Warm air flowing over cooler ground can create fog.

When we looked out our windows on the morning of December 27, we saw……. nothing!  Well, we saw magical fog. It was so magical that it obscured the nearby houses and stores we normally see.

Unusal Occurance

Cedar Rapids usually isn’t a very foggy place. Fog is most likely during winter, but sometimes a year goes by without a pea soup fog. Other American cities, especially along the northern East and West Coasts, often are foggy.

Marion walks the labyrinth or horseshoe loop of our drive nearly each morning. These foggy pre-dawn days were mysterious and colorful with neighbors’ lights glowing.

After a quick look out the window on that December morning Rich bundled up, set up his lawn chair, and sat in the backyard facing Faulkes Woods. As is normal on thick fog days there was neither wind nor sound……until wafting from the foggy woods came the delightful call of a Carolina Wren. The combination of fog and our resident Carolina Wren made it a truly magical morning.

Carolina Wrens

This tiny and active bird isn’t up near the house like summertime’s House Wrens, but prefers to stay down in the woods. Tough to spot because of its small size and penchant to stay hidden, its clear call affirms the bird’s presence. It’s an easy call to learn and is especially melodious at a time of year when few other birds vocalize. Our wren seemed to love the fog as much as we did.

To learn more about this lesser-known wren and hear its calls on your computer go to Cornell Lab, All About Birds. eBird

Types of Fog

There are at least five types of fog. Check out the National Weather Service’s Website to learn more about these types of fog.

We’re glad Iowa isn’t as foggy as the coasts of Maine or Washington. Day after day of thick moisture would get gloomy. Instead, we revel in the quiet beauty of our rare fog.