SUPER SATURDAY.  Get out there today and enjoy a relative warm up, as winds hold off until after sundown.  Tomorrow will be your time for inside projects as gusty conditions dominate the day.  We look into some modern windbreaks and some favorite birds in today’s Three Things.

 

Featured Photo:  Snow Row. Two lines of evergreens catch snow in a shelterbelt planting. Simonson Photo.

 

WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast):
Today: Sat 2/23 – Pleasant – Hi 19, Lo 8, Wind W@7.
Tomorrow:  Sun 2/24 – Windy – Hi 7, Lo -10, Wind NW@30, G40

 

SOLUNAR (Bismarck Times):

Sunrise        Sunset
7:34AM       6:20PM

Moonrise      Moonset       Overhead    Underfoot
11:38PM      10:00AM     4:18AM       4:43PM

 

Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous (78% Full)

 

EDGE HOUR:  4:30-5:30PM.  Moon underfoot ahead of the weather shift will trigger a big bite in today’s Edge Hour.

DAY RATING:

THREE THINGS:

BELTED.  The planting of shelterbelts helps trap snow, provide thermal cover for wildlife and curtail erosion.  However, modern shelterbelts of pines, spruces and shrubs and shorter trees are much more effective at providing for wildlife than the old elm stands from a century ago and produce less perches and habitat for predators. .

A GOOD GUIDE.  With spring light goose season approaching, DU has a quick and excellent video guide for identifying species in the field.  From adult to juvenile patterning, DU biologist Mike Checkette breaks down snow, blue and Ross’s geese to help pick out your target on the wing.

INTRODUCTION. While most people think of pheasants as a popular introduced game bird, many overlook the fact that Gray (a/k/a Hungarian) partridge were also introduced to the region.  An archived read from the USDA details their release into various states throughout the U.S. in the early 1900s, and suggests that the subspecies from Hungary was the most suited for transplant, thus their common alias.

 

Stay Sharp!