I think it must be a travel agent promo to talk about the February blahs.  Unless you have a rainy winter, of course.  Here, February is often a good month and this one has been no exception.

We had a little snow, and at first the mountains stayed hidden.  But the sun was shining on Ginty Creek and it lit up the cottonwoods along the McClinchy River.

It was so exciting to see the sun again I took pictures from every angle.

The following morning the mountains were clear – the first time I had seen them properly in weeks.

The weather was perfect.  A little nippy in the morning, down to -20, but the resulting sun was worth it.

Here is my barn-like house with Nogwhon behind.

About 5 days ago, the sun almost cleared Middle Mountain when it set.  The next day there was another 10 minutes of daylight.

About 10 days ago, a group of a dozen repolls arrived at my feeder.  I have seen them only occasionally before, and usually they don’t hang around.  They are winter birds but always on the move.  But these guys seem to like it here.  They are smaller than the chickadees but they beat them up.  The red cap really glows.

Despite the coolness, water continues to seep out over the ice of the ponds.  I have never seen a year like it.

At the edge of the liquid water, spectacular ice crystals sometimes form.

There is so much oozing that the little bridge Mogens and I built last spring is almost covered.  The water is usually at least a foot and a half below the bridge.