Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Climate Change & Current National Freezing Conditions

[MossRoad]

... The interesting aspect about crows is that individually, they really lack ingenuity, but collectively, they are among the planet's most clever operators....

There's dozens and dozens of studies out there that'll dispute that... They are highly intelligent on their own as well as in a group.

 

[majorwager]

Moss,
Read an article by a zoologist that stated the crafty clever behavior of the crow is learned by membership in their community as a youth. IF they are raised as individual chicks, w/o exposure to their siblings, they found the sheltered birds did NOT share the ingenuity of the birds raised in a group w/ mature birds as instructors. We can always find literature to support one opinion or another. You may have missed my point. I was stating that if they are RAISED without exposure to other crows, they are NOT as resourceful.

However, when raised w/ siblings and more mature birds, then whether traveling alone or in a flock, they are equal. Much of their clever nature is LEARNED behavior, not so different than members of a forum.

 

[MossRoad]

I guess I don't understand your point....

You said the interesting thing about crows is that individually, they really lack ingenuity.

If you take that in your context of they don't learn anything on their own, and have to be taught by the collective crow community, that's no different than humans.

Feral children - A-Level Sociology - Marked by Teachers.com

 

[Oaktree]

We got the 3rd Nor'Easter, in 5 days, last night. Not as much snow down as forecast in our area (6-8 inches forecast, likely got 2-4) - storm line likely tracked a bit farther north as we seem to have gotten more rain/drizzle than snow. Further north they are getting hit hard - with the unforecast rebound wave of snow, they may get up to 18 inches total!

Of the 3, the first one missed us entirely, we got 4-5" from the 2nd and a foot+ from yesterday's storm (still coming down lightly). No wind to speak of. We're often in a snow shadow for northeasters/coastal storms. OTOH if a storm comes in from the west we get buried.

Glad I got out & plowed early while it was still relatively fluffy, warmed up later and it got soft & heavy...heart attack snow.

 

[tcreeley]

It is a heavy wet snow. Much like the last storm a week ago. It is still falling and supposed to stop by 7pm. It is above freezing and I am glad this is not rain coming down. We have not lost power which is nice! I don't mind letting the generator sit idle!

Here is a pic from the front porch from a couple of hours ago.

 

[majorwager]

Moss
Won't debate the intellect of a human vs a bird, although some posts do make one ponder a correlation. Believe I clarified the point as intended with the follow-up. The expectation of agreement on TBN is seldom expected nor achieved.

The zoologist suggested that the crow's mental development is impaired if isolated from mature influence during their youth. Will note you are a crow development "denier" , an appropriate status under a climate heading. I do not know if the author of the article had collected sufficient scientific data to support the position. I can unequivocally say I have lost complete interest in this topic.

 

[MossRoad]

The zoologist suggested that the crow's mental development is impaired if isolated from mature influence during their youth.

For a zoologist to suggest that a crow's mental development is impaired if isolated from mature influence during youth is some sort of significant discovery is like saying he discovered that water is wet. Very few, if any, I can't think of one, warm blooded animals can dump and run on its baby. It won't survive. Whereas reptiles, amphibians, fish, etc... can just dump and run, wether egg layers or live birth. Most of those babies are programmed to survive from the get-go if they don't get eaten.

 

[Tompet]

I guess I don't understand your point....

You are correct with this statement on majorwager's post(s). No big deal, off topic, time to move on...

 

[MossRoad]

OK. It's coming up on spring and the 60,000 -100,000 crows that call South Bend, Indiana their winter home will be breaking up soon to go off and do what crows do during the summer. In fall, they'll all come back. Seems their leaving sooner in the spring and coming back later in the fall now.

 

[majorwager]

See post #2, summarily describes this thread, regret repeatedly my error in iniation. With some good fortune, sun will soon shine and posting under a thread describing freezing conditions will appear foolish. Diminished obscurity can't arrive too soon, and hopefully the mistake won't be repeated, at least not with my fingerprint attached. Kept hoping Muhammad would move it to the oblivion forum.

 

[tcreeley]

40F today and 16" is waiting to be plowed out there from yesterday's late ending storm. Taking my time- a benefit of being retired! - Never lost power - that is unusual for Maine! - I'd love to let it just melt, but my wife would not be too thrilled!

Here is an interesting photo I took through the screen of icicles making their way off the snow that had slid off the metal roof. I think the wind had a hand in this!

There is even some talk of another nor'easter next week!

Crazy weather, crazy days. - Re the roof and the sliding ice dam- never happens under regular conditions. There is an inch and a half of circulating air under the metal roofing. Normally the roof snow melt slowly - slow drip as the days and nights warm up. With our 4th week of freezing night temps and above freezing day temps- it is turning into a slow sliding slush puddle up there that recovers every night!

Rain, Heavy rain- that will add an interesting element to the mix. We'd probably get two weeks of a hard freeze if it did rain!

Never quite know what to expect with this climate scenario that unfolds.

