December Cools, Finally

I was really beginning to worry on Tuesday. After-all, it was December 6th and the afternoon temperature was above 60 F in New Hampshire and I heard a mini chorus of spring peepers in the backyard. It was one of those days, after a relatively mild start to December (following a mild November) when you wonder if climate disruption is going to happen all at once.

Well not to worry (save climate worries for another day), the forecast looks more December-like through the weekend. The wind is blowing hard today, feeling just like a December wind should feel. The birds are flocking to the feeders, even the goldfinches have finally arrived. The squirrels, well they just keep getting fatter. I noticed that one figured out how to get onto the sunflower seed feeder. I wondered why the seeds were disappearing so fast. The squirrel manages to sneak up there when I am not looking so I still don't know how she does it.

Eric Orff, a retired New Hampshire Fish and Game biologist, keeps tabs on wildlife and nature over at his blog, New Hampshire Nature Notes. On December 1st he posted a note that the warm weather has kept ducks up in Canada - no need to migrate south if you still have open lakes and ponds up north to swim around in. Skunks and bears are usually sleeping in their winter dens by now, but Eric says they are still up and alert and perhaps spraying a curious dog (the skunk) or munching on a bird feeder (the bear).

The weekend looks to be cold and clear. Sounds perfect.