Happy Grundsautag AKA (ground hog’s day).
Well apparently, that rodent in Pennsylvania saw his shadow so we’re destined to have an additional six weeks of winter. Yuck. Coincidentally, normally climatically mild Philadelphia got eight inches of snow. Inland and upstate Pennsylvania got a more. You canonize a rodent, you get what you deserve.
We got our share of snow on Saturday night. Eight wet heavy inches. That I severely irritated my back while shoveling. So no, I’m not a snow fan at the moment. Lise and I did get in a little hike at Prophetstown State Park on Monday. By then the snow surface had melted and refroze, making a thick crust we had to break through. Made for tough walking but still nice to be outside.
Not too much else exciting going on. Between the UP and Delaware, our yearly bird list is off to a good start. The last day of January we had 99 species for the month. And a baby seal. I’ve seen seals in Delaware before, but out in the ocean. This little guy was back in Rehobeth Bay.
We have a respectable start for this year’s species count, but not like last January when we were in Belize. Last year Lise finished the year with 330 species and I had 329. Given the boost from the Belize trip we should have done much better but COVID put the kibosh on that. This year, who knows. Not to be too negative, I’m thinking the first half of the year is going to look a lot like most of last year. At least I have an appointment for my first vaccine shot. And tRump isn’t president anymore. So, there is hope.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 