 

[Jstpssng]

See post #2, summarily describes this thread, regret repeatedly my error in iniation. With some good fortune, sun will soon shine and posting under a thread describing freezing conditions will appear foolish. Diminished obscurity can't arrive too soon, and hopefully the mistake won't be repeated, at least not with my fingerprint attached. Kept hoping Muhammad would move it to the oblivion forum.

Don't worry so much about post #2; it's just one person's opinion. This is a civil discussion, as per the rules; as long as it stays that way, there's really no reason to do differently.

 

[Jstpssng]

40F today and 16" is waiting to be plowed out there from yesterday's late ending storm. Taking my time- a benefit of being retired! - Never lost power - that is unusual for Maine! - I'd love to let it just melt, but my wife would not be too thrilled!

Here is an interesting photo I took through the screen of icicles making their way off the snow that had slid off the metal roof. I think the wind had a hand in this! View attachment 544094

There is even some talk of another nor'easter next week!

Crazy weather, crazy days. - Re the roof and the sliding ice dam- never happens under regular conditions. There is an inch and a half of circulating air under the metal roofing. Normally the roof snow melt slowly - slow drip as the days and nights warm up. With our 4th week of freezing night temps and above freezing day temps- it is turning into a slow sliding slush puddle up there that recovers every night!

Rain, Heavy rain- that will add an interesting element to the mix. We'd probably get two weeks of a hard freeze if it did rain!

Never quite know what to expect with this climate scenario that unfolds.

This winter's weather reminds me so much of lake effect snow; the way it comes in and just hovers for days. I haven't seen the sun shine since I don't know when. (But at least I'm not stuck in Folsom Prison. )

 

[tcreeley]

This winter's weather reminds me so much of lake effect snow; the way it comes in and just hovers for days. I haven't seen the sun shine since I don't know when. (But at least I'm not stuck in Folsom Prison. )

:thumbsup:

6" forecast for the end of this week coming up. I had been looking or a month off from snow at the start of the month! That didn't last long!

Using the tractor yesterday was interesting when the snow would pack down and suddenly one tire was higher than the other as I am pushing with the bucket to clear a path to the dumpster! Snowman snow!

 

[Jstpssng]

:thumbsup:

6" forecast for the end of this week coming up. I had been looking or a month off from snow at the start of the month! That didn't last long!

Using the tractor yesterday was interesting when the snow would pack down and suddenly one tire was higher than the other as I am pushing with the bucket to clear a path to the dumpster! Snowman snow!

Lately we've been getting those lulls in February, which makes people start thinking about an early spring. It NEVER happens! Last year TSC as well as the Lincoln Aubuchon's where I get my feed both were selling baby chicks in February; by the time I was ready to start they were done getting them in. I have to wonder how many of them died; in March I was offered a free litter of piglets, because the farmer couldn't keep them warm and they were dying.

 

[tcreeley]

A couple of times years ago we ordered strawberries from Guerneys in South Dakota I think. They sent them too early- the ground was still frozen what ever their zone tables said. Under all of this snow the ground is soft. Probably frost further down. It is always interesting to watch the ground drop 4-5" depending on how it froze. We get lawn lakes and then suddenly there will be a hole in the ground and no water.

The chickens are laying. 5 eggs today, even though it was 18F this morning. My wife wants another 6-8 chicks this spring. We order them from Blue Seal in Bangor in April/May, or the last batch from Perko's in Exeter. We got those in June.

The good news is that the predicted storm for the end of the week went from 6" to an inch of snow.

 

[Jstpssng]

I've been buying a few 8 week old pullets every year from down in Poland, near where I grew up. Between foxes, coons,weasels, and other causes my birds never see old age. I lost one bird a few weeks ago when she got egg bound; it was rather strange to pick her up and find a fully developed egg.
I have turkeys and meat chickens ordered from McMurray's, and just sent the deposit out on two piglets which I will pick up in May.

 

[tcreeley]

I tried raising pheasants one summer years ago. I really wasn't well prepared. They were vicious in their pecking, drawing blood so I let them go in the lawn. Plenty of hedgerows and brushy areas to hide. Every so often I'd see one. But by mid fall, I accounted for each one - hit on the road. Never tried again. They were wild compared to chickens.

Couple of years ago we saw a white leghorn wandering up our road to the back field. We lured her to the barn with feed over a few days, then found her up on a beam one rainy day. It took us another week to get her in the coop. She never tried to leave - good flier. She always laid her white egg.
We lost her to being egg bound. Haven't lost any others to that.

 

[tcreeley]

Snow forecast is back - 2 to 4 inches Wed PM to Thursday.

Well it keeps the target audience coming back - changing the forecast!

 

[Pixguy]

Snow forecast is back - 2 to 4 inches Wed PM to Thursday.

Well it keeps the target audience coming back - changing the forecast!

Yup, they hyped it starting last Wednesday then said we're getting nothing over the weekend and now they're saying 2-5" for us. They can't get tomorrow straight but want us to believe they can determine 20-30 years from now. :confused2:

I'll be driving through your neck of the woods frequently if the sale of new stores go through for us. I'll wave. :wave: