Wisconsin Blizzard of 2018

  April 15th 2018 we all got a very big surprise. Old man winter decided to come back with a fury of wind and snow. By the time our 3 day adventure ended.

  We had accumulated about 2 feet of the white stuff.  A few days earlier I had been outside macro photographing bugs and putting away snow shovels, well the joke was on me.                                                                                                                                            After all, this is Wisconsin and April so I shouldn’t have been to surprised.

This storm happen to hit at a time when our migrating birds were flying in. It was getting very difficult for them to find food and water.

The unusually cold weather was also causing them to freeze. People were finding half frozen birds on the road sides and in their yards.

Wisconsin called for a bird emergency and asked people to please purchase bird seed and meal worms to help them find enough to eat.

They also gave instructions on how to warm up frozen birds, in case you happen to find any. Several migrating Vaulters had to be helped along with Robins.

Many businesses as well as Fleet Farm donated wild bird seed to help the starving birds. I was so happy to see how many people were helping our feathered friends.

Not only did our migrating birds get hit pretty hard, our regulars found it just as difficult. This turkey who I’ve named blondie, because of it’s very lite wind feathers. Comes and visits me everyday, was up to his chest in snow.

My son snowblowed paths in my yard so I and the birds could get around easier. I sprinkled bird seed, raisins, fruit, meal worms all up and down the path ways. 

Nature can be very harsh at times, and we each need to try and do our part to help out those smaller than ourselves at times.

I am a lover of all birds, they are one of my favorite photography subjects.

I live directly in the line of all the wild birds migration path. So I get to see so many different species come through, only to stay and eat for a short time. Then they leave and I don’t see them again till fall, when they are heading back down south.

So the next time you venture to the great outdoors. Look around you at the birds flying around, you may just get to see one that is very rare.