Blog 12-13-2021 Hideaway Pond
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A surprisingly beautiful early winter. Clear blue skies have dominated the last two weeks. It’s a quiet time. The world seems to be in a state of serene limbo. The trees are asleep, their bare angular limbs a reminder that this will not soon be over. The vernal equinox seems far, far away.
Our first snow fell last night. Its icy remains lay entangled with the winter grass until the sun rose high enough to melt it away. And the pond has developed a glassy skim of ice eight nights in a row. And melted by noon. Only to repeat the same process until the ice becomes thick enough to survive Jack Frost‘s frigid assault. Poor Jack must wonder why the gods of winter have burdened him with this Sisyphean curse. Or perhaps Old Jack is a just slow learner.
To our surprise, mallards have continued to visit the pond until much later in the season this year. Perhaps warmer climes have left the feathered freeways open longer . On the other hand, mallards are not the smartest of the avian species. Who else would fly for days to escape the cold only to arrive at a destination plagued by heat, hurricanes and coastal floods. Notice that owls have developed the wisdom to stay home.
We’ve returned the bird feeders to their usual winter stations. We leave the birds on their own during summer. Then there’s plenty of forage. Winter is different. The weather can cause severe hunger. So the avian cafeteria is always open. Adding a little spice to our day–or night– an occasional bear will drop by, assuming it’s open for him. We’ve found more than one feeder strewn up the driveway–the unfortunate victim of such an errant assumption.
Deer have been quite active. Especially a spike buck and a young doe. They seem to have made our yard their favorite snack bar. In fact, they have sauntered into the front yard as I type this. A test of my veracity. Here is my proof. Courtesy of my lovely bride.
Tonight a waxing gibbous moon will share the skies with the Geminid meteor shower. The last and one of the brightest meteor showers of the year. Our small moon and these visitors from far, far away will light the Catskills all night. Until early sunrise.
