Iowa Winds

Spring in Iowa involves changing weather. Fourteen days ago the last snow fall melted in the eastern part of the state. Warm temperatures and wind gusts have been the story ever since the melt. Time to replace the tattered flags.

February Afternoon at Central City's Roller Dam

In Central City, Iowa the small town is bisected by the Wapsipinicon River. Once part of the town's electrical generation, a roller dam was constructed decades ago which serves to impound the waterway for a few miles upstream. During a late afternoon stop on an early February day the river at the dam is clear of ice and runs nearly transparent. In the Spring the river will turn brown from organic matter of the growing season.

Just a few feet from the churn of the water over the dam, the river resumes its journey downstream. Since fish tend to collect at the base of the roller dam it is naturally a good spot to try your luck at angling. Look closely at the photo above to see fishing tackle entangled in the power line on the right hand portion of the ground just below the street.

Iowa's Last Grasp of Winter

Today's temperatures soared into the upper 30s. Snow started melting a few days ago and is expected to disappear by the end of this week. No problems here. At the Hurstville Lime Kilns near Maquoketa I found this field corn that someone left for the area wildlife. Corn is an icon of Iowa. I thought the juxtaposition of colors made an interesting photo.

Canadas on the Wapsipinicon River

A sunny 16F day in Anamosa, Iowa brought out a flotilla of Canada geese on the ice free Wapsipinicon River. The extreme record setting cold this week seems to not adversely phase these beautiful creatures as they gather for food and protection just below the dam.

Winter Wonderland in Eastern Iowa

 

On February 1st winter came back after a very mild December and moderate January. The Feb 1 snow started as rain, then turned to wet snow and finally powdery snow backed by wind. In all I shoveled three times to seek the concrete driveway under a storm total of 11 inches. The photo above was between shovel one and two periods. Thanks to the Toro snow blower for doing the job. The weight of the snow sent branches curling over. Two weeks later some of that snow has melted and the limbs have rebounded. Spring is five weeks away and can't come soon enough.

Spring Thinking Near the End of Fall

Here along the mid-northern latitudes, the race from Fall to Winter is in full gear. To lessen the impact of warm temperatures sliding back into winter's grasp, here is a icon image from late May 2014 to help ward off any polar vortex - maybe.

Blowing in the Wind

Near Clinton, Iowa is this industrial plant on the southwest side of town. I don't know if it is a power plant or manufacturing facility. At this time of year, grey clouds, stiff winds and leafless trees reinforce winter's grip on the Midwest. Spring comes on March 20. We shall see.

NOTANOTHERSQUIRRELPHOTO

Seems like it is a long winter. With camera pointed through the back window for photo ideas, this well fed squirrel chomps away on birdseed that he knocked from the feeder above. Its probably the same animal that I photographed a few posts ago. You are seeing this image because it turned out fairly nice and is in focus for being shot through a window.

Wintertime Backyard Critters

A visit to my backyard bird feeder this morning brought this colorful female cardinal. The more colorful male was around but never flew close to camera range. A couple of inches of snow fell last night making it difficult for birds and squirrels to find food.

What food the birds do disturb from the feeder, the squirrels make into a meal. This one looks well fed. It should be, after climbing all over the feeders and chowing down seeds all season long. A daily gang of deer also check out the bird feeder. Since deer generally feed during the evening, I haven't been able to get a decent photo of them - yet.

West - East: An Old Capitol View

Old Capitol in Iowa City is the iconic landmark of the University of Iowa. Inside the first territorial capitol of Iowa are dramatic views of the campus and city. On this day the clear weather and late afternoon lighting afforded long shadows across the university's central campus. Out the second floor windows to the west was a sight of a couple in conversation, unaware that their shadow cast a length of nearly three times their actual size.

On the opposite side of the second story was this scene of the campus open area and the intersection of Clinton Street and Iowa Avenue. It's wintertime in Iowa. It's cold. And unless you can see the sun it is best to find somewhere where the temperature is warm. Only 55 days until spring!

Frozen Button on the Mississippi River

Muscatine, Iowa's The Pearl Button excursion boat remains solidly ice locked in the downtown harbor along the Mississippi River. This past week local temperatures plummeted well below zero due to the arrival of the polar vortex. But three days later the temps warmed a bit and made some progress in local melting. However except for some water atop ice near shore, the ice looked pretty thick and extended from Ioway to Illinois. The 42N crew did spot several bald eagles along the way especially along the Cedar, Iowa and Mississippi rivers.

