2023 April First Snow Survey

 

One of the winter field activities I enjoy helping with is the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) snow survey. It's been done in Baker Creek since 1942. You can see some of my previous posts about it in 2011,  2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 (March), 2015 (April), 2016, and  2019, 

Thankfully Great Basin National park maintenance was able to plow to the Baker Creek Campground, where we found conditions pictured above.

We put on our skis and started up. Often we see marmots at the end of March, but not this year!

Three of us were headed up to 9500 feet for this snow survey.

At the Baker Creek trailhead, we found the outhouse about half buried in snow.

The route to the first snow survey was covered in snow, with not even any bushes showing. 

Contrast that with the view of the 2014 snow survey, where we had to figure out a way around all the sagebrush and rabbitbrush. The 8000 foot elevation sign was prominently showing.

We measured the snow at the first site and found we were standing at the top of the snow survey signs.

That's in big contrast to 2015, where there was bare ground at some of the signs!

For much of our ski, we were high up next to the trees. We skied right over most obstacles, but did find a few things a challenge.

We marveled at how the aspen inscriptions were partially covered in snow.

At the second site we used four sections of snow tube. Each section is 30 inches long. We had one measurement over 90 inches! Yikes!

Weighing the tube took some balance. The snow tubes are calibrated so that when you weigh the tube and subtract the tare (the weight of the empty tube), you get the Snow Water Equivalent, or the amount of water that is covering the ground if all the snow was suddenly to melt. We measured over two feet at the second site, at 9200 feet. We found that the snow depth was the highest ever measured, beating a 1952 record, and the Snow Water Equivalent was the second highest in the 81-year record.

We were at the top of the snow marker! We had to get a shot of all of us up there.

Here's a view of the same sign in 2014.

We continued up to the third site, and I marveled that we could neither see nor hear Baker Creek. It was so covered in snow. The photo below is where a spring starts on the hillside and flows into the creek. No sign of it either.

Meg was also delighted for such an epic ski day. It was sunny and mostly calm.

In places the snow was piled high on branches.

We were wearing avalanche beacons, just in case. The only place where we've seen evidence of an avalanche is in this aspen area.

In 2005, the avalanche came down the chute, across the creek, and up on the other side. We kept moving.

As we approached the third site, I again marveled at how covered the springs were.

An indentation was all that showed where the spring brook ran.

We got to the third site and found the sign just sticking out of the snow!

This relaxed pose ended up in the NRCS Snow Report!

For contrast, here's the same sign in 2015.

We started out by taring the tube, or weighing the empty snow tube.

And when the ten-foot long pole (120 inches) was put down into the snow, this is all that remained above the snow. Yikes! It turned out to be another snow depth record and third highest SWE record.

We couldn't even see the orange aerial marker, it was completely buried (photo below from 2014).

The ski down was easier than most years, as there were very few obstacles. We didn't have to take off our skis to get over snow-free patches.

It was a treat to see what truly epic snow conditions on the mountain are. 

The data we collected are synthesized into the NRCS Water Supply Outlook Report. You can find that and lots more on the NRCS Nevada Snow Page.

2023 Backyard Owls - Nesting

In January we started hearing regular hooting in the yard. The Great Horned Owls were back, and they were courting! Hooray! We kept a close eye on them.

We also installed a camera above the nest. Desert Boy climbed up and screwed it into the tree.

On February 19th, there was nothing in the nest. But soon after the Mama Owl came in. We watched her peck at the wood. 

She sat there and we thought maybe she was sitting on an egg, but then she left and there was nothing.

On February 22nd, she was sitting on the nest--in the snow! Certainly there was something under her now!

On February 23rd, she left the nest and we could see two eggs! And a bunch of feathers under the eggs.

On February 26th, we saw three eggs! This mama owl was being ambitious.

We set the camera for motion detection and the kids and I get alerts on our phones when there's movement. Here's Mama Owl turning eggs.

