Friday, January 16, 2009

LAKE ERIE FREEZE-OUT

The cold continues. Today the sun is out, but there's also a stiff breeze, so the few degrees of gain we've made on the thermometer are more than canceled out by the wind chill factor. Trees and bushes that don't get direct sunlight are still wearing yesterday's hoarfrost, and the exposed drifts are being carved anew by the steady wind. Birds are still crowding the feeders, but after they feed for a while they retire to a sheltered bush at my neighbor's house, that offers some sun and some protection from the wind. I can't imagine what it must be like to be out all day and all night with just a layer of feathers and down against these elements.

Out on the lake, there's almost nothing to be seen as the wind blows the loose snow around. Only the closest ridge of piled-up ice is visible in the near distance. (The raven used to sit on the top of my entrance gate to my old place in the foothills.) Moments after I took this, the wind increased and everything but the raven and the now-ghostly tree disappeared.


My little front porch is enclosed but unheated - really more of a mud-room. The windows are thickly frosted; the sun won't be making any dancing rainbows on the walls today. I checked the forecast this morning, and we should be up to the freezing point later next week. Zero Celsius/32 Fahrenheit is going to feel like spring!

17 comments:

Kim said...

Excellent description of the severe winter most of us in the upper parts of North America are experiencing right now.

We too are supposed to be getting above freezing next week and I can't wait!

Great Grandma Lin said...

fun photo of the raven reminds me of edgar allen poe's about the raven...all i remember is "never more."
maybe that's appropriate for our feelings about winter.

Cloudia said...

Great description and raven photo. I was there;
Aloha!

Squirrel said...

ccccold here too, but not as much wind chill... it used to get a whole lot colder than it is (around 16F) but people don't remember when doors froze shut and so forth. Winter's only just begun! I don't walk too far in bitter weather --the metal camera frozen to my paw is not something I want to experience.

love the blackbird.

SandyCarlson said...

Cold here, too! Amazing how things change. This raven is quite the intrepid outdoors man!

sgreerpitt said...

as my husband likes to say "cold as a well diggers ass in Jerusalem" (no idea where that comes from!) -- although we're a few degrees warmer than that (I think this afternoons high was 14 degrees).

Anonymous said...

I love that shot of the raven. I saw a huge flock pass over yesterday headed south. Maybe they just couldn't take any more winter.

Ursula said...

WONNNderful photos on this post. Especially the calling crow with lake in background. don't worry I hear birds don't have nerves in their claws. And we know how warm down is.

Nice work.

T.

Ursula said...

Ooops. I mean, raven.

T.

Sylvia K said...

I'm such a wuss! It's in the low forties here, gray, foggy, but nothing like what you have! You'd think it was spring time if you were here! Stay warm, my friend!

Aleta said...

Last night was our first night of a "light freeze" for 10 hours. I can't imagine the cold appreciation of what you're going through! It looks beautiful, but very brrrrrrrrr

Anonymous said...

I have never been anywhere as cold as it is in Michigan right now. Other than the novelty of the experience, I'm happy if this is also the last time I'm anywhere this cold. Poor birds!

Kat Mortensen said...

It's brutally cold, that's for sure. I'm just glad I'm not in downtown Toronto.

Kat

Rose said...

I think it got up in the teens here today--headed for a heat wave tomorrow with the temps climbing into the 20's. I really can't complain--we don't have these cold temps too much.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Deb--My blog tomorrow talks about our frigid temperatures down here. They are NOTHING like what you have had and are having. BUT--for us here in the south, 0 degrees is VERY cold... Crazy winter so far!!
Hugs,
Betsy

Lloyd Irving Bradbury said...

I like your bird

Quiet Paths said...

Love that shot of the raven. They seem to fly around in spite of it all. You are making me cold with these photos. Does anyone go out and ice fish in weather like that>