Chuck Tague

Big news!  The mid point of winter occurs on February 3, at 11:45 a.m. EST.  See my blog from January 29.   We are halfway to spring.

   What can a nature observer expect during February in western Pennsylvania?   More Pine Siskins and crossbills, slightly longer and slightly warmer days, treacherous trails and frozen streams.

    From now on the daily increase in day length will accelerate to two or three minutes.  Today’s day length is already 55 minutes longer than December 24’s.  We will gain another hour and four minutes by the end of February.

    It will get warmer, although the difference will be hardly noticeable.  On January 28 the average daily temperature in Pittsburgh rose to 28°F.  This ends a disturbing six-month trend.  Last August 4, the average dropped to 72°F.

Read the weekly Nature Observer’s Almanac for Pittsburgh.

In early February, don’t expect miraculous changes.   What’s normal?

*bone chilling winds

*slippery ice, deep snow and patches of mud that make movement difficult

*quick thaws and rains that swell streams

*long cold nights

*ghost-like tree covered with frost in the predawn light

*bright morning sunlight through crystal patterns on frosty windows

*blue skies with fluffy white clouds

Bundle up and take a walk whenever you can.  Look for:

*abandoned nests

*animal tracks

*squirrels chasing through treetops

*European Starlings and pigeons warming themselves around chimneys *Bald Eagles preparing their nest

*Great Blue Herons visiting last year’s heronries

*Great Horned Owls on eggs

Buck up!  Before February is over there will be

*longer days

*warmer temperatures

*the first birds of spring.

    On cold days, enjoy the chickadees and other songbirds at your feeder from the comfort of your home -- but consider a Black-capped Chickadee weighs a third of an ounce.  When nights are long, the temperature is never above freezing and trees are coated with ice, these tiny creatures exist on the metabolic brink, a few calories from death.

  

    In February, the bird population is at its yearly low, even with the influx of northern finches.  The rigors of winter have taken a toll.  Many birds starved or succumbed to disease.  Others have fallen to predators.  The food supply is low and there will be no plant growth or insect reproduction for many weeks.  Migration is almost at a standstill, although some birds wander great distances in search of food.

    There is often an increase in waterfowl, gulls and other waterbirds in February.  Look for more birds in the rivers as ice forms to our north.  According to the NOAA’s Ice Mapping System, almost all of Lake Erie and much of Lake Huron is frozen. This may trigger an influx of Red-necked Grebes in western Pennsylvania.  A flock of Red-necked Grebes winters in offshore waters of the Great Lakes.  In February 2003, extensive ice forced the grebes south in search of open water and food.  I observed a raft off McKees Rocks on February 28, 2003.

    Waterfowl can show up anywhere there’s open water.  An interesting winter hike and drive, with a good chance for an unusual duck, is the Hendersonville/Hahn Road loop in the South Hills.

    There’s still the chance of that spectacular, and unexpected, bird sighting.  Could this be the year an Arctic Gyrfalcon shows up in western Pennsylvania?

    February is not without beauty and wonder: crystal ice sculptures hang from gutters, and shale shelves in ravines.  Frankfort Springs Mineral Springs in Raccoon Creek State Park is impressive in winter, although the short, narrow trail can be treacherous. Look for stories recorded in the snow, possibly a mouse trail that ends between the feathery impressions of a raptor’s wings.

Watch American Tree Sparrows feed on wildflower stalks and Dark-eyed Juncos scratch bare patches of ground.  Soon these tough little songbirds will return north. 

    Defy the cold.  Catch a snowflake on your tongue.

    As February progresses, and the days lengthen, be alert for the first signs of spring: tree buds swelling, twigs changing color and Skunk Cabbage poking through the ice.  When will you sniff the first skunk?   Listen for a screech owl’s trill. (For more on screech owls read Otis and the Owl, by Will Trout.)

    This hint is from Esther Allen.  Look carefully in gravel patches for the flowers of Whitlow Grass, “Draba verna”.  This easily overlooked early bloomer stands one to five inches tall.  From February through May, tiny white flowers with deeply notched petals grow on leafless stems.  They sprout from a rosette of basal leaves no more than two inches in diameter. 

    Look under Black Birch trees for tiny black seeds scattered like sprinkled pepper.  Near Yellow Birches look for flat seeds shaped like tiny Fleur-de-lis.

    On clear afternoons watch for Red-tailed Hawks.  Listen for their loud, wheezing “keeeeer” as they soar overhead.  Rough-legged Hawks are still around.

    Earlier sunrises bring an increase in bird sounds.  Woodpeckers drum, Mourning Doves "whoo" and starlings squeal.  The melody of the Song Sparrow reassures me spring will come.

    Today, the eyes of the nation turn to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.  With much hype and fanfare, the townsfolk there will wake poor Phil from a trance-like state.  The legend says that if the groundhog sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter.  Everyone will anxiously await the outcome of the prognosticating rodent‘s excursion. Read more about woodchucks and Ground Hog Day in the Nature Observer Archives.

    A groundhog, or woodchuck, is a poor choice for this chore.  Phil is a true hibernator and would not normally be out and about on February 2, unless something truly extraordinary happened -- his den flooded, a large predator disturbed him or old men in top hats shock him awake.  With his limited vision and in a dazed state, I doubt if Phil would notice something as insignificant to his survival as his own shadow.  When they do leave their den in March, many groundhogs have difficulty spotting large, distinct images --  like oncoming pick-up trucks.

    Bluebird migration begins soon, in spite of what Phil might say.  Now is the time to check, clean and maintain your nest boxes. There are instructions in the Nature Observer Archives.

   Can you find insects in February?  You can, and not just house flies and lady bugs on your windowsills.  A few winters ago, Joan and I hiked Laurel Hill State Park.  By the bridge over Laurel Hill Creek, we scanned for birds and enjoyed the fresh snow, the water rushing though the icy pools.  Joan noticed a black dot on the white surface of the road.  As we watched, it moved.  The dot was an insect, an adult about 3/8 inch long with a thin black body and long, transparent wings parallel to its side.  When I got home I found the identity of this mysterious cold weather insect in Nature in Winter, by Donald Stokes.  It was a Small Winter Stonefly, an aquatic insect of cold mountain streams.  Adults mate in winter and are often seen on the snow’s surface.

    Look for the next Nature Observer Phenology around St. Valentine’s Day.  Expect much better news.