Mariton: Birds Perched on Ice

by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager.  Photos by Carole Mebus.

Downy Woodpecker

If we are going to have freezing rain, then I guess the kind we had earlier this week is the type we want. The ice on branches was minimal when we woke up on Thursday, and it started melting quickly when the fog dissipated.  Carole visited Mariton early with her camera and captured some wonderful photos of birds perched on icy twigs.

Cardinal

We only had about an inch of snow before a light mist started.  We got rain later Wednesday afternoon, but it didn’t start freezing on things until after sundown.  I measured 0.69 inches of water on Thursday when I melted the precipitation in the rain gauge.  So, that could have been close to 7 inches of snow if things had been colder.  So far this February, we have received over 2.5 inches of melted precipitation.  Very little of that has been snow, but it could have been over two feet of the white stuff under different conditions.

Chickadee

Carole reminded me that one year ago on February 21, 2018 the temperature reached 81 degrees in Allentown.