Unable to resist the beautiful day, friends Don and Diana Burton and I headed to the Lakeshore on Saturday morning. We started at the Platte River and Platte Point, moved on to Point Betsie, and finished at the Frankfort beach. Even though it was only 16 degrees, it felt wonderful to be outdoors and let the sun warm out winter-weary souls.
Shelf ice started forming along the bay with the frigid temperatures we’ve had recently. It’s made me wonder whether the bay will freeze during this “real” winter. The last time the bay froze was in February 2019. While shelf ice is beautiful, walking on it is dangerous because it’s unstable and difficult to tell where the shoreline and water meet.
When I moved into my new Traverse City home in 2018, I planted four six-foot-tall spruce trees around my back deck as a privacy screen. I hadn’t realized that they would become a habitat for my feeding birds when the wind blows, the snow flies, and the temperatures plummet. I rarely get pictures of them inside the boughs but I can always hear their singing.
I ventured out in my car but stayed within the city. It was almost too cold to roll down my window to take pictures. Ice and snow were everywhere. Even the Boardman-Ottaway River was thick with ice. Stay safe and warm, friends.
Last week I had my second Snowy Owl sighting, this one on a rooftop in a neighborhood. It was another female, though not as heavily barred as the one I saw in December. The conditions were cold and blustery and the bird’s feathers ruffled with the wind. It also protected its eyes by keeping its third eyelid up the whole time. It appears that our cold winter is bringing in these beautiful owls.
I was out taking pictures late Monday morning. Pristine scenes were all around me. Then the weather turned squally and whiteout conditions sent me home.
Ten goats make up the herd at Mitchell Creek Meadows Nature Preserve, not far from my neighborhood. Originally from Idyll Farms in Northport, the goats help control stubborn invasive species and recycle spent Christmas trees. These curious critters stay safe in their indoor and outdoor barn and are always fun to watch.
I spotted a red-tailed hawk on a power pole outside a subdivision. It looked in one direction, then another, seeking prey. It suddenly lifted, and I thought it was going to fly, but it had other business in mind. Finally, it spotted something on the ground and took flight, giving me a full look at its beautiful red tail.
