WINTER WONDERLAND

[rgecaprock]

NW


Really, Really, awsome pictures!!!!

 

[swillologist]

The sun came out today. First time in over a week. It put a little shine into everything around here.

Those are gold finch on the feeder. Right now I am filling it about every third day. I put the other feeder out today. Ishould have some pictures of some cardinals in a few days.

 

[Waldo]

Denny said all those pictures of the ice and cold made him want to just snuggle up in the warmth with his buddy

 

[grapeman]

Man Swill you live in the Flatlands. Looks like neighbors are few and far between there. The sun does make it pretty out after an icestorm. Hope it melts for you before the new coming storm.

 

[swillologist]

It is mostly rolling here. That is looking off to the southwest. If I look to the east northeast, there are hills and timber. I'm not talking big hills though. Most of them are farmed.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Hope all that ice has melted for everyone in the central part of the country and that the next storm doesn't ice up like that. We are sending some cold air to you...will maybe give you some snow.


Usually around here we get a layer of ice...then snow on top of it...makes for tough walking....this year we got our snow on top of frozen soil...so when pushing snow Jim isn't digging up wads of lawn.


When our friend got stranded in the NE during that big ice storm he ended up taking on jobs of hauling power poles from Canada to the U.S. with his semi.....Hope everyone has electricity back on now....Starting out to be a tough winter all around...Appleman doesn't seem to be complaining.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Waldo...those cats look like they have enjoyed some Port and then took a nap....looks warm and cozy down your way,

 

[swillologist]

I didn't get the bird feeder filled last night (forgot about it). When I got up this morning someone was waiting on me. I filled the feeder andshe came back.

She brought a friend with her too.

Although he is not that friendly. He runs the females off. He gets his turn though. The blue jays come in and run him off.

Edited by: swillologist

 

[NorthernWinos]

WOW!!! Only once did we have one male Cardinal spend the winter..we had a large corn crop and had a big pile on the ground and he was there with the Blue jays...awesome sight when we usually never see them. Haven't seen our female for awhile now....We have at our feeder Chickadees, Red Polls, Gross Beaks, Sparrows, Blue Jays, many woodpeckers and an Epiliated woodpecker and some other small birds...


It must be difficult walking with all that ice....I bought a few pairs of.... * 'ice creepers' for Christmas stocking stuffers...usually we wear them a lot. I keep a pair on my fishing boots for when we go on the lake....they work really good...you feel invincible, you can walk where others fear to tread.


* Ice creepers...for those who don't know are rubber studded slings you put over your boots....they work like a charm.

 

[rgecaprock]

swill,
That looks like a pretty huge pine tree off in the distance there? And the cardinal are beautiful here too.


And Waldo, I think I need to get a buddy for my new cat. She wants constant attention, tries to lay on the computer keyboard. Sweet Kitties!!!!

 

[swillologist]

One of your sweeties ate a dove right outside of my back door.

It should have a field day now that I have the feeder back up.


There are not many pine trees around here Ramona. Not sure what you are looking at. Most pine trees here are in yards. There are a few cedars scattered around though. I keep most of them cut down close tome here because of the apple rust.

 

[rgecaprock]

swill,


In the picture with the basketball goal, off in the distance next to a building of some sort.


Ramona

 

[swillologist]

I thought you were looking at the picture of the cardinal. Yep sure is. It's in the neighbors yard. A few years back I videoed a bald eagle in the top of that tree. I didn't get a very good picture of it though. To far away.Edited by: swillologist

 

[joeswine]

HAY they are some wonderful pictures makes you wonder why anyone would want to destroy this planet,with so much wonder and beauty to offer,doesn"t make any sence, beautiful pictures but you can keep the ice

jp

 

[grapeman]

Wow, you and NW have hairless birds around. You have Bald Eagles and NW has Epilated Woodpeckers.

