Forecast for Saturday Jan 29, 2029
An area of low pressure, currently off the Carolina coast, will rapidly intensify today as it makes its way up the eastern seaboard. Heavy snow and powerful winds will spread from the Mid-Atlantic coast to the Northeast coast throughout the day. The combination of heavy snow rates and strong winds will produce dangerous blizzard conditions across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts, from Virginia’s Eastern Shore to eastern Maine, where Blizzard Warnings are in effect. Travel in these areas will be nearly impossible today due to whiteout conditions. Total snowfall accumulations greater than 12″ are expected along much of the Northeast coast with local maxima greater than 24″ across eastern Massachusetts including the Boston metro area. Winter Storm Watches and Warnings are also in effect from the coasts farther inland where accumulating snowfall is also likely. Strong damaging winds will lead to scattered power outages. Very cold temperatures will spread across the eastern third of the country on the backside of the departing Nor’easter. This may exacerbate an already dangerous situation for those without power/heat. The snow and wind will come to an end across northern Maine on Sunday.
In spite of the dire warnings I think that those of us who live in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire will be spared the brunt of this storm. The coastal regions will not be as lucky.
However i was amazed at the uptick of bird activity at the feeders. The birds know that they need fuel up for the storm. This morning I loaded up all the feeders and swept off some snow so that the Blue jays could find the peanuts I put out.
After the feeders were filled, there was a “blizzard” of birds flying about.
A Face Off
Dried mealworms are a favorite treat for bluebirds. The feeder has an adjustable cowling which is set to discourage starlings, however I do a better job of that by yelling at them.
In the photo above a Carolina wren stopped by for a mealworm. They have no fear in spite of their diminutive stature.
Takeoff
The camera is faster than the eye. In this photo it captured the blue jay just as he was ready to take flight. They are so particular about the peanuts, they pick up several testing for the heaviest one. I watched a jay swallow one and pick up a second, I assume they cache them away for later.
A squirrel stopped by later but was no match for the jays. They cleaned it out in a matter of minutes.
