"Life is a window of opportunity."

According to various sites on the internet, the saying was attributed to several authors and inspirational speakers including American physician Dr. Debasish Mridha.

I much preferred that take on the saying rather than the definitions of the phrase "window of opportunity."

However, as more and more summer birds arrive, the opportunities abound for photos without the window.

I was able to capture a male hummingbird taking a break.

​First one male showed up. Then two males were there. Then fights over the feeder began. Another feeder was added in a different area. 

Bird-window collisions happen all over the world throughout the year, but the frequency and severity of collisions seem to be underestimated by the public, especially at residential settings," wrote Brendon Samuels, the first author. 
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An article on dezeen.com provided sobering stats on the issue. 
"Collisions with buildings cause billions of bird deaths a year. As many as one billion birds are killed this way every year in the US alone ...", according to the post. 
"Public awareness of bird-window collisions has grown in recent years, thanks to surveys for dead birds beneath windows.

​However, as collisions events are difficult to observe directly, there are still major gaps in understanding how and why birds fly into windows, and what happens to the birds afterwards," said the post on Science Daily. 
The post on dezeen.com also mentioned that studies reported that the size of the window didn't seem to matter or have an effect on the overall issue. 
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Meanwhile, several birding sites provided some ideas like window decals that may help curb the collisions. 
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Audubon Pennsylvania and The Audubon Society, both had great articles on the subject. 
Closer to home, we have two wildlife rehabilitation centers that can provide aid for birds injured in window strikes. 

Skye’s Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Harrisville can be contacted by phone at 814-786-9677 or on their website. 
Tamarack Wildlife Center can be reached by phone at 814-763-2574 or on their site. 

Meanwhile at the pond, while the frogs were safe from window collisions. They weren't so safe from Sadie, the Newfoundland.
An opportunity presented itself when a large bullfrog refused to engage in Sadie's intimidation tactics.

The encounter lasted a brief minute. I was giggling the entire time and trying to steady the camera.
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In the back of my mind, I was slightly fearful that she might actually get this one.
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However, I didn't have to worry as this one got away like many others before it. 

I was able to capture the action and a somewhat surprised Sadie. 
Sadie continued to wait for her window of opportunity when frog hunting.
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I hoped that that opportunity would never come and that the window remained closed. 

Opportunities for flora photos abounded this week. In the woods and fields, the ragwort added some yellow to the landscape.

​Lady slipper orchids were preparing their slipper-like blooms. Back in the garden while some tulips started to fade, others were still holding onto their petals. 

Trail camera photos and a photo I took showed some of the neighbor does were looking a little round. I hoped that this year I would have a window of opportunity for some fawn photos.

That window was usually closed to me, but open for the trail cameras.

Windows of opportunity open and close. When you see one, you should probably take it. However, don't mourn if you miss it.

There may be another window open somewhere. Nonetheless, the window of opportunity to prevent bird-window collisions is wide open. 

Other photos focused on flora turned out better. Forest and fields continued to be filled with new life. I even spotted the leaves of a lady slipper plant emerging. 

An April warm spell had me panicking that I was desperately behind in yard work.

Observations from my commute included folks lawn mowing and unloading various yard work supplies like garden soil and fertilizer. After arriving home, I glanced out the window at my yard that is still populated by many sticks from the various and sundry windstorms.

​ I felt woefully lax in the attention to my landscaping. However, Kennedy, the goat has been a beneficiary of several of the downed branches. 
 
However, a little research on local weather statistics eased my anxiety just a bit. 

​A chart on the National Weather Service’s page of first and last dates spelled out the first and last time temperatures were less than 32 degrees.

So while the mercury was rising, the threat of frost remained possible at least until mid-May. 
However, the National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh posted on its Facebook page on April 20, stating, "The growing season is now active in the entire NWS Pittsburgh forecast area, with the addition of the remaining forecast zones as of today. Frost/Freeze alerts will be issued as needed."

Henceforth the service will be issuing alerts until the threat of frost has subsided.

