On the Path January 5th, 2014

Man, it's cold. Feels like I'm back in Moose Jaw, on the prairie. After not being on my path for weeks (long story), I finally made it the last couple days. After the ice storm and 100s of trees down nearby (1000s in the area I'm sure), the walk was a bit more exercise than usual--stepping over large tree trunks or crouching under them.

Others had forged the trail for me so I just followed their footsteps, sometimes into the ditch to get around larger trees. It's no wonder the powers-that-be are telling us it'll take months to clear up the mess. And I'm guessing a walking path will be pretty low on their priority list.

Normally it's a clear view up the path.

Manitoba Maple seeds (keys) are in bunches. The ground was scattered with single ones and bunches. The bunches look like some kind of faded wildflower, almost like someone planted them.

Normally Silver Maple buds are too far above ground to get a shot of them. Even the lowest branches can be 10 feet off the ground. With so many branches on the ground we get to have a leisurely look at them. They're in bunches like grapes--so different from the Manitoba Maple.

There's a park about half-way up the path. Someone did a pretty good job with these snowmen. Or should I say snowman and snowkid?

They used Hemlock branches from the woods behind for the hair, hemlock pine cones for the eyes, and bark for the mouth. The only thing they had to bring from home was the carrot. Cute kid. Well done.

Dad has a hat of bark. It's hard to see with the background. Looks like an owl or some sort of creature--unintentional I assume. What does it look like to you? Click on the image for a closer view.

The highlight of the day for me--I'd seen and heard a few robins the day before, but today I saw about 10. This one was close enough and sat on the branch long enough for a shot or two. What a treat to hear their quiet chirping & song as they fly off.

It isn't rare to see robins in winter, but it's not all that common either. They manage to survive winter in the thickets & creek beds where there's some protection and usually a few berries. They gather in small flocks in winter, searching for food, moving on when it's gone. They don't like seeds so you won't see them at your feeder.

As someone else who has seen wintering robins has said, "Seeing a robin won't be a sign of spring for me anymore. It'll be a robin eating a worm."

You'd almost think they'd freeze to death but the experts tell us that temperature isn't much of a threat, only the lack of food is. If you have a crabapple tree or mountain ash that still has some fruit on it, some robins may drop by for a snack. Have your camera ready.

I dug up this shot from eons ago when I was still teaching at the college (film, scanned). This small flock was there for 2 or 3 days. I didn't have a camera the first day so I took one the second day 'just in case'. I don't think they moved overnight.

Some berries for the robins.















The creek here is normally clear. Will they bother to clean it up? They may have to at some point. It could be a real problem come the heavy spring flow in the creeks, when more and more debris is added to what's already there.

Keep an eye out for robins if you're out & about.

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