looduskalender.ee

I didn't know the history of Snow castles too good! Thank you! It is a tradition here, propably elsewhere too, that children build a snowcastle as soon as there is enough material. One town in Northern Finland has build a new, a huge snow castle now for 15 years. There is for example a Chapel, a Hotel ( room for Just Married too), Restaurant, playing room for children.. Well, it is a Commercial Enterprise so I don't tell the name of the town (it is a very special town for me). The SnowCastle is yet free to visit for the local people too. When the weather gets warm in March the snow castle with its hotel, restaurants, etc..just vanishes in the air!! Only one picture ( a hint: it is not very far from Hailuoto and Oulu :

BTW: I didn't see not one squirrel today.But huspand told that he saw one eating on the feeder early in the morning. There is just too much dry, too deep snow to Squirrels to 'walk'.. ?? It is a hard work for us humans too to 'walk' there.. We have lot of snow work here these days. And even more snow is to come.. Anyway I'm happy we have snow! There has been so many winters with poor of snow. Our nature needs it!

All my feeders are full of nuts and fat balls and seeds! Please! You lovely and sweet squirrels, welcome to you too!

1st January 2010 Happy New Year

It's a freezing cold winterday. No squirrels seen.

Some pictures from different windows:

What a beautiful place, Olga.
You take very good pictures.

Thank you, Jo! Do you remember the little ball like tree, the remain of bushes we removed be cause they had too sharp and srong thorns?

The times have changed.

Hehe... the tree seems a bit different but is still very nice.

Beautiful pics Olga. You are living in a Winter Fairyland.

A view to the little road at 22:00.



A view from the other side of the house. It's -20 C, at 22:00.

The Christmas tree without its lamplights. Only the moon is shining and some light was coming from the window to the right.



At 2:00 in the night. Lilacs and the juniper in moonlight.

Magnifique.. but too cold.!!.

7th January 2010. One Squerrel was seen before the sunrise!

One squirrel was back today! I have seen them only shortly visiting the other feeder further from the house but mostly they have been some elsewhere. We have quite cold here now, about -13-20 C and only little birds and the woodpecker visited the feeder + some black birds and a rabbit! (on the other feeder the rabbit visits each night searching the the dropped nuts.. well, I have left some for him too for the night).

I was watching him from behind the curtain:



He noticed me!



He was a bit suspicious:



Then he continued his lunch and didn't care of me too much

Maybe your squirrel is like a cat ? The experts say 'When your cat sits with his back to you, he cannot see you,therefore YOU cannot see him either'.. !!! i.e. he is invisible.!!

11th December, it's winter! It's getting warmer. If the temperasture goes to + C I have to clean that juniper be cause the snow gets more weight then. Last winter the juniper almost fell down.

These are lovely photographs! It looks like a Winter Wonderland. Here today in Vancouver we have a "heavy rain warning." The sky is so grey, it is a little windy and everything is soggy, soggy, soggy......

Helen, I have been wondering about your winter -- today we have had thin cloud cover but it has been warm, warm, wet, wet and more wet here.

And Olga your pictures -- snow and squirrels -- are always a treat.

Hello Back and white without sun. More snow is to come.. It's warm! -5 C

Squirrels are seen only by change. A 'black squirrel', white and black balls, snowy and frozen trees,..

Eh.!! You said "Warmer now"...
Those are beautiful photographs Olga. Thank you.

What lucky I have had today! First in the morning I saw the short eared squirrel on the other feeder. He was exeptionally alert. He escaped when it noticed me mooving behind the window. I let him in peace..

Then the last photo I took today is something! A Tree Creeper (Certhia Familiaris) was eating on the nut 'cace' on the trunk of the other feeder It didn't escape when I walked by when I returned from the grocery in the afternoon. I brought my camera, and went back, and there was still the Tree Creepers

In the early afternoon the long eared squirrel allowed me to admire him for half an hour! A serie of the best photos will follow.

First the rare visitor :