Date: 02/25/2012

Number: 1

I guesstimate Oyster Pond in front of my house to be about 1.5 sq. klm (1 sq. mile) in area. It is tidal brackish water fed by the Atlantic Ocean and fresh water runoff. Many years it freezes solid during winter and people walk, skate and snowmobile on it. Not this year! It has been a very mild, sunny and snowfree winter and Oyster Pond was never more than 80% covered by ice. All season there has been a large area of open water in the center. Instead of the ice thickening during the month of February it has been receding. Today, after a wild night of rain and wind the pond is mostly open water with only patches of ice at the shoreline. By comparison my garden journal reads that the ice didn't disappear last year until March 14, which was also a mild winter.

In addition, my daffodils have been poking their tips above the soft mushy surface of the earth for a week. The earliest I can ever recall seeing them. Hello spring!

Pleasant Point, NS

Latitude: 44.7 Longitude: -63.1

Observed by: Gordie
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