Not OT - Has anyone else seen Canada geese on the move?

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Seems to me that they're moving at least 2 weeks ahead of schedule this year. We don't usually start seeing big flocks until mid-October, and I've seen 4 big 'uns just this morning.

The wooly bears seem mighty black this year, too. Local old wives say that the wider the brown/orange band, the milder the coming winter. The several I've seen in the past week have all been wearing skinny belts of brown between their fuzzy black ends.

Am I the only one who's seeing portents of an early, hard winter?

Should this be on the prep forum? I feel like we're going to be hit with early snow, and times a-wasting!

-- Arewyn (isitthatlate@lready.com), September 21, 1999

Answers

I saw one flock of geese headed south about 2 weeks ago. I'm in SW Oklahoma. I thought that was EXTRA EARLY for this area. We have not had a really hard winter around here for 6-7 years. May be due for one.

-- jeanne (jeanne@hurry.now), September 21, 1999.

Here in Wisconsin, the geese have been on the move for about a week. We also had our first frost warning last night. I think I had better get more wood for the stove!

-- carly (carlyblue@aol.com), September 21, 1999.

Nice batches of warblers are already cruising the Pacific Flyway. It caught my attention.

-- flora (***@__._), September 21, 1999.

Means nothing. "All the signs" of a severe, long, hard winter have preceeded all of our mild ones. Prepare for the worst anyway, regardless.

-- my cat is eating (like@a.horse), September 21, 1999.

Saw a bunch of geese flying overhead last week... and that's way down here in GA. Course, we have some that stay here all summer... but this was a much larger group than the locals.

Though we rarely have snow here, there is an occasional odd blizzard. It just winds everything here down to a complete stop. (Don't have snow removal equipment, or salt) Folks just hunker down and wait it out. Hope we aren't having any of those! (That's when all that hot choc. mix I have stored will come in handy!)

gp

-- georgia peach (the.patch@worldnet.att.net), September 21, 1999.



I saw 4 people wearing jackets and walking south. And it's still summer. Also saw a bus full of people traveling northward. I couldn't tell if they were wearing jackets or not.

-- enough is (enough@enough.com), September 21, 1999.

Helped some neighbours collect and extract honey from their bee hives a few weeks ago.

The man commented that "looks like an early/cold winter ahead" because the bees had already "capped" the honey with wax.

-- Sheila (sross@bconnex.net), September 21, 1999.


A lot of acorns here in Sierra NorCal. No geese yet though.

-- Mitchell Barnes (spanda@inreach.com), September 21, 1999.

Three weeks ago, the leaves on the oaks turned brown and most have fallen. They usally start turning around the middle of October. My cat and dog have gotten an early heavy coat. Going thrift store shopping today for more heavy sweaters, it's going to be a long and interesting winter. Saw a flock of Canadians this morning at the lake, I'm in Northern California......

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), September 21, 1999.

The loons are still on the lake, but the geese are massing and moving. For Minnesota, neither are unusual.

-- TrustHim (ItComes@Soon.now), September 21, 1999.


ditto. i live in Va and was stunned to see the geese doing what seemed like migrating. so what do they know that we don't. what is early migration a sign of? early winter? low food?

-- tt (cuddluppy@yahoo.com), September 21, 1999.

Mitchell,

I'll post a coast live oak acorn notice to you next week on this thread. They were absolutely loaded the year before last, and last year's were mostly aborted.

I wish we had a clue about what's taking out our tanoaks, of course if we had a clue we probably couldn't do anything but watch.

-- flora (***@__._), September 21, 1999.


The last few years the seasons seem to occur a couple of weeks ahead of where they used to. The weather, overall, has for sure, changed.

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWayne@aol.com), September 21, 1999.

Lots of geese here in San Jose,CA The park I visit often has a lot of geese and ducks, lots of big flocks of geese traveling through this year, early... I do not remember them untill Oct last year....

-- helium (heliumavid@yahoo.com), September 21, 1999.

helium,

It's hard to draw conclusions from the Canada geese in these parts. To the south of you we had a well meaning yahoo hatching goslings at home. Now we are pressed to distinguish the wild migrating flocks from the local bums.

-- flora (***@__._), September 21, 1999.



helium,

A good indicator for us now is that the shorebirds, and raptors or birds of prey are on the move. A barn owl floated over me like a specter in the forest at midday on saturday. A juvenile golden eagle was on the prowl the day before. Keep your eyes peeled.