​A quick look at the upcoming forecast led me to believe that a weather statement may indeed be issued for next Monday night.
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On a side note, Franklin may have set a new high temperature for April 15. A look at National Weather Service records for that date, revealed that while the normal temperature should have been around 60 degrees, that day a temperature of 86 degrees was recorded and marked as the new high for that date. 

While a temperature of 81 degrees was documented on April 16, 2023; it fell short of the record of 87 degrees recorded in 2003.

​However, the National Weather Services' Climate Prediction Center's eight to 14-day outlook for April 25 to May 1, forecasted below normal temperatures for the region and near normal precipitation for that date range. 

Nonetheless, the warmer mid-April temps seemed to have blooms bursting forth everywhere.

In the woodlands, the serviceberry shrubs were gracing the landscapes with their white blossoms. ​

A variety of violets seemed to materialize overnight.

I felt that some of their blooms could have been inhibited by the drier weather. I had kept my eye on a halberd-leaved violet that sports a yellow bloom.

​However, before it opened, the plant disappeared. I had bad feeling that Kennedy may have had something to do with the 

​There were a few flowers whose early arrival triggered some worry.

Crabapple tree blossoms, peach tree blooms and bleeding hearts could all be susceptible to a hard frost. 

I held out hope that the plants would have a little patience and hold off until the danger of freezing temperatures had passed.

However, the crabapple tree was coaxed into blooming by a couple of warmer days this week.

​Sadly its blooms may succumb to colder temperatures forecasted for the beginning of next week. 

Nonetheless, flowers weren't the only ones showing off their colors.

​I managed to find a cooperative red admiral butterfly who would sit still for a photo. 

Much to my delight, a pair of mallards had returned to the pond.

They have tried to nest there before. However they had a rough go of it with all the predators that visit the area.

​Hopefully, they will be able to find a safe and secure nest location this go around. 

Other winged creatures out and about this past week included Eastern comma butterflies.

There have been several spotted delighting in the sunny warmer days.
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​I have also viewed many mourning cloak butterflies.

However, a lot of them were cooperative enough to pose for a good photo.

Of course, it did not help that several canine companions kept charging through the shots.

​Nonetheless, one butterfly decided to tease me by landing on my shoulder. 

Earlier this month, the cold kept the frogs in hiding.

​Nonetheless, I did locate some wood frogs in a vernal pool that would let me nab some photos.

 I do think they may have been too busy with mating and mating calls to pay attention to much of anything else. 
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However, in just a matter of days climbing temperatures in addition to sunny days, had the rest of the frogs including bullfrogs hopping out to enjoy the weather. 

Just as the warmer and sunnier weather brought the frogs out, it also seemed to have made the flowers burst forth.

Daffodils opened overnight.

The catkins on my hybrid pussywillow bloomed.

Crocuses sprung forth from the grass.

​A lot of the trailing arbutus plants weren't quite open yet. However, warmer weather sped up the process and a few blooms were visible. 

According to the National Weather service, Pittsburgh also had exceeded its February snow totals.

A day before the "big snow", the office posted on March 14 that "We just measured a quick 0.4 inches of snow with the band here at the office.

That brings our daily snow total to 0.6 inches. 

For perspective, that's three times our entire February monthly snowfall."

Of course, according to reports, Pittsburgh added at least another inch to that total on March 15.

Nonetheless, these totals were nothing compared to the Blizzard of 1993. Monday, March 13, marked the 30th anniversary of the storm. 
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The National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh put things in context by posting "since November 2022, we've measured 14.6 inches of snow for this 2022-2023 season.

On March 13, 1993, we measured 23.6 inches of snow in a single day, which is the longstanding record for maximum one-day snowfall for Pittsburgh.

​Nearby Latrobe, Pa., recorded 36 inches with ten-foot drifts!". More information on the storm can be found at this site. 

Nonetheless, the calendar marches toward next Monday, the first day of spring. 

