Not yet, unfortunately. The birds seem ready for spring and the staff is, too. Usually, our winters at Patuxent are mild, and in some years we have no snow at all. But the last two years have brought long spells of low temperatures and several snow falls. Last year, we had snowstorms that shut down the government for days at a time. This year, the snow wasn't as heavy, but once it arrived, it stayed around, and the low temperatures caused icy conditions.  The one benefit of low temperatures is that it makes the snow dry and fluffy, so that it doesn't cling to the flight netting. When snow accumulates on flight netting, it can cause damage to the pen if it isn't removed, sometimes even causing them to collapse if enough snow or ice builds up. It doesn't matter if the government is officially closed; during storms like this the staff has to go out to the pens, regardless of the hour, and remove the snow before damage can occur. Once the snow stops, we have to dig or snowblow paths to be able to open gates so staff can get into pen complexes, and either snowblow or dig paths or put down hay trails for any birds that have problems getting around their pens. 

Fortunately, most of the cranes handle the snow well. They all have feed sheds that keep their feed dry and they often use the sheds to get out of the snow themselves. Birds insulate themselves from the cold by expanding their feathers and trapping their own body heat.  Long-legged birds like cranes will stand on one leg, tucking the other leg up in their feathers to warm it, alternating legs so they don't lose too much heat. Every bird at Patuxent is checked daily, as are feeders and automatic water cups. The feed is not adversely affected by the cold, but the snow cover means there is less forage for wild birds. Flocks of starlings will descend on the crane feeders en masse, emptying them quickly. This year, the snow cover has lasted long enough that the starlings have become a persistent problem. In an attempt to reduce their consumption of crane feed, the staff made feeder guards out of heavy plastic, which helped a great deal. 

In addition to the snow, we've had freezing rain. Ice accumulations on the flight netting can be a significant problem, since there's no real way to get it off, and if too much accumulates, you have the same problems you do with too much snow. Fortunately, we didn't get too much freezing rain; it coated everything, but not severely and the nets, pens, and of course, the birds got through it all.

Lately, we've had more rain (last year was the wettest year in Maryland on record), but temperatures have crept up so that the snow has gradually melted away. We've been promised some dry weather this week, and better temperatures. As a prelude to breeding season, it's hard to predict how snow cover will affect the birds. Last year, with the heavy snow cover from major storms lasting a long time, breeding started late.

Patuxent in the Snow

Whooper tracks in the snow.

Ice coats the vegetation the same way it coats flight netting. 

The Refuge always looks beautiful in the snow.