PS Forcasters are predicting lightning storms for the next couple of days, sporting doomer chic could prove to be a truly electrifying experience.

-- flora (***@__._), September 21, 1999.


helium 'n flora,

Start observing the spiders and their webs. If they're spinning them up higher than usual... wet times ahead in CA. Learned that from an old Black Foot Indian grandfather.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 21, 1999.


PLEASE send cool air this way! It was 99 degrees here yesterday!

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), September 21, 1999.

Saw a flight of honkers almost 3-4 weeks ago here in Peoples Socialist Republic of Massachussets. Also...heightened roadkill going on. -Lots- of dead skunks ans squirrels. Usually thee migration across the roads here in NE is mid to late october and in early spring. Lotsa critters gettin smooshed early this year.

-- Billy-Boy (Rakkasn@Yahoo.com), September 21, 1999.

nope- haven't seen them yet- and we're way north! Frost again this week tho- it's been a mild late summer here thus far......

-- farmer (hillsidefarm@drbs.net), September 21, 1999.

An outdoorsy guy told me he had noticed his horses putting on early and heavy winter coats, and the yellow jackets were much more aggressive consuming fruit from his orchard. He is expecting a harder winter.

-- Mumsie (Shezdremn@aol.com), September 21, 1999.

The girls who work at Hooters have taken to wearing undergarments a month early this year.Also wet tee-shirts contests have been cancelled do to frost danger. Don,t know if all this means anything ? could be just as important as this thread. It has also been reliably reported that Michigan women are sporting longer leg and arm pit hair.

-- nature lover (justlooking@shakeit.org), September 21, 1999.

It's cold and wet, today. Here, in northern Virginia. The weather seems on track with the season, but I could be off. I'm not one to follow the weather. Last few winters here have seemed to be mild (minus the one big ice storm), some expect a hard winter this year. I'd like to know what folk around me think.

Sincerely, Stan Faryna

-- Stan Faryna (info@giglobal.com), September 21, 1999.


Nature Lover: Regarding those rumors about Michigan women--now you can verify it as a RUMOR! Most of the women here are still out on the golf courses. (Hey, here in Michigan if it's not snowing, you just keep playing. If it's snowing, you use green balls!)

-- Ann M. (hismckids@aol.com), September 21, 1999.

Hi all,

It was 50 degrees at my house last night in West Central Texas. Wow! We usually don't get a cold snap until mid-late October. Also the mesquite trees are covered with long beans this year. I believe we are actually going to have the winter season this year. We only had one week of below freezing temperatures in all of last winter!

-- Sharon (sking@drought-ridden.com), September 21, 1999.


Our local forecaster on Channel 4 nightly news is highly regarded as a true and usually quite accurate meteorologist and has many awards. A couple of weeks ago he said predictions are for a much harder winter this year, and showed areas where it would be particularly difficult, which included, but were not limited to, the upper midwest. There were 2-3 other shaded areas on the map as well.

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), September 21, 1999.

Don't know about the cold, but down here on the bayou, the catfish are carrying canteens! Still hot and dry; as Gayla said, it was 11 degrees above normal yesterday.

No geese yet, but herds of hummingbirds, about on time.

I wonder if those Hooter's gals might migrate through here this year? I sure gonna put up some feeders, I'll tell ya! Whatta they eat, anyway?

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), September 21, 1999.


Stan, both of my dogs have start their winter coats about 3 weeks ago. ditto the horses at the barn i work at on saturdays. the bees seem to be more aggressive. i've had my heat on at night several nights over the past week just to keep the house at 70 with the windows shut (townhouse, it usually cools kinda slow). lows have been in the fifties.

-- sarah (qubr@aol.com), September 21, 1999.

Egads! I need to move to Alaska! Sarah, you run the heater when it's in the 50's??? I sleep with my windows OPEN when it gets into the 40's! (OK, my husband is under 5 blankets, but I LOVE cold weather!) :-)

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), September 21, 1999.

Been seeing the Geese V's for about two weeks now. I think that's about normal for NJ..I..think.

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), September 21, 1999.

For those of you in persimmon country (they won't up here) slice the fruit in half and look at the seed. If its shaped like a fork it'll be a mild winter. If its shaped like a spoon, look out (old Ozark weather lore).

-- Sam Mcgee (weissacre@gwtc.net), September 21, 1999.

Still have our geese a-pooping on the waterfront trail in Toronto.

