December 1-7, 2024

While the week started and ended with bits of blue sky and sun, the rest of the week continued the long trend of continuously gray days—with no new snow in weeks.

Week in Review

Overall, this has been another slow, quiet week of gray days and icy snow. The most significant activity I've noticed have been several larger groups of birds, including a flock of ~50 green-winged teal hanging out on Big Twin Lake and ~45 California quail that have taken up residence in our neighborhood.

There's also been an unusually large group of Clark's nutcrackers hanging out around Winthrop which suggests that some factor pushed them out of the mountains. It might be a lack of food, or it might be cold weather, but it's notable that a remarkable variety of owls have been reported this winter so maybe they're being pushed out of the mountains as well?

The star attraction so far has been the northern hawk owl that stopped briefly in the valley in early November. A number of people worked really hard to refind this owl, but it disappeared after the big snowstorm we got in the middle of the month. This is probably the rarest, and most unlikely species of owl that can be found in the valley because they usually live in the boreal forests of northern Canada.

Speaking of predatory birds, other raptors are active now too. Bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, American kestrels, and merlins all seem to be doing well, probably because snow and ice haven't covered their prime hunting spots yet.

Some of these birds might eventually head south if snow levels continue to increase, but at the same time more birds may also arrive from the north.

One surprise this week was finding a freshly eaten snake on the snow. It reminds me that several winters ago we discovered a very large, freshly killed and bloody gopher snake on the snow in even colder conditions. I have no idea where these snakes are coming from, or what predators are finding them, because every snake should be deeply buried in the ground under the snow at this time of year. Neither of these snakes were frozen so they were definitely freshly killed.

Twisp Christmas Bird Count, December 14

It's time to put the Christmas Bird Count on your calendar! This annual event, now in its 125th year, is a ton of fun. It's a great way to meet other people who love nature and also spend the day helping with a great cause. This year's event takes place on Dec. 14. Folks will be meeting at the Cinnamon Twisp Bakery at 7am and also in the evening for a potluck and recap. Everyone is welcome to join, either as a route leader or participant. Contact Steve Pruett-Jones (spruettjones@gmail.com) or Wendy Sims (wendysw17@gmail.com) to sign up or get more information.

Observation of the Week: Valley Fog

Given that our winter has so far consisted of one gray day after another, we may as well look at the phenomena of clouds and fog. While we call "clouds" and "fog" different things, they are essentially the same atmospheric features, with fog occurring on or near the ground, and clouds occurring at a range of heights.

In both cases, clouds and fog form as air temperatures drop to the point where airborne vapor condenses into tiny floating droplets. This may happen in the upper atmosphere as winter storms sweep across the region, hiding mountain peaks and slopes in walls of cloud.

At the same time, low clouds and fog may also fill the valley, which can happen when higher layers of warm air trap and hold cold air in valleys (an inversion), or when supercooled mountain air flows downslope and pools up in low-lying areas.

While some days feel downright gloomy, as if you were in a soup of fog, you might drive up to Sun Mountain, Loup Loup Summit, or Gunn Ranch and find yourself in the full sun. Or you might find even more layers of clouds higher up.