February 15th. A walk west from Route 149 past Norton's Pond to Rver Road.

 

Horse prints on top of the cross country ski trail. (Horse couldn't make a parallel trail?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turning back east.

 

February 17th. Cloudy but the trail in relatively good shape, mostly packed down but not icy.

 

 

 

An American Robin (Turdus migratorius), the first bird I've seen at the trail for some time.

 

Fifty yards further on, there was a flock of them by the first beaver dam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More on the snow/ice just upstream of the dam.

 

 

 

I'm not sure what they were feeding on. I'd assumed these red berries, but...

 

...then a Facebook post showed up with a similar picture - but with the robin having a fish in it's mouth!

 

Turns out that it's common for robins to fish from ice to open water nearby.

 

Taking a drink? Maybe, but now it seems more likely that it was trying to catch a fish.

 

Do a Google Image Search for "American Robin ice fishing" to learn more about this winter behavior.

 

There was another fishing hole a bit further away, but the birds tired of my company and retreated. If I'd only known what I was seeing, I might have hung around longer.

 

A little Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) twig stretching up from the snow.

 

 

 

February 19th. Soft surface and slushy in some sections after yesterday's rain. I broke up the walk with rests on the benches.

 

 

 

This is where I saw the Robins fishing two days ago. No birds of any kind heard or seen today.

 

February 21st. Still lots of snow on the trail at Norton's Pond (and elsewhere), with over a foot more expected tonight through tomorrow.

 

 

 

February 25th. After a blizzard and a storm that added a couple more inches, the trail is deep in snow...

 

Access from Route 85 requires tackling the drifts, not to mention the unplowed snow near the fence.

 

Someone tackled it, probably on snowshoes.

 

The plowed snow will be around for a long time.

 

February 27th. With temps above freezing, I saw my first Small Winter Stonefly (Allocapnia sp.) of the season atop the snow upwind of a small flowing stream.

 

February 28th. Temps headed above 50 degrees today. Will be glad to see some of this snow go away.

 

 

 

Taking a break on a bench.

 

A flock of American Robins (Turdus migratorius) as I was walking back.

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of Common Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula) were with the Robins.

 

 

 

History in an oak leaf. Leaf miner track at the upper left, plus round spots of what I'll guess was a fungus all over.