Chickadee Photo Art

Mother Nature has the hiccups !

// December 3rd, 2009 // Birds of Manitoba, Birds of Prey, Boreal Forest, Mammals

I think that Mother Nature has the hiccups! Our weather this year has been totally out of our normal weather patterns. This hare started turning white in October just showing white on its ears, feet and belly. Now, at the end of November the hare has completed its colour transition and is totally white. It is so cute but very vulnerable now to predators because it is no longer camouflaged due to the lack of snow. We should have snow on the ground by now but instead we have still been enjoying the above normal temperatures. A very unusual but welcome fall seeing as we didn’t have much of a summer this year. In early October we had a fair bit of snowfall but it all melted away and our temperatures went up into the double digits again. The Canada geese are still here and should have been gone a few weeks ago while the Snowy Owls have returned. The small ponds and marshes are just beginning to get a layer of ice while the waters on the lakes and rivers remain unfrozen. Like I said earlier, Mother Nature must have the hiccups . . . Most of us are enjoying one less month of winter weather but there are those that depend on winter for a living or look forward to winter recreation – the ski resorts, snow clearing operators, snow machine enthusiasts and the like. It has been snowing lightly today so perhaps winter will arrive in the next few days – we’ll see. Personally I’ll be happy to settle for a warmer winter with snow – can’t imagine not having a white Christmas on the prairies.

Look at those big feet !  This will help the little hare run on top of the soft snow instead of sinking into it.

The Snowy Owl preys on rabbits and small rodents.  They survey their hunting grounds from high up and can often be seen perched on top of hydro poles.

Enjoy !

~Sharon