Yellow Rumped Warbler

The Northwoods is caught in what the weatherman calls "An Omega Block."   That means days of wind and lots of it.  The Beaufort scale is one way to measure wind speed from observations:

Smoke rises vertically - Force 1 (calm)

Light flags extended - Force 3 (fresh breeze)

Small trees sway  - Force 5 (strong breeze)

Resistance felt when walking - Force 7 (moderate gale)

There is more to it but it got me to thinking I should make my own observational scale of wind speed:

Tinkle of wind chimes - Force 2 (light breeze)

Garbage can falls on it's side - Force 4 (moderate breeze - it sits on uneven ground)

Benches by Ragnarok tip over - Force 6 (strong breeze)

Light at the top of the garden pole is flipped across the lawn - Force 8 (gale)

Like the Beaufort scale mine also has other specifications (e.g. Strong enough to rock the chairs on the deck; Strong enough to knock over the big rabbit scupture sitting on the septic cover; Strong enough to blow open the front door.)  Best to stay out of the woods until the winds die down a bit - especially after a winter of heavy snows.  Doesn't take much wind for 'dead men' to start falling from the trees.