Recently we have experienced some harsh winter conditions — cold temperatures and high winds. I hated going out to fill the bird feeders in my yard, but the little guys count on me during these harsh periods.
During mean winter periods there are many warnings on TV about frost bite and keeping your pets inside. But what about wildlife? They have no warm house to stay in, no one to take care of them, and finding food can be a real problem. When I’m outside in the cold and wind, the thought of how wildlife is dealing with it often crosses my mind. How nice we have it!
So what do the wild creatures do? Well, some just head south to warmer climates. Most waterfowl migrate south to wait out our northeast winters. Hummingbirds head to South America as do monarch butterflies. Many birds only move down into the southern states.
However, some birds remain here and have worked out ways to survive the cold and snow. Chickadees, woodpeckers, nuthatches and titmice search tree bark for dormant insects. Finches, sparrows, cardinals and juncos search fields and the ground for seeds remaining on or around vegetation. Many find our bird feeders.
Hawks and eagles will migrate south just enough to put them in a bit more friendly environment but some will remain in our area if food can be found. Recently two different bald eagles gave me some great photographing opportunities. Road kills, deer remains from deer hunting season and weakened wildlife provide them with food.
Grouse search out seeds as the pheasants and turkeys do but they will also climb into trees such as apple and poplar to look for buds on the branches. When things get really bad they will hunker down to conserve energy much like deer do. Turkeys will roost for days in trees during harsh conditions and have been known to actually weaken enough to die there in their attempt to conserve energy. Grouse will burrow down in the deep snow to conserve heat and get out of the wind.
Mammals such as beavers and muskrats prepare for winter by making “houses” from natural vegetation. No heat, of course, but very efficient at containing their body heat and protecting them from the elements. They even make piles of edible vegetation under the water near these houses so they can find “supper” when the water freezes over.
Deer move as little as possible to conserve calories and survive mostly on their fat that they accumulated in the fall by heavy feeding, and by raiding your shrubbery or nipping buds from twigs.
Other mammals hibernate or sleep out the winter (I know people who do that!). They put on a large amount of weight in the fall and then find a protected place to curl up and go to sleep. Their metabolism and heart rate go way down and they survive on the fat they accumulated earlier. Bears will find a cave, a hollow tree, dense downfall or a brush pile to sleep in. Woodchucks burrow deep into the ground to sleep away winter. Chipmunks will also hibernate but squirrels stay active, only “sleeping in” when temperatures are well below normal. Raccoons will sleep away the winter but become active during warm-up “thaws” that last a few days. Foxes and coyotes are always out trying to make a living during winter and just curl up in a protected area when they’re ready to take a nap.
Some creatures, like frogs and some insects, survive by freezing and thawing as they hide under leaves on the ground. Special proteins in their blood cause the water in the blood to freeze. This ice sucks out most of the water in frogs’ blood. At the same time their bodies make large amounts of glucose, which packs into cells and keeps them from collapsing while also preventing additional water from being pulled out of the cells. When they thaw during a warming period the process is reversed and thus their cells are not damaged.
There are many ways to survive winter but I’ll take a house and a wood burner any day.