As the temperatures warmed, I hoped that the pair of Canada geese that I had seen at the pond last weekend would return once the water opened up again. 

I wasn't the only one bird watching.
My husband decided that Lil' Bit, the cat, needed a window feeder so he could view the birds close up.
So far the feeder's been a hit. No birds have hit the window, because I don't do windows.
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However, Lil' Bit has jumped at the window a couple of times after the birds on the other side of the panes. We may need to purchase him a helmet. 
Birds visiting the feeder included those of the smaller variety. Titmice, chickadees, goldfinches and nuthatches have been the ones to tryout the new feeder. 
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​Some of our summer returnees to the bird feeder included grackles, red-winged blackbirds and European starlings. Currently some of our winter birds like dark-eyed juncos and American tree sparrows are still hanging around. 

While the wall calendar said it's not spring, last week several National Weather Service offices’ Facebook posts announced that March 1 marked the beginning of meteorological spring in the northern hemisphere.

​However, I felt a quote attributed to American screenwriter and novelist, Millard Kaufman appropriately summed up this time of year. "I glanced out the window at the signs of spring. The sky was almost blue, the trees were almost budding, the sun was almost bright.”

I saw some budding trees and lilacs. Their buds remained tightly closed against the cold.
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Some of my snowflake flowers had bloomed and survived a wintry blast of snow already.

I planted some snowdrop flowers last year to replace some of mine that had died out. I think I saw one of the newbies forcing its way above ground.

Meanwhile, in the basement, a few gerbera daisies and a Shasta daisy flower made an appearance.

And I was able to capture my first robin photo of the season.

​However, that wasn’t technically the high for the day as southwest winds drove temps up to 29 degrees at 11:56 p.m. that night.  
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While the temperatures cooperated for Saturday, Sunday was a different story.

The station’s stats for Sunday, Feb. 5, proved that Mother Nature didn’t help extend the longevity of the ice sculptures or any of her own icy art.

A high of 44 degrees was recorded.

Meanwhile, by Monday morning some of the manmade structures had already succumbed to the warmup.

​There may have also had some human helping hands that made sure the icy compositions didn’t topple onto some unsuspecting bystanders as they melted.

By midweek, the sculptures were pretty much nothing but memories.

​The same could have also been said about any ice structures nature had created.

According to the weather station in Franklin, Monday, Feb. 6, started out warmer at 40 degrees at 12:56 a.m. and then by the end of the day dropped to 29 degrees.

​However, it was too late for ice sculptures and any of nature’s ice art. 

By Thursday, it was clear that any icy creations wouldn’t have survived any way.
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​The National Weather station at the airport posted that at 7:56 p.m. the temperature was reported at 61 degrees.

​The weather service had already posted that at 1 p.m. Thursday's temperatures were 20 to 30 degrees above the average high for this time of year.

​Pittsburgh reached 70 degrees which topped a previous record of 68 degrees. 

​I spotted an interesting formation that mimicked the shape of an oak leaf.

I was unsure whether the ice had formed around the leaf or if the sun had melted the ice in that pattern.

​The pattern contained some lines that were indicative of cat-ice. 

​An article posted on yahoo.com by Andrea Romano described the formations. 
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“Cat-ice, which is marked by pretty “’contour lines’ that make swirls or concentric circles in puddles or other small bodies of water, is named because the thin ice could only potentially bear the weight of a light-footed and agile cat,” Romano posted. 

​​Thinking about the cat-ice I had viewed; I wasn’t so sure than any Applegate felines could cross it without crushing it.

Also in Mother Nature’s ice art collection was some frosted flair that included hoarfrost.

AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski posted on AccuWeather.com about hoarfrost. 
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Titled “What is hoarfrost?,” the article went into some detail on the weather phenomenon. 

“The term ‘hoarfrost’ is derived from the Old English meaning of frost resembling an old man's beard,” Sosnowski wrote.
Sosnowski added that “frost and hoarfrost can only form when the air and objects are at or below freezing. However, while frost may form when the air is relatively dry, the air must be quite moist for hoarfrost to form.”

