Birds Enjoying our Feeder The weather forecasters warned about the upcoming storm for days.  There were prior storm warnings this season that came to nothing, but this one seemed to be real as the hours closed in on the start of the storm.  The birds were constantly at our feeder before the snow started to accumulate.

It started with a whimper.  First there was as bit of rain.  Thunder too.  Big Flakes mingled with the raindrops.

Early SnowfallRain, sleet, and snow as seen through our family room window.

Then there was a long pause.  The forecasteres continued to talk about the huge accumulations and we were in the Big Red Storm Watch areas.

The snow falling resumed.  When we went to bed on the first night, barely a just a few inches had accumulated.  Overnight, we picked up a few more inches.  I was a little disappointed, actually.   But the snow started again in the early morning hours and this time was accompanied by high winds.  Sometimes you were hear the pelting of sleet on the roof.  The type of snow changed over time; sometimes the little small flakes that would make the sky white; sometimes extremely large flakes that seemed to be over 2 inches in diameter as they slowly floated to the ground.

In the Midst of the StormBig Puffy Snowflakes caused a rapid accumulation of snow.

Seeing the Blizzard in our BackyardI spent the afternoon watching the blizzard in our backyard. Heavy snow at this point.

At about the half foot mark, my husband started to rev up the snowblower and clean the driveway.  My job was to make sure that the snow was cleared around all doors and the loosen the snow that had accumulated in big drifts in the driveway.  

Plowing Out Our DrivewayMy husband is fighting against the blizzard conditions as he tries to clean the driveways at about the 6 inch accumulation mark.

The winds were still howling.  As we worked outside, the snow was pelting against our faces.  There were areas in our yard where the drifts were huge.  Our back deck was one of those areas.  The wind was such that the snow whipped around and settled very close to the picture window.

Drifting outside of our picture windowThere was a huge drift outside of our picture window. The winds were such that about 3 feet accumulated right there. The birds are trying to still feed with the birdseed that fell to the top of the snow from the feeder.

It’s spring and the birds were trying to get to our feeder.  The wind made it tough, but there were time that the bird feeder was a welcome respite from the blowing winds.  All of the possible feeding positions were occupied.  My husband went out numerous times to refill the feeder or to throw birdseed on top of the newly formed drifts on our deck.  The birds and squirrels responded by visiting often.

Enjoying the Bird SeedMy husband threw birdseed on top of the snow drifts on our back deck. The various birds were grateful.

Bird at our FeederThe birds would congregate at our feeder. to feed and to stay away from the howling winds.

Even Cardinals came to feed.

A Whole Array of Birds Enjoyed Our Bird SeedWhen the drifts became too huge to fill the bird feeder, my husband would just throw some bird seed onto the deck.

And it still continued to snow.  Again, we went out to clear the snow.  We watched the weather on TV and noticed that practically everything was closed.  Wind gusts were over 40 miles per hour.  They finally announced that it was a bllizzard.

And still the snow continued.  One foot.  Two feet.  Drifts becoming even higher.  Our street wasn’t plowed.  I went on a short scouting walk to see what the main road was like.  Snow covered is an understatement when trying to describe what the road conditions were like.  Forget about sidewalks being plowed.  Tall boots were a necessary item to have when walking around.

Our RoadOur Road wasn't completely plowed. Just a once through so cars might be able to get through the blowing and drifting snow and make it from our road to the main road without getting stuck.

After two days, the snow finally ended.  Additional clean up was necessary.  Schools were cancelled on Monday, the day after the blizzard finally ended.  Too much snow had accumulated and there were layers of ice underneath.  The roads were very rough in the morning, but by noon,  the scene had changed significantly so I went on a walk.

Cleaning Up the Snow Once AgainOur street finally got a proper plow through and my husband is cleaning up the curtain of our driveway.