January Monthly Weather Update

I am obsessed with what the average weather should be for January, versus what it was in Bowdoin, Maine. There are so many factors that play into weather phenomena that it makes my head spin! By the way, the average high and low temperatures for January are supposed to be 27F and 8F.

The average high was 33.9F, and was 6.9F above average, while the average low was 17.8, and was 9.8F above than average. 

Of course, I checked the Arctic Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation as they both have an effect on our climate in the northeast USA. The link above gives you the science behind what each of them are. This link is to the Atmospheric and Environmental Research Analysis and Forecast for Jan. 27-Feb. 11. Weather prediction is extremely complex. I think the upshot of this is that February will be colder for us than January was, but will be around average to slightly above average???

I also checked the El Nino-Southern Oscilliation conditions to see if they are influencing our climate, and they are neutral at the moment.

Warm weather continues

Unreal warmth in January and February. No longer do we dip into the -10 to -20F temperatures. Now, we are in the high +20s to 40s. Disturbing trend. This is not how Midcoast Maine is supposed to be;-(

Chickadees

Who doesn't love the cute-as-a-button Black-capped Chickadee!

They frequent our feeders during all times of the year.

Chickadees are amazingly hardy birds who are perfectly adapted to our harsh, northern winters. They mainly feed on frozen insects and insect eggs that they find in the cavities of trees. But, during winter, it is especially important to put out sunflower seeds, in tube feeders (which chickadees seem to prefer), as the chickadees and other birds need this extra fuel to ward off the cold.

They also feed on the sunflower seeds from suet, as do a variety of other birds, so a suet feeder is important to put out as well.

On severe winter days where temperatures may drop down to -40F, they need enough fuel to make it through those negative digit nights. They may eat from 10% to 60% of their body weight in insects and seeds during the day. When emerging from their overnight roost, they often have zero % body fat (from shivering all night long) and start building up their food stores all over again.

Here is a link to a great article about How Chickadees Weather Winter, by the National Wildlife Federation.

Chickadees seem to prefer dead birch trees for roosting and raising their young.

So, we put out natural cotton fiber for the birds to use in lining their nests. 

Dead birch trees have soft enough wood to make great nesting cavities. 

I found this chickadee going into and out of this tree snag, and at one point it brought out a fecal sac, so I knew that it had chicks down in the nest. I was boating on the pond at the time, and didn't want to disturb the bird so I only stayed for a short period of time.

Let's talk about lake ice and safety

“Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory.” U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), 17 Jan. 2020, https://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/Locations/CRREL/.

First of all, here is a chart about ice thickness and the amount of weight it can support! And, here is some general information about ice from the US Army Corps of Engineers (with photos from my archives to illustrate the information):

Strong, new ice on Caesar Pond

New ice is much stronger than old ice, as a rule. Ice from direct freezing of lake water will be stronger than ice formed from snow melt, refrozen ice or ice made by water bubbling up through cracks and freezing on the surface. Several inches of new ice may be strong enough to support you, while a foot or more of old ice might not.

A spring and an entry hole next to the beaver lodge

Judging the safety of ice requires consideration of several factors, including its appearance, the daily temperature, thickness, whether the ice is or isn’t covered with snow. The depth of water under the ice, size of water body, water chemistry, distribution of the ice and local climate also contribute to the equation.

Variable ice depth from the dock to further out on Caesar Pond

Ice rarely freezes or thaws at an equal and uniform rate across a body of water. It can be a foot thick in one spot and only an inch thick a few feet away. A layer of snow insulates ice, slowing down the ice forming process. In addition, the weight of snow can reduce the amount of additional weight the ice can bear.

Near shore ice is thinner and melts faster - darker surfaces of grasses and muck absorb the heat.

Ice near shore is weaker, not stronger, than ice farther out. Buckling of the lake or stream over the winter breaks and refreezes ice continually along the shore.

Springs on the pond have moving water that makes the ice thinner.
I marked their locations while walking all over the pond on Dec. 27, 2011.

Ice formed over flowing water can be dangerous near shore, around inflowing or outflowing streams, or on lakes containing large numbers of springs.

One of the springs on Caesar Pond with very thin ice around its perimeter.
It takes a longer time to freeze over to safely support a person's weight
than ice that does not have flowing water underneath.

Another spring near the north outflow of the pond.

The Sabattus River takes longer to freeze due to moving water.

River ice is roughly 15 percent weaker than ice on lakes, and straight, smooth flowing stretches are safer than river bends.

Early in winter the ice comes and goes. This is meltwater on top of ice that will freeze over again.

A potential danger spot on lakes is an open portion completely surrounded by ice. Winds will force exposed water beneath the ice and cause the ice to deteriorate from below.