​Other sites mentioned that hoarfrost can also appear as featherlike or leaflike structures. These structures can be found on exposed plants or branches near open waterways.
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That’s exactly where I found several of the delicate forms. 

We do come across deer on our daily walks. Last week after some wintery weather eased up, the deer seemed to be everywhere. 

The neighborhood herd of does remained strong at around eight.
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Meanwhile, the trail camera captured some bucks passing though. 
One buck that we saw on the trail was missing a horn.

That could mean that some bucks have started to shed their antlers already.
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However, a buck caught on camera was still sporting a full set of antlers. 

Also on the trail cameras was evidence of increased coyote activity.

​The game commission's wildlife notes provided some explanation for this.
 
Female coyotes "have one heat period that lasts four to five days, usually in February," the note said.

Not making an appearance yet on my cameras were any bears. 
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"Bears enter hibernation late in the fall, with pregnant females being the first to enter dens, typically during mid to late November. Males den several weeks later," a wildlife note said. 
The note went on to say that on warm, late-winter days, the bears may emerge and wander nearby their dens. 
However, folks can watch a bear who is denned up on camera online at this site.

Also missing from my trail cameras so far this season were any turkeys. During out walks, I have not viewed any signs of the large wild birds either.

​The game commission is also looking for turkey sightings from now until March 15. Residents can report their information with this link. 

A few inches of snowfall over the past weekend, left Sherman outstanding in the cold.

​However, being a Saint Bernard, he delighted in it. 

The elder Saint Bernard is a real poser, and I took advantage of his prowess to snap several photos against the snowy backdrop.

In one photo it looked like he was watching over our homestead.

More than likely, he was watching my parents' house waiting for someone to come out and pet him. 

His curiosity over an old pitcher pump that has been in the yard since he was born, prompted several pictures.

​He of course nailed the modeling thing down pat and struck a pose beside the pump. 

I posted several photos of Sherman on a Saint Bernard forum on Facebook.

​He of course was lavished with praise for his handsomeness.

​Instead of the internet fame, Sherman would rather have had the in-person attention and pets. 

The lyrics "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" may have seemed like more of a nightmare for those dealing with the winter storm that impacted the area over the holiday weekend.
White-knuckled driving and life-threatening wind chills didn't add much to the holiday festivities. 

Some of the wind gusts were forecast to reach 50 to 55 mph. ​

On Christmas Day the National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh posted on its Facebook page, "Yinz, we have 1" of snow on the ground, hereby making it a White Christmas!." I almost commented on the post saying, "here in Venango County we have 1" over here and a 4-foot drift over there." 

There was no escaping it the wind was brutal. As we attempted to stay upright against the wintry blasts, snow devils or snownadoes raced across the fields and hills.
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The trail cameras were inundated with photos that were predominantly white.
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Night vision photos showed snow blowing one way, then another and then another.

It seems my focus for holiday photos had shifted from the perfect photo to just enjoying the moments with my crazy critters. 

Many of the outtakes had me laughing out loud and my pets' reactions were priceless.

The best photo from this year was one where Sherman shook off a pair of reindeer horns.

​There happened to be enough light that day for me have a fast enough shutter speed to capture the pair suspended in midair. 

I was so amazed at how much more delightful the whole holiday hat photo session was when I turned my focus to the experience rather than expecting "perfect" results. 

I pondered how much less stressful the holiday season may be if I stopped focusing on the perfect Christmas and just 'pawsed' to enjoy the experience. 

"A sundog is a concentrated patch of sunlight occasionally seen about 22 (degrees) to the left or right of the sun. Sundogs often form in pairs on either side of our daytime star when sunlight refracts through icy clouds containing hexagonal platecrystals aligned with their large, flat faces parallel to the ground. Technically known as parhelia (singular parhelion) they are often white but sometimes quite colorful, looking like detached pieces of (a) rainbow, with red on the inside, toward the sun, and blue on the outside," said a post at skyandtelescope.org.