Our small farm in Littleton, Colorado, sits on the west wall of the South Platte Valley. Each morning, we are treated to a spectacular sunrise and, during the winter months, to squadrons of Canada geese as they leave the river to feed on regional grasslands.
On the farm itself, only the junipers, spruce and pinyon pines add color to the brown fields and barren woods. We often spot our resident fox early or late in the day, making her rounds of the woodpiles and pastures in search of mice. Though common birds such as robins, crows, magpies, chickadees and house finches dominate the avian population, we usually have a Townsend solitaire or two during the colder months, down from the mountains to feast on our juniper berries. A red-tailed hawk, often harassed by the crows, winters on the property and sharp-shinned hawks are frequent visitors. Other than the fox and her quarry of mice and voles, our resident mammals are limited to raccoons, fox squirrels and skunks; on occasion, a coyote turns up, posing the only real threat to the fox and her pups. Though cottontails are fairly common in the adjacent suburbs, our fox and raptors have essentially extirpated them from the farm.
Contrary to popular belief, winter conditions are fairly mild along the Front Range. Though nights dip into the teens, daytime highs are generally near 40 and the irregular snow falls melt quickly. This year, temperatures have been lower than average and a fair amount of snow still covers the shaded ground; but the heaviest snows will arrive in March and April, when seasonal "upslope" storms assault the region.
