December Sky
This December sky came at sunset on yet another warm and almost balmy evening…what a time to be alive! Our world is changing all around us as even buds and flowers have started to bloom in these unbelievable weather conditions. Yes, this is El Niño, but it is an El Niño in a period of intense global warming and climate change…all of which will cause possibly more frequent and more severe events going forward. The rate of this temperature change is unprecedented, and if it feels strange to us then imagine how the wildlife and plants throughout our world are feeling. I will be...
Read MoreHidden Wood Duck
This pond had a bunch of Mallards, American Black Ducks, and some hybrids…and hidden in the back were a couple of Wood Ducks, a treat for a December day when this water could very well have been frozen over in many other years. I hope you will be able to put on your t-shirt and shorts and get outside to enjoy this unfathomable stretch of holiday heat this weekend. See what you can find and keep an open mind – in the past week I have seen uncommon lingering birds like these, a dragonfly (Autumn Meadowhawk) and a butterfly (Orange Sulphur). It’s unbelievable! Scott Kruitbosch...
Read MoreRed-bellied Woodpecker
This is one gorgeous bird! It is a male Red-bellied Woodpecker enjoying the warmth of this December weekend, soaking in some sun between feeding on acorns and all sorts of natural food – which seems to be in abundance this season. Between the temperatures in this wonderfully warm stretch of weather and the varied menu to select from it is easy to see why species like this one are able to make a push further north to expand their range. The last two frigid years were an exception to the new warmer-than-average rule, and this incredible positive temperature departure is really going to...
Read MorePolar Vortex Blocked
Via NWS New York, here’s a nice explanation of why we are baking in December heat with a scorched brown earth instead of freezing in frosty snow-covered lands as we were the past two years right about now. El Niño should continue blocking the polar vortex as long as it stays strong, and considering it’s amounting to be the strongest ever recorded…
Read MoreRecord December Heat
What a remarkable and historic stretch of weather! The probable strongest El Niño of all-time looks like it will keep us all very warm for a while still…we are getting into more uncharted territory here in Earth’s modern history. At least it is helping the extreme drought in the west, but what other potentially severe weather is yet to come? Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
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