable because apparently I beat everybody else; the only tracks in the snow were my own and the resident wildlife - I saw rabbit and squirrel tracks as well as the track of at least one of the resident feral cats. I love it when I'm the first to disturb the snow! But enjoy it now, because we're supposed to get into the 40s and 50s in the next few days, and all that pretty snow will be gone.

Along the Dykeman Walking Trail

Along the trail in the wetland, following the track of a feral cat

A  view of the creek from the red bridge

A close-up of this sharply crystalline snow

© 2019 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Another Storm

We had another Winter storm move through last night and this morning. It was a bit more intense than the last two. We got probably four or so inches before it turned to rain, and we woke up this morning to two or three inches of very soggy snow. While I was out walking in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park later in the morning the following cold front started moving through; the wind picked up and the temperature started to plummet, and all that soggy snow started to harden. This is going to be a royal pain until it gets warm enough to melt again. Meanwhile, it's very scenic, as you can see from the following photos.

The storm moving off

A streamlet in the wetland in the snow

The wetland in the snow

The cold front moving in over the mountains

© 2019 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Snowy Woods

[Note: This post was inspired by my walk in the woods in the snow last week.]

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep. 

– Robert Frost

Photo © 2018 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Mixed Messages

We were hit by our first storm of the season, with lots of snow and cold temperatures. Yet it doesn't exactly look like Winter. Sure, there are bare trees, but there are also trees with the characteristic Fall foliage colors, as well as trees with green foliage. All with snow on the ground. I'm so confused! Here's what today's weekly Sunday walk in the Dykeman Spring Nature park looked like.

Along the Dykeman Walking Trail

In the Dykeman Spring wetland

Where the Dykeman Spring creek passes under the railroad tracks

The creek at the red bridge

The north duck pond

Leaving the park at the east end of the meadow

© 2018 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

First Snow!

WHEEEEEE! We got our first snow of the season today! It's a tad early, but I'm not complaining. It's also more than we expected; it seems that a wedge of cold air stalled over us as the precipitation moved in and stubbornly stayed put. It's transitioned to sleet and freezing rain now, but it happened later than first expected. And despite the current sleet and rain, after midnight it'll return to snow and give us another couple of inches.

Of course, this had an impact on work for me. I was supposed to work this evening, but my boss texted about 1:30 and announced she was closing the store early and the two of us on the closing shift didn't have to come in. Heh, heh! Anybody who knows me knows that I immediately made plans to head out into the storm, camera in hand. Nothing, absolutely nothing, makes me happier than walking in the woods in snow, especially if the snow is still falling. So I headed out for Dykeman Park around 2:30 to wrap myself in Mama Gaia's white Winter cloak.

The gazebo across the street from me

Branch Creek at King St.

Entering the park on the Dykeman Walking Trail

Snow on the trail

A scene in another part of the park

The creek looking south on the red bridge

The creek looking north on the new bridge

Waiting for Spring

© 2018 by A. Roy Hilbinger