Migrating birds know what time it is

The scurs and Weather Eye have matters under control once again. Have we seen the last of Old Man Winter’s shenanigans or will he be getting his second wind? Starting Thursday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the upper 40’s. Partly sunny on Friday with a good chance of evening showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the upper teens. Cloudy Saturday, with a good chance of rain and snow. Highs in the low 50’s with lows in the upper teens. Sunday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Mostly sunny on Monday with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the mid-20’s. Tuesday, partly sunny with highs in the low 40’s and lows in the mid-20’s. Mostly cloudy on Wednesday with a good chance of rain. Highs in the upper 30’s with lows in the low 20’s. Starting on the 13th, our daylight will increase at three minutes and two seconds per day. The Full Moon is on the 14th, and we reach 12 hours of daylight on St. Patrick’s Day. The normal high for March 17th is 40 and the normal low is 23. The scurs are hoping to ditch the “S” word in our forecasts soon.

The Full Moon for the month is on the 14th and corresponds to a total lunar eclipse this time around. The Full Moon goes by several names, but is known most commonly as the Full Worm Moon. It’s during this time frame that worms and other invertebrates become active once again. They provide food not only for birds as they migrate through, but more importantly for their young as the high protein content they contain is critical for their development. This moon also goes by the Full Sap Moon as maple trees are being tapped for the wonderful syrup boiled down from the sap collected. The Ojibwe called it the Full Crust Moon for the crust forming on the snow as it melts and refreezes. The Sioux knew it as The Moon of Sore Eyes as the bright sun reflecting off the snow made it difficult to see. At the ranch, we know it as the Garden Hose Moon. We can begin leaving it attached to the hydrant, allowing buckets to be hauled over shorter distances.

The aforementioned lunar eclipse will occur starting on March 13 around 11 p.m. and reach its peak around 2 a.m. on March 14th. One small problem: If the weather forecast is accurate and odds are it likely will be, it may be cloudy. Given the potential scope and intensity of this system, there are better than even odds we’ll be able to see it from the ground. If you want to rent a plane to see it above the clouds, that’s always an option. One the positive side, after a lunar eclipse, there’s normally a solar eclipse in about two weeks. This one is no exception, so look for a partial solar eclipse to occur on March 29th. Again, one small problem. The peak will happen before sunrise here, although we should be able to see the shadow of the moon as the sun rises off the horizon. We’ll know a little more next week as the event gets closer.

Daylight Saving Time means our tails are dragging at the ranch. As if we weren’t tired enough. The sheep don’t adjust immediately either. It’s less noticeable on brood ewes that have lambed. Their focus is to see how much they can eat once feed is placed in front of them. They were all still sacked out Sunday morning when I started chores. They looked at me sleepily, wondering what I was doing an hour earlier than normal. Once they saw the white buckets, they realized grain would soon be served. Accordingly, they arose and turned up the volume. The bottle lambs have been the most affected. On their fixed schedule, feeding them an hour early has caused some to refuse their bottle. Not eating is a cue to watch their health very closely. Matters can spiral out of control quickly if you don’t. Time to pick either Daylight or Standard time and move on people. For those wondering how long it takes for sunrise to get back to the same time as it was the day before changing the clocks, this year it’s 33 days. Absolutely asinine.

The migrating birds know what time it is. They follow the sun just as the rest of the non-human portion of the planet does. Aside from the nocturnal birds such as owls, when it’s dark out, it’s time to sleep. When the sun comes up, it’s time to become active and seek nourishment. Many birds are starting to make their presence shown. Even though we saw the first robin back on the 2nd, more have arrived. Likewise with red-winged blackbirds and grackles. Last week’s blizzard likely hampered their progress.. Numerous flocks of geese are making their move north. Mostly Canada geese and several small flocks of speckle-bellies. On the 10th, we heard our fist killdeer of the spring. We’ll still need a couple more snows on the robins’ tail before it can officially be spring.

The blizzard clean up was about as fun as expected. With the soil thawing down several inches and getting a healthy dose of rain (.66” at the ranch) before the snow fell, it was a recipe for disaster. The 10+” of snow was wet and heavy, making a snow blower of limited value. With the soft ground, it was easy to leave ruts and tear up major hunks of sod once the front end of the tractor or skidsteer started to sink. Living on a hill with one small flat spot doesn’t help matters. There’s no cab on the skidsteer either, so while it was my weapon of choice, it probably made for one of the most miserable snow moving experiences of my life. The wind howled the entire three hours I was on it. I was cold and irritated by the time I got done. Then I got to warm up for 15 minutes before doing chores! Nothing remotely fun about any of that.  

Poppy survived the big storm, although it limited where she could travel. The snow was too deep in many places, so she needed to pick her spots with those stubby Corgi legs. I shoveled the porch on the patio and a path, so she could keep her daily squirrel exercise intact. There was a 3’ drift that made it a challenge, but I persevered. As the snow has left, the yard has become muddier. Poppy has been very good about staying out of the mud. Before chores we usually tether her, so she doesn’t get into things she shouldn’t and later relieve herself of them in the house. As she picked her way around puddles to the barn she had a decision to make. Either walk through a huge puddle or bypass it by walking around it through the snow bucket and exiting on the other end. She chose the latter. Sometimes you can see those little gears turning and other times, not so much.

See you next week…real good then.