In the Bleak Mid-Winter
February
Phenology – “a branch of science concerned with the relationship between climate and periodic biological phenomena (as the migration of birds or the flowering and fruiting of plants).
February, fortunately, is the shortest month, for it is also the coldest. But now the days are longer, the snow is deeper, and the sun is a little more likely to break through the winter clouds. The birds at the feeder by now are old friends, but with no disrespect to the blue jays and the chickadees, we hope for something a little different, like a flock of turkeys passing through the yard or an unexpected visitor from the south. So, keep an eye on the bird feeder, but know there are more hours of daylight to spend in the woods listening to woodpeckers, following weasel tracks through the meadows and thickets, and looking for odd bits of life and color in places that we overlook during the abundance of summer and fall.
Photos and text by Carl D. Martland, a founding member of ACT and a long-time resident of Sugar Hill. Quotations from his journals indicate the date of and the situation depicted in each photograph.
Turkey Trot:
By mid-winter, last year’s young turkeys have pretty much grown to the size of the adults, but they still group together as they search through the meadows and forests seeking a bit for supper. According to my records, they seem particularly active on Valentine’s Day.
February 14, 2008 — A flock of turkeys wandered through the back yard, through the gap in the hedge, and out into the Upper Meadow. (Photo)
February 14, 2015 — Nancy saw a flock of eight to ten turkeys gathered around an apple tree just past the power lines. A couple were up in the tree going after the small brown apples, perhaps knocking them on the ground so the others could get them.
Winter Vacation?
Birds are supposed to fly south for the winter, so what was this cardinal doing in Sugar Hill in February?
February 5-7, 2019 — A male cardinal has visited the feeder three days in a row. I don’t recall ever seeing one here before, even in summer, although I once saw one in Franconia as we were eating lunch at a picnic table behind the Dairy Bar.
Something Special – A Frozen Fisher Track
Once in a while, I come upon fisher tracks after walking through woods filled with tracks left by deer, snowshoe hares, squirrels, and other small mammals and turkeys. A good fisher print will show five clawed toes, like other weasels, but its large size and nearly circular shape are diagnostic.
February 19, 2017 — I followed fisher tracks through the low, marshy area of Foss Woods. One nearly perfect print was frozen where the fisher had splashed into a slushy spot. I stuck my comb next to the frozen print to show that it was over four inches wide
Bits of Brilliance
Despite months of cold weather, snow, and ice, a few bits of color can still be found in the woods. When walking through a wintry wood, even the tiniest bits of color are worth a photo. Of course, berries that are beautiful beyond belief in February might never have caught your eye before the world turned white.
February 8, 2020 — The skies turned bright blue following yesterday’s ice storm. I wandered around the Back 4, taking photos of the snow-crusted trees, shrubs, limbs, leaves, and some remarkably brilliant ice-covered red berries.
