Tracks in the Snow

New Englanders like to talk about the weather, and we’ve had a lot to talk about this winter. Snowfall is above average and the cold temperatures are keeping it on the ground. For animals that hibernate, the blanket of snow is a good thing as it keeps their burrows cozy and inaccessible. Others, like deer, who have to move through it, can find the going difficult. Some little creatures live under the snow and timidly come out and about looking for bits to eat. You know that they’ve been here because they leave tracks. Adorable tracks.

This is the view from my bedroom window.

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Take a closer look.

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And closer.

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I didn’t see the little twitchy whiskery nose poking out. But I can imagine it!

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I’m not an experienced tracker, but a look at guide books tells me that these footprints belong to a white-footed mouse. I could be wrong. If you’re a knowledgeable tracker, please chime in!

The snow is falling again and by nightfall we’ll have another 6-inches or so. Tomorrow there will be a clean canvas.

Comments:

  1. Lovely! The world looks so clean with fresh snow on it. I was just watching the snow falling on the Hencam, wow – thats a lot ! We have more rain in England, just for a change….

    • SO beautiful, but yikes you are going to have a lot of shoveling to do! I am through being smug about our SoCal weather: 80 degree days in February are getting tiresome, and the reality of the drought has hit us all.

  2. The snow tells alot of stories. I didn’t realize just how much my yard is frequented by deer, squirrel, fox,ducks and others. The evidence is right there. On my one acre lot, there isn’t one square foot of snow that doesn’t have some kind of footprint in it. We are not alone on this planet. Isn’t it great!

    • OOPS. I hit enter too soon. I do enjoy being able to see the GEMS more often now that they stay indoors!

  3. I hope you are staying as cozy as the Big and Little Barn inhabitants! I agree with Bobbie, it is fun to see more of the Gems.

  4. We are on water rations here in our little town of Cambria, CA. No water to be used outside on plants unless non potable and 100 gallons a day for each person in the house. That adds up very quickly. Very scary. Our native pine forest is beginning to feel the drought which is very sad. We have one of the remaining monterey pine forests left and it is feeling stressed.
    joyce

  5. Yikes! By the time all your snow melts away, you’ll be living in ‘Bog Town’. ‘Course that’s always a good time for ripping out wild brambles and shrubs you don’t want. :)

    We, too, have been getting snowed on and frozen. Not as much as you have, however. And today it’s 40 degrees. *shakes head* The ice will start breaking up on the rivers after a couple of days of this and it will be flood city around here. Like you, I wish we could send this west to the coast. They are in a world of hurt out there.

  6. holy moly I’ve been checking your cam off and on it’s literally snowed all day there! Chickens look safe and snug though. :-)

  7. Like everyone else I am over winter.
    It is a beautiful 63 sunny degrees here today. Except for the big piles in parking lots and on the side of drive ways our snow should be gone by sunset.

    • And by this evening we’ll have another half-foot! The warmer weather reaches here this weekend. Rain on top of the snow will make for deep piles of slush and mud and wet snow.

      • I just checked the hen cam. HOLY GACAMOLY how much do you have in total?
        Is the ladder to keep up the netting?
        Also, is the small coop “darker” than the big barn? The hens in the small coop always seem to go to roost so much sooner than the Gems.

        • The ladder is so that, if it ever stops snowing, the chickens will have a dry spot outside to roost. The small coop is darker, especially with the snow on the hawk netting. They’re always my early-to-bed girls.

          • Glad to know what the ladder is for. Phoebe and I were wondering. She was so cute up on her hind legs sniffing it whichever day it was that it first appeared.

  8. Western Nebraska would also welcome some of your snow! Doubtful if much of our dryland wheat will survive. We did get 3″ of snow about a week ago which was thoroughly enjoyed because the dust quit blowing. We have lots of wind. Did not slow down the tumbleweeds though. Now to get them all back out of the trees and shrubbery. And hope the wind does not change direction and blow them all back in! Happy Shoveling!

  9. Hello Terry! After my endless chicken-chatter, my girlfriend turned me onto hencam, thinking I could at least enjoy watching somebody’s chickens until I have my own. GRAND IDEA! It’s now my daily ritual to check it…more than once, beginning with (I promise you!) first thing in the morning! The day I spied Phoebe was the BEST, and since then I’ve seen her in and outside the barn a number of times.(Watching for her…then spying her…was kinda finally finding the Easter egg! Just too much fun!)