-- Jonny Canuck (j_canuck@hotmail.com), September 21, 1999.

Our fruit trees and grape vines have had much larger yields this year then ever before. Several friends in the area have reported the same in their gardens. We all believe we will have a colder/longer winter this year in No. Calif. As one of my friends said, after spending all day canning, "I think God is trying to tell us something" Get prepared-fast.

-- Homeschooling Grandma (mlaymon@glenn-co.k12.ca.us), September 22, 1999.

They're probably Stealth Geese.. OOPS Wrong thread

C

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), September 22, 1999.


I posted 2 weeks ago that the geese were leaving here early. I even saw some mixed formations - half Canuckian and half Stealth (looks like a half V in the sky) [Wrong thread?!? You mean the Stealth are *still* classified? OOPS]

-- T the C (tricia_canuck@hotmail.com), September 22, 1999.

I am in Canada and still swimming in the lakes :o)

As far as a cold winter goes, my money is on it. As Tricia can atest to, golfing around Christmas in northern Alberta is not normal around New Years like they have had there. It doesn't last, and if it did we would have ALOT more problems than year to year forecasts. The North is very sensitive to the enviorment, so much so that it would affect the Excited States.

Anyway here is a comment to something Andy mentioned in the May (99)

...........................

"Andy you want to know my biggest fear? That the elements being unpredictable as they can be, create a disaster on top of Y2K. Nature has been reletively kind during the last two winters. (not including the Ice Storm) It has been unseasonably warm. Now that MAY be the result of El NINO but with EL NINA the temps should drop. The Oil Corps know this and that is one reason the price will go up. Heating fuel can influence the price and the bets are on for colder temps. This is usually swimming season for me now and there was hail today.

Some folk might think I "fear monger" on such a topic but after working most of your life outside you get a feel for it. And some of you folk may be into systems in comps but I have been into weather systems.

Lets see if what I am trying to say is clear. Here is an example, up north (NWT) in the middle of January if there is a "chinook", a blast of warm moist air comes through and it is a large weak mass. For a day you will have nice weather. After that the Arctic winds come back and it is hell to just walk around let alone have a civilized life. I point this out as it was a rare occurance up there. Ocean air does not reach up there much

Now we get back and use the same analogy with El Nino and EL Nina. As I have said the extreme of one (the warm Pacific air) pushing the regular arctic weather created an unstable situation, the warm air was not going to stick around and the arctic air "snapped" right back. Hell to pay.

During El Nino we had unusually warm weather. Fires in Florida, heat wave in Texas, Ice Storm in Quebec and NE States and golf in Edmonton this winter. Wierd.

What I am afraid of is a BAD winter, the cold "snaps", this would not be good. I call it a Milne 6. He doesn't measure the scale that high.

That is why you will always hear me tell people to make sure you are warm.

That is my message."

............................................

Now I know there maybe some "flint" types out there and say that this can be disputed, tough. Cold kills, and having been there and done that one would think that it is a good way to die. Unfortunately most don't want to subject themselves to freezing to death. Good choice.

Unfortunately there is no contingency plan for failure in city systems during the middle of a serious winter.

This is where we have a serious weakness in human survival.

Funny I haven't seen any geese

-- Brian (imager@home.com), September 22, 1999.


From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr near Monterey, California

I have seen the geese, here, a week or so ago, and remarked at the time that they seemed to be coming early. In the past they haven't come until we've had our Pumpkin out.

We had a storm last week, which was a good month early, at least. This was the first time I had seen lightning since moving to California over 10 years ago. And, as flora says, they're predicting another such storm tomorrow.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), September 22, 1999.


Thanks, everybody! Last night we had a bit of snow, just enough. That's a bit early for Upstate NY.

Think I'll order more wood. I wonder how many cords are enough... Well, can't have too much wood, I guess.

-- Arewyn (isitthatlate@lready.com), September 22, 1999.


It was 44F this morning in Denton, TX....love it!

Does anyone remember the post about three weeks ago re: the almanac?

It said winter would be early this year...and very cold, lots of snow...but wouldn't last long. Don't remember exactly when start and end dates were...but I think October-January.

-- Shelia (Shelia@active-stream.com), September 22, 1999.


Just heard my first white-crowned sparrow sing, the date is about right for them to be here.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), September 22, 1999.

Too many days hot and dry along the Oregon-Washington border, consistently @ 900

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 23, 1999.

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