No snow!!

Here we are the middle of November and no snow.

This really makes tough sledding.

Now I am not praying for snow, but you cannot call it winter without snow. It does make life easier and safer for the elderly, a class which I have no intention of joining.

My dog lays out in the yard, staring at me as if the lack of snow is my fault. No snow, no snowshoeing. No snowshoeing, no joyful treks through the woods making trails.

The most noticeable change the lack of snow has caused, involves birds and other wildlife’s struggle for food. Many birds head south when the snow covers the ground and makes it difficult to find food. This year many have not yet left as food is easy to find.

The Ruff Grouse in our woods stay all year round and they adapt to the seasons and weather easily. This fall one of them discovered the small crabapples from my tree were lying in abundance on the ground and in plain sight.

It was not long before we had two of them and last night the crew grew to four. They arrive just before dark and have a little feeding frenzy for about five minutes and then zip back into the woods. The dog has learned it is pointless to chase them as they leap into the air and are off with a loud whirrr,…whirr of their wings.

They cannot swallow the cherry size apples so their first choice are the ones that have been stepped on. They quickly pick them up, shake them a few times and swallow what has not fallen off. The larger ones have frozen and thawed each day so they are becoming very soft and easier to eat.

The grouse have been eating here for more than a week and they are starting to fill out and will be in fine shape to deal with winter. I have noticed they eat seven to ten apples and when the crop is stuffed they either run at high speed for the brush or leap into the air, and with a burst of speed melt into the dark woods.

The Ruff Grouse are not hunted in my woods nor in the property around me as my neighbors feel as I do.
Each spring we have one or two batches of eggs laid and if we are lucky we get the odd chance to watch the chicks running about, catching bugs as if it is the last one they will ever see. As they get older the group starts to thin out. Owls and fox are the biggest threat.

During the winter I listen for the drumming sounds of the Ruff Grouse and it confirms we still have them in the woods. On some occasions I have heard three drumming in different directions around me.
The yard visitors better eat their full as the snow has got to fall shortly.