Around these parts there are Pileated Woodpeckers- is that close NW? They look like this

Edited by: appleman

 

[grapeman]

I sure am glad that there is Global Warming taking place. I would hate to see this winter if it wasn't. It won't quit snowing here, and the weather keeps getting colder. Going below zero again tonight- high tomorrow 10 degrees with 18-24 inches of snow predicted Sunday through Monday morning with very windy conditions and highs in the low teens- YUCK It wasn't even supposed to snow here today and it has looked like the picture I just took for the last half hour. And yes Ramona, there are a couple Pine trees here-Eastern White Pine to be exact.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Sorry folks...they are Pileated Woodpeckers, and they do look like that....

They really screech and find loud things to peck on to send their messages to others...Like, sometimes in the spring they will even peck on tin things like a tractor or other machinery to make loud sounds. They fly differently than other birds do...kind of undulating...some other woodpeckers fly like that as well.


They can wreck a tree or power poles when they get working one over...One year the power company spent all summer fixing power poles, they would either replace them or fill them with foam and then cover the holes with a wire mesh....We watched the birds...they would go inside a hole they made in the the power pole and come out another hole [this was a large pole on a major supply line that crossed our old farm]...the wood chips were of good size in piles under the poles...


Guess these birds are protected and are somewhat shy, don't often come to the suet feeder.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Appleman....are those carboys still out in your garage?????

Can you see your vineyard from a window in your house??? Looks dark out there....Hope your tractor is running, your going to need it one day to clean snow.

 

[grapeman]

NW have you heard those birds calling to each other in mating season? Sometimes we have 4 or 5 of them in the woods in the spring. When they get to calling it sounds like the sound effects for a jungle scene Odd sounding birds. Plus they are huge for a woodpecker- at least as big as a crow.


No that picture wasn't out a window, it just was snowing so hard and blowing that it looked dark. I took it off the deck on the end of the office. I can see right out thewindows from my office building and look at the vineyard. The conference table allows the clients a view of the vineyard. Makes for a good conversation piece. My house is about 100 feet towards the road from the office building and I have a good view of the vineyard off the back deck. Nice to sit there in the summer, have a cup of coffee in the morning and look at the vineyard with the sun coming up over the pines(the far side of the picture).


Oh yea, the carboys are still in the garage. It's still a bit above 32 out there and the wine shouldn't freeze until about 25, maybe a bit lower-depends on the amount of alcohol.

 

[grapeman]

Unfortunately I believe the weathermen have this snowstorm predicted correctly. The moon is correct for it, the animals are getting uneasy. The storm is originating out of the correct area for a big one and traveling the right path. We have a large high pressure system moving through which will be off to our northeast when the storm arrives- so everything points towards a classic snowstorn here in Northern NY. It will also be cold, so it will be on the fluffy blowing side. Here is what they issued in Burlington this afternoon for our area in this neck of the woods.





...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM SUNDAY TO 7 AM EST MONDAY...


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BURLINGTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM SUNDAY TO 7 AM EST MONDAY...FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK AND VERMONT DUE TO HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AND BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW.


AN INTENSIFYING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TRACKING FROM THE MID ATLANTIC COAST INTO THE GULF OF MAINE ON SUNDAY WILL SPREAD HEAVY SNOW ACROSS THE ENTIRE NORTH COUNTRY. THE SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES ON SUNDAY AND MAY ACTUALLY MIX WITH SOME SLEET OVER SOUTH CENTRAL VERMONT SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE SNOW WILL GRADUALLY TAPER OFF SUNDAY NIGHT WITH TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS BY EARLY MONDAY MORNING RANGING FROM 18 TO 24 INCHES OVER THE NORTHERN ADIRONDACKS OF NEW YORK AND 12 TO 18 INCHES OVER THE SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY OF NEW YORK...THE ENTIRE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY... AND THE REMAINDER OF THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL VERMONT. IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY SNOW...GUSTY NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL BE DEVELOPING LATE SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT...WHICH WILL CAUSE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW.


THIS WILL BE A DANGEROUS STORM FOR THE NORTH COUNTRY! THE COMBINATION OF 1 TO 2 FEET OF SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS CAUSING BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL RESULT IN VERY HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT!


Time will tell how much we get- but I expect 18-20 inches here. That will bring our snow on the ground to 36 inches- so I expect a white Christmas. I will let you know how close I am, if I'm online.