Ice storm

We are half way to Spring (Groundhog's Day, Candlemass is tomorrow) and half way through an ice storm. NWS forecast ice at 0300; we woke at 0330 to pinging and rattling on the glass; forecast verified. What started as rain quickly turned to sleet. PSU closed till 1000 and all of the area schools took the whole day off. We have .5" accumulation of slippery, white stuff. It's falling as a mixture of very fine ice pellets or snow grains and rain. Temp is holding at 30 for most of the morning.

Birds and squirrels don't seem annoyed by the precip and could even be grateful for the handouts today.
A pair of Carolina Wrens (look waaaaaaaaaay down in the left bottom corner) snatched a dead moth on the deck behind the grill. One perched in the ladder out of the weather for a few seconds. Year birds for the Barony. Flickers attacked the ice in the flat stump feeder so the little birds could follow. Two pairs of cardinals, several blue jays, at least one redbellied and downy, innumerable mourning doves, juncos and goldfinches, lots of tree sparrows, titmouse, nuthatches, and chicadees (all the regulars) kept us entertained through the storm. Check the ice on the dove's tail. Many other birds had icy tails as well.

We see small branches scoured off after the big winds early this week but the Baron reported no new trees down after his walk yesterday.
I wonder when we should think about pulling the ground feeders because of the Great Bear Wake up Call.

Little red squirrel

Spring is near. I can feel it. I noticed some tree buds yesterday and today I’m watching a little red (I think) squirrel chow down on the bird suet. I saw 2 chipmunks racing through the snow, the first sighting of the season of them. The gold finches are blotchy yellow instead of their winter drab, and Dr. Cardinals (that's what Mom Kitty used to call them)seem brighter. And now I wake up to the sun coming over the mountains instead of waiting, warm under the covers, to watch it. There's lots of bird bickering, tail chasing and swooping after each other, too. Two deer visited the hill garden this afternoon. One looked much lighter in color than the dusky gray of winter. They both seemed well fed and healthy. Can daffodils be far behind?