And then on March 1st we saw Mama Owl and four eggs! Wowza! Most commonly Great Horned Owls raise two owlets, but the clutch size can be 1-4. Four seems like a lot of owlets for this tiny nest!

It snowed a bunch that day, and I was concerned when I saw the eggs with snow in the nest.

Mama Owl seemed fine, and continued sitting on the eggs.

When the moon is bright, it looks like the eggs glow.

The camera for the most part is silent, but when it's switching at dawn and dusk it makes a little noise. The owl notices.

I really like the glimpses of the eggs under the owl.

On March sixth, we got quite a snowstorm. Here's Mama Owl almost buried in snow at 5:33 a.m.

At 6:06 am, she's completely buried!

Fortunately the snow melted relatively quickly. I've been surprised how often Mama Owl leaves the nest. The eggs are in a different position each time, so she's clearly coming back in between. Here's 3-9-23 at 1:20 a.m.

Then that evening.

Not often, but once in a while we could watch Mama Owl come and go.

I am continually amazed how patient she is. Here she is in really windy conditions.

Papa Owl is often nearby. Here are some photos of him. He usually starts singing to Mama Owl about 6:05 a.m. They continue hooting to each other for 5-10 minutes. Then it starts getting light.

I was curious what they've been eating. There are plenty of owl pellets in the vicinity. Here are a few.

We're anxiously awaiting the appearance of owlets. They are so cute. From the camera, it looks like there were two eggs and a blob on 3/238/23. Hopefully we'll get a better photo soon to see what's happening and the camera battery will hold out longer.

March Ski to Mather Overlook, Great Basin National Park

The weather forecast was for calm and cold. So why not head out for a cross country ski, especially since the snow survey is coming up and I needed to acclimate better to the higher elevations. 

I went to the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive in Great Basin National Park and parked at the winter closure, at Upper Lehman Campground. There were a ton of tracks at the start of the road, but before too long, the tracks diminished, and then I was following a lovely ski track.

There had been a lot of looking around at the Osceola Ditch trailhead. I still had energy, so I decided to push on. The snow was deep enough to nearly cover the sign that said exhibit ahead, but the other signs were mostly above the snow.

At the big U-bend above 8500 feet elevation, I found a nice view of the North Snake Range and Mt. Moriah.

Around the curve, the snow had drifted on the road, making little hillocks.

On the last big hill going up to Mather Overlook, I realized I couldn't even see the road posts. That snow is deep!

I love this view of the mountain! In summer I like to photograph it with the flowers blooming on the side of the road. 

I checked out the mountain and saw that parts were very windblown.

At the Mather Overlook turnoff, I was breaking trail. Fresh tracks!

As I approached the overlook, I saw just the top of the outhouse. Was it really as buried as it looked?

Why, yes, it was! 

I was surprised to see some rabbit tracks. And in the background, Bald Mountain looked so nice and snowy.

I put my phone on the outhouse roof, put on the ten-second timer, and skied out for a photo.

Here's a view of the deck and telescopes. 

I was having a marvelous time. But the clouds were moving in and I hadn't packed a lunch, so I knew I'd have to head back down before too long. 

Wheeler Peak looks nice and imposing. There was a big rock (labeled monolith in the photo) that I don't really remember from before. Definitely suspicious. :)

More views of snowy Doso Doyabi.

View of the outhouse from the other side.

The nearby signs were windblown and exposed. The sign "An Icy Landscape" seems especially apropos in the winter.

This was my longest ski all winter, and it felt so good. It took about three hours to go up, with stops for photos and snacks. Going down was less than two hours, including several falls because the snow got super fast in places. There was good powder on the north facing slopes, but on the other places it was crusty and faster than I liked at times. The fastest section was Mather Overlook to Osceola Ditch, then it was much mellower and easier, and at times I even had to shuffle. 

If winter is going to last (seemingly) forever this winter, I figure I might as well get out and enjoy it. It's so much more fun when I can go play in it. 

p.s. Thanks so much to whomever made the nice tracks the day before, they helped a bunch.