2020-12-26 Snow Tracks, Buds and Seed Pods

12/26/2020 I was out today working for 6 hours, clearing paths and burning small piles of brush. I have a long to do list but had no agenda so I let the weather decided how I spent the day. With very little wind, temps in the high 20's F and a mostly cloudy sky it was a perfect for burning brush and taking pictures. I had a goal today to make some observations of buds and seed pods and also ended up seeing lots of animal tracks and the usual deer scrapes, rubs and beds. For animal sightings I saw 2 woodpeckers, 2 squirrels and a hawk with a white belly who flew over 3 different times calling while it was soaring.

We had a bit of a snowstorm on 12/23/2020 and there was a good inch of snow. We haven't had much for snow this year. What little had fallen previously, had melted. The snow provides so much information and tells so many stories. I saw all kinds of tracks from animals that had passed through my path sometime within the prior 3 days. There was evidence of birds, mice, rabbits, creatures with paws and plenty of deer tracks big and small. The snow was still light and fluffy and the track (and body) prints very well captured, still providing details indicating direction and speed.

The lighting provided by the overcast sky was good for picture taking. I noticed buds on the Silver Maple in our backyard in Rochester and that sparked the idea to check out what was happening in Whitewater. I found 2 trees with notable buds. I couldn't tell the species so will have to pay attention in the Spring. Found lots of beautiful seed pods on the south side of the property at the edge of the woods. The waxing gibbous moon was out and I got to see a beautiful sunset that turned the edges of the clouds pink as the western sky layered the colors of the rainbow on top of the sun as it set into the horizon.