For 20 years, I've been keeping weather records in a garden/nature journal. Since 1994, I've also recorded the early-morning temperature on a graph. It's not at all scientific, just the temperature on my porch whenever I get up, but it's interesting. Here are three different years: 1998/9, which was one of our warmer Cariboo winters (I also recorded the daily highs that year); 2008/9, which was fairly cold; and this year.
In my journal, I make note of significant dates, like when I first hear frogs peeping, or when the ice comes off a local lake. It's amazing how similar the dates are from year to year. The difference between an early spring and a late one is about a week. In 1999, the first robins arrived at my place on Mar 12, the first geese of Mar 14, and the cranes on Apr 26. Snow was off the garden on Apr 2. In 2009, the robins arrived on Mar 20, the geese on Mar 19, the cranes Apr 22. The snow was off the garden on Apr 13.
What great notes!
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about your bird arrival dates. I was away all week, but saw the first Canada goose on the 18th. No robins yet. As for cranes, I just got back from Nebraska where the cranes are staging. There were thousands upon thousands! This week coming should see the peak number of cranes before they fly north.
My husband just saw his first Canada Goose of the spring up at Tokaryk Lake, which is just sw of Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba yesterday.
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