Gallery themes: For animals that struggle with deep snow, February 2015 was an especially tough month. Your photos revealed bobcats in backyards, and owls near buildings. Other themes: foolhardy Yankees braving arctic extremes, winter wonderland views, and good weather for logging...at least where the snow wasn’t too deep.
February 2015
Pelham, MA: This moose has been hanging out in the same area all winter, and really appreciates the road salt. Credit: Charlie Thompson
Northern VT: “Frost in my west window this morning (February 21). Balmy negative six degrees, quite a warm-up from the recent string of 20-belows.” Credit: Barbara Mackay
Searsmont, ME: A saw-whet owl perched on a chip pile in the Robbins Lumber Company’s fuel house. Credit: Travis Reynolds, Robbins Lumber Company
Conway, NH: This beautiful bobcat showed up in photographer Debra Marnich’s backyard, perhaps seeking rodents among the firewood piles. This was the first she’d seen in ten years. Credit: Debra Marnich
Thetford, VT: Another backyard bobcat. This one is staring at a squirrel (not pictured) that had been pillaging the photographer’s bird feeder. Credit: Alice Gollnick
Warwick, RI: A snowshoe hare resting area, called a form. Credit: Anne Marie Meegan
Thetford, VT: A sign along a rural road. Credit: Anonymous
Preston, CT: Fresh snow creates an otherworldly scene near the photographer’s home. Credit: Bridget Park
Woodstock, VT: An especially beautiful example of an avian “snow angel of death.” Note how deep the talons sank to reach the prey. Credit: Betty Anne McGuire
Preston, CT: A hard February for deer. This yearling forages for food in the photographer’s backyard. Credit: Brian Park
Southwestern VT: The afternoon sun casts long shadows in the sugarbush. Still too cold for sap, but that sun keeps getting stronger. Credit: Anonymous
Strafford, VT: Vermont’s 2013 Tree Farmer of the Year, John Hemenway, chats with trucker Jack Johnson (left) and logger Charles Johnson (right) on his woodlot during a winter harvest. Credit: Paul Harwood
Strafford, VT: From the same timber harvest: Jack Johnson loads his log truck. Credit: Paul Harwood
Wilmington, VT: Students from Twin Valley Elementary School’s after-school “Wings” program. “Funny to watch the kids plowing through 3 foot drifts, but they were troopers!” Credit: Michael Clough
Claremont, NH: “This photo is of a lone cardinal who is weathering the endless barrage of snow.” Credit: Katherine Sprague
East Dummerston, VT: Vermont based author/educator/forester Lynn Levine displays her newest children's book, just arrived from the printer. Is It Time, Yet? describes a spotted salamander's journey to a vernal pool to find a mate. See Heartwood Press for details: www.heartwoodpress.com. Credit: Elise Tillinghast
Preston, CT: A fisher caught on a game camera. Credit: Brian Park
Southern VT: A picnic lunch in 6 degrees (-20 degree windchill). Credit: Anonymous
Hopkinton, NH: “Several years ago, a large and glorious heart appeared on the trail in Hawthorne Town Forest. It is maintained in all seasons and shown here this winter. I think a young couple started it, but it’s now sustained by many of us.” Credit: Esther Cowles
Wanakena, NY: Barbara Mackay’s recent “Outside Story” article inspired reader Kristin Rehder to take this snowflake photo, “the first one I ever captured.” Credit: Kristin Rehder
Ascutney, VT: This snowy owl set up shop around a barn, presumably because of a high rodent count. The picture was taken from afar with a telephoto lens, to avoid disrupting the owl’s hunting. Credit: Tig Tillinghast
Colton, NY: A morning walk on Higley Flow, in a balmy 19 degrees below freezing. Credit: Patrick White
Whitingham, VT: This long-tailed weasel (no, they don’t always turn white in the winter) avails himself of an easy meal. Credit: Michael Clough
Fairlee, VT: Ice fishing huts on Lake Fairlee. Credit: Anonymous
Bakersfield, VT: Almost perfectly preserved deer bed in the woods behind photographer Hannah Doyle’s house. Credit: Hannah Doyle
Shelburne Falls, MA: Its feathers fluffed to trap body heat, this robin looks none too happy with the bitter temperatures. Credit: Helene Grogan
Dover, VT: Water release from Somerset Dam. Credit: Jason Aplin
Thetford, VT: You eating that? An eagle and crow gather by a carcass on the Ompompanoosuc River. Over several days, eagles and crows gathered here, seemingly without any squabbles. Credit: Tig Tillinghast
Hopkinton, NH: Big snow, happy dog. Credit: Esther Cowles
Southern VT: The chimney hole in an active beaver lodge. Credit: Anonymous