the first peep

We've now reached the typical window for the Swainson's Thrush to be heard. Not to be seen, that's asking a lot - but the soft questioning peep? should be audible in the next few days. My wife's favorite sound is their mating song, but that usually takes a week or two more before both genders are well represented in the area.

We're listening..

In the meantime the first black-headed Grosbeaks and their 'tipsy robin' song have arrived.
How funny, 'tipsy robin' is now a song title; that really messed up my search!


Update, 19 May: the Thrush have arrived!
They might have reached us on the 18th, I suspected I heard one. They are more vocal at twilight, and that's when the heavy showers reached us - so I wasn't out listening in any case! No spiraling trills yet, just the short or longer one-note calls at this point. Too tired to set up a new nest just yet, perhaps?

Update #2, 21 May - at 5:30 this morning I heard the first song.
Until then I had only heard the peep or whit call.

long time no see

This has not been a feature of the 2018-9 wet season. It's definitely rather typical in November-January rather than April, and the amounts will not be huge; still, it's something. After a March that was just 41% of average, we'll take it!

Our Oct-Mar 'wet season' total was 84% of average, which is the first time in four or more years that we've been subpar. The weekly total is forecast to be about three inches, so no flooding or damage - but with April normal at just over 5", we may be in the above-average category for a week or two.

full detachment

A week ago our high was about 43°, and a few patches of snow still loitered on our driveway.
Today we hit 70°, and we never reached the dewpoint temperature. The east wind and its down-slope drying had something to do with that; in a few days showers will return, and our lines will overlap yet again.

Amazing turnaround in a single week though!

And the mosquitoes have arrived.
Drat.

moving day!

It seems like a week ago we were freezing every night - guess it was closer to ten days? In any case we're hitting 60 degrees now, shoots are shooting and spring has begun! Still chilly in the shade though.

The sun is now rising far enough north to influence the temperature sensor. Morning temps shoot up just after sunrise then level off or even drop a bit. It cannot be entirely fixed, but the summer location is in the shade for more of the day - so this morning I shifted the pole back to its summer spot. At least the high temperatures are well represented, even if the 7AM temps are a bit overstated!

Looks like I moved it around 10:30 AM.. note how the shadier spot makes a difference.

Marching on

Warmest and coldest
February days

February was not a warm month. Sure it sorta started that way - but the table shows just how long that lasted! About 16½ inches of snow fell here on the hill-top; curiously that's the lowest February total of the last three years. Amazing to me, as I've never thought of February as a snow month. Even Portland got its share, though not nearly as much  - but Eugene definitely had 16" or more, mostly on a single memorable day.

And so on to March. A few snow showers are loitering even now, but making it stick is hard. Our two-inch snowfall yesterday/7th nearly melted away before another half inch arrived this morning as reinforcement. It too has faded - and forecasts are improving. Other than a bit of rain/snow early next week we should be dry.

By next week we may even be done with freezing temperatures! Chilly fingers crossed..

wow

NRCS basin snowpack measurements - effect of the 2019 Big Chill!

yes more snow

Another inch came down this morning, putting the month at just under 16 inches of snowfall. All of this year's snow came in February - too early to say that generally for the season though, as early March is just two days away! I see that Seattle last had a high near normal on 2/4, and many highs this month were are or below the average low temperature. Oof.

This perpetual Yukon low will wither away to drier weather for early March - but no heat wave, not even seasonal for a while. Here is March 8th forecasts from GFS, ECMWF and CMC models, all showing teal-tint 540MB heights are about as good as we can expect. Not Arctic certainly, but definitely not an early sping! And considering the mild Oct-Jan season, it feels like we got a bonus season this year.