One after the other

Snowstorm after snowstorm. That’s how this winter is shaping up here on Roundtop Mtn. It’s a good thing most of the storms so far are small, as I can barely clean up from one before the next one follows a day or so later. I think three days between storms is the longevity record so far.
 

I am starting to feel that I am turning the corner on the cold I’ve had this week. It’s kept me cranky and indoors far more than I prefer. The dogs aren’t getting much in the way of walks, which means they have considerably more energy than I do. If only I could teach them to shovel snow, I would be further ahead, and perhaps that level of work would tire them out, leaving me warm and resting inside. It’s a pipe dream, I know. Skye would eat the shovel before he cleared any snow. Sparrow would forget about shoveling in favor of chasing the neighbor’s cats. Baby Dog is now nearly elderly herself and would deem shoveling beneath her in any case.

As yet, I haven’t seen any interesting winter finches at my feeders. Some are around. Repolls were spotted to the east, and some siskins have been reports. I have three goldfinch appear about once a day. I’ve discovered that I don’t have one very hungry male cardinal, but instead three of them who take turns at the feeders. After a slow start, the juncos have figured out how to eat from the tube feeders. They prefer the platform feeder, but that gets covered with snow about every other day, and I don’t always get out there to clear it out again.
 

Years ago, I lost all my Carolina wrens when two large snowstorms likely buried their hideout. It took years for the species to reappear on Roundtop. At the moment I have at least two and possibly three of them regularly at my feeders. So far they are doing okay, because the storms haven’t been large ones.

Sparrows, with the exception of the juncos, are in short supply. I’ve seen a white-throated sparrow exactly twice this winter. Even the usually ubiquitous song sparrows are in hiding.  It’s not even midwinter yet, but I feel as though this winter is already a long one.