Cold feet and warm toes

One of the fondest memories of my Father was how he read to me at bedtime. He, and consequently I, were fond of nature stories. His inflected narratives formed vivid images of the creatures as their habits and activities were revealed. Admittedly, as I began learning how to read, I did not let him know, in fear that he might stop the practice. 

My first and favorite solo readings were the "The Bedtime Story-Books" by Thornton W Burgess (Boston, Little, Brown and Company, 1937). A kind neighbor, knowing my love of nature, gifted the series of 18 books to me around 1941. They introduced such favorite characters as Peter Rabbit, Reddy Fox and Winsome the Bluebird. Something I saw this week jogged my memory of another interesting character, "Ol' Mistah Buzzard." 

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I grew up calling Turkey Vultures "Buzzards," as did movie cowboys and nearly everyone else. This sight jogged my memories of the behavior of Ol' Mistah Buzzard, who migrated to the deep south in the winter, but had a remedy for cold toes on cool days

Although the vulture's Southern dialect would probably ban this book from classroom use in today's "Woke" culture, this little natural history gem is just one of many that exist as sparks in the recesses of my brain. It burst into flame as I took these photos. Click on the icons if you wish to read the final chapter of the Bedtime-Story "Ol' Mistah Buzzard" as Winsome the Bluebird reveals this secret to Peter Rabbit 

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This Turkey Vulture  flew over the back yard on November 6, 2022:

Three days later, an immature Turkey Vulture appeared. Soon, its dark head will turn pink and the tip of its bill will be white:

Turkey Vultures in New Jersey and all of northeastern US migrated south for the winter when I started keeping my Life List in December, 1948. I saw my first of the year (#29) on March 6, 1949. They have since expanded their year-round range into the northeastern states as human settlement increased, favoring farmland and rural areas. 

High-speed highways provided road kill all year long. A very important factor was the explosion in the numbers of White-tailed Deer. Winter-killed deer, especially yearlings and older bucks as well as carcasses left by hunters became staples of their diet. 

Smaller but more aggressive Black Vultures followed the Turkey Vultures northward, benefiting from the latter species' unique highly sensitive sense of smell which can locate carrion even if not visible from the air. 

Both of our vulture species are now seen all year here in Connecticut, but I had never encountered a Black Vulture while living in New  Jersey. My first sighting was on February 9, 1966 in northern Mississippi (Life List # 228), while I was driving to my first duty station in El Paso, Texas after being drafted into the service. (With only two weeks' notice, I left MaryLou back home with 3 small children in the snow and a house for sale).

The Black Vulture in flight exhibits a black head, light gray-tipped wings and long legs which extend to the tip or beyond its short tail. It flaps more than the Turkey Vulture, which has a shorter neck and long tail:

The past week started with a record-breaking cold snap. Our outside thermometer reached a low of minus 9.4°F (-23°C) at 6 AM on February 4. Strong winds resulted in a "feels like" chill factor of about minus 40°F (-40°C).  Mount Washington in New Hampshire, 250 miles to our north, with a low of -45 °F (-42.7°C), set a new wind chill record for the US of -109°F (-78.3°C).

One of the effects of my chemotherapy is increased sensitivity to cold, especially hands and feet. I was house-bound for several days and collected my wildlife photos through the window panes.

Visits by Eastern Bluebirds brightened our mornings. They foraged on the ground under the feeders and inspected the nest box which was their home last spring:

 

A highlight was the Red Fox which suddenly appeared in semi-darkness before sunrise on the back lawn just outside one of our windows. It was intently watching two squirrels which were running about near the feeders. For about five minutes it simply froze in place. It was so near that I had trouble containing it in the camera's viewfinder. 

At first the fox's pose seemed relaxed, but its eyes were fixed on the squirrels:

Then, it became alert and more attentive:

Furtively, it crept toward some bushes which provided more cover:

The fox then moved slowly along the pool deck before attacking in a burst of speed:

The squirrels got away.

Gray  clouds reflected on the lake's surface before the deep freeze:

The Snow Moon was setting opposite the sunrise on February 7:

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Linking to:

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

Garden Affair

All Seasons

Image-in-ing

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World
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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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