Cedar River Ice Causes Flooding in Cedar Rapids

Thick ice on the Cedar River is breaking up, that's the good news. The bad news is that ice jams are creating local flooding. Yesterday the flood was at its highest in the northwest portion of the city, which is prone to seasonal rises of the river level. Residents living in the Ellis Park area are quite edgy about rising waters given the almost total devastation from the Flood of 2008.

Today flood viewers were massing near the Quaker Oats plant to see huge ice blocks stacked like arctic frozen flows.

At mid-afternoon the local news outlets reported the jam had given way and water levels were dropping in the flooded areas. At the same time national media reported the selection of Pope Francis. Maybe the two events are a coincidence. Maybe not.

Winter's Rest After Harvest

A Massey Furgeson combine sits idle in an open field just north of harvested corn from the fall. Judging from the age of the combine and other vehicles parked in the field, the harvest machine may have sat still for some time.  Spring is just ten days away. Maybe we will see planting start soon however the near frozen soil and rain/snow conditions have something else to say.

Busy Day at the Bird Feeders

Day two of a March storm yielded almost 8 inches of late season snow in eastern Iowa. With food sources scarce as a result of the storm several bird species decided to drop by 42N HQ to chow on free seed. I think this is a red-bellied woodpecker, one of two who tapped various tree branches for insects before finding a much easier food source. I am also experimenting with a teleconverter lens that increases zoom by 40%. The lens requires manual focus and lots of light I am discovering. These five photos are the best of the shoot. I like the top photo the best because it is unusual, has two seeds on the woodpecker's mouth, and most importantly, is in focus. 

The northern cardinal (male) gives this common sparrow the once over look. 

After scaring off the sparrow our scarlet cardinal showed more of his coloration before jumping to the ground to feast on various seeds shaken from the feeder.

This less colorful female cardinal stayed close to the red male - it is almost Spring you know.

Sparrows represent the majority of the winged feeders visiting the seed outlets. However, in the morning a flock of crows pecked around the snow for seed. Birds have to eat.

Iowa's Winter Corn Stubble

Harvest means corn ears and most of the stalk are removed from fields generally in autumn. Many farmers in Iowa leave stubble (including the root system) in place to not disturb soil layers. This practice results in less erosion and reduced loss of nutrients. The next crop is generally planted only inches away from these former plants, allowing a season or two of non worked soil. On this early March day, stubble also serves as forage for fattening black angus cattle.

Snow Birds Still Here For Some Reason

Another backyard visitor showed up today. Are these birds wintering here or have arrived early from some southern location? News alert. We are forecasted to get another big snow storm this coming Monday into Tuesday. Perhaps in a month's time these birds will be joined by the real harbinger of Spring - robins.

Calm Blue Water at Winter's 2/3 Mark

Last weekend nearby Indian Creek showed signs of melting and refreezing. That's a good sign that indicates Spring is less than a month away. In the melt water highlighted by a setting sun, the slow moving water turned just a tad shade of blue. Thanks to image processing that blue became a bit more enhanced. The end result is a cool scene in any season.

A Winter's Ride Near Indian Creek

Three days ago we received the season's third measurable snowfall. Not too much to complain about. A sure sign of Spring is non-Winter activities like this bike rider. While we expect another 3-5 inches of snow Tuesday midday, we know that warmer temperatures are just around the corner. Now if only this moisture could recharge subsoil depths rather than running off and thus ending the yearlong draught. However, the upside to this dilemma is the neighborhood snow melt will drain into nearby Indian Creek, then to the Cedar River, merging with the Iowa River at Columbus Junction, then finally joining the Mississippi River near Toolsboro, Iowa. Old Man River has been near historic low depths since last Fall forcing tow barges to operate only below St. Louis. Perhaps this melt will help.

Snowfall at Kalona Area Barn

The last bit of December's snowfall was still evident on January 1st at this Kalona, Iowa area barn. The December 19-20th blizzard was this region's only snowfall this season - so far. Last week's January thaw melted most of the snow in eastern Iowa. Sounds nice but we need more precipitation. Bitter cold air is predicted for this area on Monday. How many days until Spring?

Time for the January Thaw?

Two and a half weeks ago eastern Iowa and parts of surrounding states received a first taste of Winter. Locally about a half foot of snow fell on green dormant grass. The quick freeze of rain turned to sleet, then turned to snow with 45 mph winds snapping tree branches and limbs. For 19 days the temperatures have stayed below freezing. This week air temperatures are expected to change upward. We may even see 40 F plus temperatures by the end of the week. Perhaps the severe winter weather is done for the season - but probably not. Sounds great but we really need participation. Year two of the drought continues without signs of abatement locally.