Will The Groundhog predict winter's final demise?

Wednesday, February 2 is Groundhog Day. According to folklore, it is the day when the groundhog, turned meteorologist, determines if spring will come early. If he see his shadow, it will be 6 more weeks of winter. If instead the day is cloudy, he will declare an early end to the winter season. This traditon originated in Europe where the badger or bear was the star. The Germans who settled in Pennsylvania brought it over, Americanizing it by using the common groundhog or woodchuck. So it is no surprise that the media focuses on a Pennsylvania groundhog, Punxsultawney Phil (photo), as its official prognosticator. According to his web-site he has made 125 predictions and they were all right. Now we have a storm dedicated to the little seer - The Groundhog Day Storm of 2011 described by weather.com as a "multi-day dangerous, destructive winter storm". Will Phil need a shovel to liberate himself from his burrow and more than mear fur as protection once he emerges? Or will his eyes water from the blazing sunlight? We'll have to wait till about 7:35AM Wednesday for the offical announcement which will be web casted on www.visitpa.com/groundhog-day starting at 6:30AM.

The Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus is the scientific name for America’s National Bird. It means a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head (cephalus). At one time, bald meant white not hairless. It is called a sea eagle because of its preference for eating fish although it does eat carrion, smaller birds and rodents. Eagles differ from other birds of prey mainly by their larger size, more powerful build and heavier head and beak. The average adult bald eagle measures approximately 3 feet in length (males are smaller); females have a wingspan of 7 feet while males average 6 feet. Although they only weigh 8-9 lbs (male) 10-14 lbs (female), they can lift about 4 pounds. They live for 20 – 30 years. Eagles mate for life and an established pair may use the same nest for many years. They lay 1-3 eggs. Their chicks fledge in about 20 weeks but don’t reach sexual maturity and their full adult plumage for 4 – 5 years. The Bald Eagle is native only to North America. This is one of the reasons, along with its majestic beauty, great strength, and long life that it was chosen as our National Emblem on June 20, 1782. Second runner up was the American Turkey.

Snowshoe Clinic Experience

On Jan 23, we held our first snowshoe clinic. Fifteen people came by to try their hand at this easy sport. One attendee, Travily included the experience on her family's blog. Click here to read about it and get an idea of how the clinic works and even take a 10 second virtual hike. Our next clinic is on Feb. 13.

Winter Birds

Some visitors to our winter bird feeders are permanent residents. Birds like the blue jay, chickadee, and tufted titmouse live and breed locally merely moving about from one food source to another. Others have migrated into our area for a variety of reasons. The most common reasons are to take advantage of a good food supply and better shelter. Our regular winter visiting songbirds, like the junco (photo) and white-throat sparrow, find our area has a good supply of the seeds and nuts and provides a safer environment then the more northern regions where they spend the summer. Generally the snow is not as deep or long lasting. More importantly, the days are longer allowing them more daylight to feed. Most songbirds have a weak sense of smell and rely on their eyes for finding food. Some of our winter birds only visit us occasionally. Pine siskins, evening grosbeaks and redpolls make their homes in the northern coniferous forest. If there is a poor northern seed crop, they will move further south into our region in search of food. Some years they flock to our feeders, while in other years, they are nowhere in sight. What all our winter songbirds have in common is the ability to eat seeds and nuts. Most of the songbirds that mainly depend on insects or nectar left our area in the fall for better feeding grounds.

The Women's Hiking Group will hike at Bennetts Pond on Jan 11th and 13th.

A Great Day to Be Outside

What a wonderful day for enjoying the outside. The recent snowfall has been cleaned up and now it is time to go out and enjoy this “splendiferous” day. The Ridegbury section of Ridgefield received 11.5 inches Friday. So, the Ridgefield Public Golf Course is in great shape for sledding, x-country skiing, snowshoeing, or just hiking. If you don’t want to break trail, no problem, as there has already been quite a few adventures out there already. Take the dog along with you as there is an abundance of wildlife tracks to sniff out. Our resident fox has made his daily rounds. The deer have cleared areas in their quest for acorns and grass. The sun is out and the temperature is a balmy 26º. Ridgefield is brimming with open space, so go out and enjoy at least one. Then you can justify kicking back and enjoying a cup of rich hot chocolate with whipped cream on top. (Picture is writer's view of the Ridgefield Golf Course)