School Snow Day # 3

We are in the 6-8 inch range for snow today. It is nice to finally be in the sweet spot for a good snow storm... Yay!

SNOW TOTAL FOR THE YEAR THUS FAR:  27"
UPDATE: We got 7.25" of snow.

Bartz Brothers Snow Sculpture for a Cause

The Bartz Brothers have done it again! This is their 9th year of creating a huge snow sculpture in their front yard in New Brighton, Minnesota. They even have a smoke machine that people can have activated if they pay a donation to the cause. Check out the Twin Cities Pioneer Press News Article about the sculpture. And, check out CBS Minnesota interview of the guys.

This year it is Walvis the Blue Whale. Walvis is the African word for Whale. This is their largest sculpture of all standing 22 feet tall and 63 feet long. It took around 800 hours to build. Go to the Bartz Outdoors YouTube channel to see videos of their work. They worked from 8am to midnight everyday for weeks until the sculpture was completed. They are open for viewings from Jan. 3 - Feb. 4. Amazing!

They have created a walkway for crowds to use, for getting to the sculpture, with questions and answers about whales along the way. They said it took almost as much time to create the walkway as it did to create the whale.

They do this to support the water needs in countries around the world, and they partner with One Day's Wages. This year they are raising money for Niger and Uganda to construct and rebuild wells, to provide education on hygiene and sanitation practices, to construct a community garden, and to be trained in sustainable agriculture. Did I donate? You betcha! Over the years, they have raised over $100,000 toward different causes. These are very impressive young men.

Quote by spiritual leader Ram Dass

"When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.

The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying ‘You are too this, or I’m too this.’ That judgment mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are." - Ram Dass

Disturbing warming trend & pond ice

It is very disturbing to see the warm days and nights in January (when we should be in the low twenties/teens/single digits.) This is really going to affect the thickness of the ice on Caesar Pond and the lakes in Maine. The ice is becoming unsafe. Listen to the Maine Warden Service as they suggest that people stay off the ice for the foreseeable future until temperatures cool down.

New Year Resolutions / Adventures

Okay, it is a new year. And, there are so many resolutions to consider. Here are a few old ones that I never got around to last year, as well as a few new ones:

1. Try new photographic techniques: 
a) Use a neutral density filter when taking moving water and cloud photos (longer exposures like a minute long.)
b) Learn and practice stacking photos.
c) Use the Apeman Underwater camera at the beach.
d) Go to Popham Beach and photograph the tide pools, seaweeds on the rocks at Fox Island, Piping Plovers (bring long lens)
e) Get together with Greyhound friends more often and do lots of photography.
f) Play around with the lensball with photos.

2. Plant Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), male and female plants, for berries for birds during the winter months. The Maine Cooperative Extension link has more information. Planting guide for Winterberry. Buy from Gammon's Garden Center in Auburn, ME  (207) 783-6986. (1 mile past Lake Auburn toward Turner.)

2. Visit Saco Heath Preserve (Nature Conservancy) to do some photography and butterfly watching during late May to early June when the heathland plants bloom AND when the Hessel's Hairstreak Butterfly is feeding off the heath flowers.

3. Photograph Piping Plover chicks on Popham Beach (by July 4th many of the chicks have hatched and they are flightless for 25-30 days). So, go to Popham Beach any time during the month of July to photograph the chicks.

4. Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center - Rent a canoe for an hour or two to photograph the marsh along the Dunstan River. Opens 9:30am.

5. Seguin Island with Ethan DeBery. Gulls nest on the island and young gulls can be seen in nests in early to mid-July.

6. Potts Point Reserve, South Harpswell. Short walk.

7. Orono Bog Boardwalk - One mile boardwalk loop trail through part of the 600 acre bog that is part of the Caribou Bog Complex.

8. River Run Tours around Bath, Arrowsic, Georgetown (through July 28th)

9. Maine Maritime Museum Lighthouse and Nature Cruises (through Oct. 29th.)  YAY! My buddy, Shannon, has gifted me a 4 hour lighthouse boat tour for 2020!

10. Whale Watching - 
a) Odyssey Whale Watching Tour - Portland.  
b) Quoddy Link Marine - Whale Watch out of St. Andrews New Brunswick. - Humpback Whales and Finback Whales in August. Ha! This means that we would have to stay in Campobello for a few nights...Awesome!

11. Monhegan Island - Monhegan Boat Line out of Port Clyde AND Hardy Boat Cruises out of New Harbor. Go in May for the migration of Warblers and other birds.

12. Casco Bay Lines - Cruises and tours.

13. Machias Seal Island Puffin Tours - Bold Coast Charter - out of Cutler. Late July to early August is when seas might be calmer.

14. Maine Mineral & Gem Museum - Bethel, Maine

15. Mt. Washington Cog Railway (New Hampshire)