It is almost the end of February and I’m wondering what happened to winter this year in the Salt Lake Valley. Has winter gone on walkabout? Where is the snow?

Immature drake Common Goldeneye with a crayfish catch, Salt Lake County, UtahImmature drake Common Goldeneye with a crayfish catch

We’ve barely had any of that white fluffy stuff, and temps have been much warmer than normal. Where there should be ice, there is open water.

It’s still pitch dark outside and I can see that there is a very, very light skiff of snow on the ground. But that might be only the fifth or sixth time this winter? One day, we did have about three inches when I woke here at home.

However, last year on this date, there was more than 18 inches of snow where I live. I scraped, shoveled, and snow-blowed for most of the day.

Sure, last winter was freaky.

It was a record-breaking winter and more like winters were when I first moved to Utah.

More than anything, though, this winter I’m missing the winter birds at my local ponds. I’ve only seen a few Common Goldeneyes at the pond, usually one adult male by himself. I haven’t seen a single female or immature male. I have yet to find a Red-breasted or Common Merganser. Not even one Canvasback.

The Ruddy Ducks and Redheads have been at the pond, but they are year-round residents here in northern Utah.

And the nearby crabapples that are usually eaten and gone by mid-February? The House Finches, Cedar Waxwings, and American Robins haven’t needed them to survive. The trees are still full of the over ripened fruits.

Fortunately, this winter has brought ample snow to our mountain ranges. From my living room window, I can see the snow-capped Oquirrh Mountains; from the street, the snow-covered Wasatch Mountain Range. The snow that has fallen this winter means the Great Salt Lake might survive an extra year. Maybe. Maybe not.

It has been a weird, wacky winter. Maybe we’ll get a blizzard of snow before winter is officially over. I’m not counting on that. Not one bit.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Common Goldeneye photos plus facts and information about this species.