At home, we don’t see icicles that often; frost is more common. It’s often a thick, deep frost that is clearly crystalline in nature, coating solid objects, leaves, and even blades of grass.

Image credit: Mel Sherman

Image credit: Mel Sherman

I’ve been trying to take pictures of icicles in Maine and the way they reflect the light, often displaying an almost iridescent shimmer that I have completely failed to capture. The icicles have been impressive every winter, but this year was particularly remarkable for the extent and frequency of ice coating the bushes and leaves.

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The Portland Press Herald article is pretty clear:

No way around it: Winter storm on track for Sunday will be huge

Most of the snow will be early on Sunday. The prediction is for “10-18 inches of snow at the coast and up to 2 feet inland.” And then c. noon, the snow turns to “wintery mix” otherwise known as snow, sleet and rain. It’s ugly for bird, beast, and Mainer. The icy coating (and cold temps) make foraging difficult, and driving impossible.

I have filled the feeders, and put out fresh suet. And I purchased a 4.5 quart bean pot at Reny’s. I have yet to obtain any beans, but I am working on it.

Today is high is 22F. I still have one more suet cage to fill, and am understandably reluctant to do it. So far the grey squirrels, who are obese and numerous, are less than fond of the Capsaicin-laced suet and hot-sauce coated black-oil Sunflower seeds.

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It’s been raining freezing rain most of the day; not a lot of birds. I’ve seen Juncos, a couple of Chickadees, a Titmouse, a very cold looking puffed-up male House finch, and this female Northern Cardinal who let me take some slightly out-of-focus pictures.

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I’ll probably add more pictures throughout the day. It’s still snowing; the flakes are clumping together now. I heard geese off in the distance when I went out to take pictures today, and many, many Nuthatches in the trees. 

It was still snowing when I took this picture. 

This was taken at about 4 pm; the snow was wet, and thickly coating branches.

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It’s going to turn to rain, probably, in a couple of hours, but we have a light snow falling. It’s the kind of snow they put on greeting cards; not too thick, not windy, just white snow falling steadily. 

Naturally, when the Cardinal landed on the Rhododendron, I had to take a picture (through the window, on my iPhone). If it had a little more snow on the Rhoddodendron, and I had taken a slightly better picture, I’d have a holiday card. 

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