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Florida’s Winter Warbler

Posted by Gary on January 26, 2018 in Song Birds

Each winter yellow-rumped warblers flood into Florida to escape the wintry weather of northern U.S. and Canada. In Florida these warblers are ubiquitous; I almost always see them when I hike in the woodlands here.

If you look closely at the bird’s bill, you will see that it is pointed. This is indicative of insect-eating birds. Although its primary diet is bugs, it visits my bird feeders to eat seeds.

When I lived in New York, yellow-rumped warblers went no further south than Long Island’s seashores. These birds are well adapted at eating and digesting the waxy seeds of bayberry that is abundant in the interdunal swales of the seashore.

During the winter, these warblers have a subdued plumage that helps them blend in with the winter woodlands. As spring approaches, this plumage will turn into beautiful yellow markings and I hope they will come to the feeders once last time before returning north to their breeding grounds.

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Hooded Mergansers in Winter

Posted by Gary on January 23, 2018 in Birds

When I worked at Connetquot River State Park Preserve on New York’s Long Island, I looked forward to seeing the many species of ducks that came from the freezing lakes and rivers of the north. The Island, being surrounded by water and  bordering the Atlantic Ocean, usually had a moderate winter making it an ideal place for large flocks of canvasback ducks, scaup, red heads, shovelors and ring-necked ducks to spend winter eating plants, insects and fish in its unfrozen lakes, streams and estuaries. If the Island experienced an unusually cold winter and its waterways froze, these birds would travel further south seeking open waters.

One of my favorite ducks that arrived each winter is the eye-catching hooded merganser. It is easily identified by its black and white body markings and chestnut flanks. The male’s head is a crest of white and black feathers. Each year a small flock of 15 to 20 birds settled in on the Connetquot River to snatch fish with their serrated bills.

In the spring these ducks return north to breeding grounds where they nest in tree cavities. Sometimes the merganser will lay her eggs in other female merganser nests. Within a day of hatching the ducklings climb out of the nest and fall to the ground where they follow the mom duck to the local waters.

The winter of 2017/18 is a particularly cold one, but I have not seen any mergansers here in Florida on the lakes near me. They certainly would be a welcomed sight.

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What do Squirrels do in Winter?

Posted by Gary on January 16, 2018 in Wildlife

If you are an eastern gray squirrel you bulk up in the fall by eating acorns, seeds and nuts. This results in increased fat reserves to insulate you from the cold and acts as energy reservoirs during long, harsh winters.

These squirrels also cache acorns and other nuts by burying them in the ground. They may not remember where they bury every acorn; those forgotten acorns sprout into trees in the spring.

Eastern gray squirrels seek shelter during winter snow storms and for the coldest winter days. Tree cavities make the ideal shelter, but I have seen them chew bird nesting box openings wide enough to squeeze in for shelter.

When winter temperatures moderate, these rodents come out during the warmer part of the day and forage for those buried acorns. If they are lucky enough to live near bird feeding stations, squirrels use their ingenuity to raid those feeders of sunflower seeds often to the chagrin of its owners.

Although it might seem like a pretty good life, there are many perils even in the winter when raptors are hunting for squirrel for lunch. Foxes are also active at this time of year and if lucky will pounce on squirrels. Despite this, eastern gray squirrels have been successful at adapting not only to the cold weather, but to the suburban environment created by people.

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Winter Survival Strategies of White-tailed Deer

Posted by Gary on January 15, 2018 in Wildlife

White-tailed Deer do not hibernate for the winter. They do not migrate to warmer climates. These deer weather the frigid winter temperatures and storms through adaptations that took thousands of years to develop.

One adaptation is one that all animals developed to survive the cold. In the summer and fall, when food is plentiful, deer will devour as much nourishment as they can find – acorns, tree leaves and wild grasses. This is important for building up a fat layer under their skin. That fat is different from the dangerous fat that we store. It is a brown fat that will not only keep the deer warm, but is energy rich so when resources are low in the winter, these energy reserves will enable the deer to survive through the winter.

Like many mammals, deer grow a thick coat of fur. Each hair is hollow and filled with air. This helps insulate the deer from the sub-freezing temperatures of the winter.

Another adaptation is the change of behavior of these hoofed animals. In the summer, deer rest during the heat of the day and become active in the evening, and through the night when they forage. Since winter food resources are sometimes hard to find, deer need to conserve as much energy as possible and it takes a lot of energy to stay warm. So when it is the coldest the winter deer change their behavior by being active during the day when it is warmer and bedding down at night.

Deer tend to travel together in small herds in the winter, a process called “yarding”. This is important during winter snows. By being in herds, the deer can tread through the snow one behind the other thus conserving energy. Additionally, when bedding down in the snow the herd can trample the snow together making it easier for them and again conserving energy.

These are some of the strategies deer use to endure winters in the north. While most survive, some deer do not make it. Sometimes it is because of people in the deer’s habitat causing deer to expend more energy than they normally would when fleeing. Sometimes it is because of an unusually harsh winter. Sometimes it is because of an individual deer’s shortcomings. Despite these challenges, white-tailed deer populations are doing quite well.

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Sleeping in the Snow

Posted by Gary on January 14, 2018 in Wildlife

It is 2018 and the winter is brutal with temperatures hovering around zero degrees and snows blanketing much of the U.S. People survive this weather in heated shelter with ample food supplies and when they do venture out, coats, hats, gloves all help protect them from the cold.

Wildlife also adapt to the harsh winter weather. Many species migrate south to warmer climates. Some burrow into the ground. Others find shelter in tree cavities or rocky dens. Many mammals and birds are active in the winter seeking food and temporary shelter from winter storms.

One animal adapted to the challenges of winter is the raccoon. Raccoons are active all winter. These animals, like many mammals, engorge on food in the fall creating a thick fat reserve to keep them warm and to use for energy to get them through the winter. Additionally, raccoons grow a coat of thick coarse fur that helps conserve energy and like a winter coat that we put on, to stay warm

I was witness to how a raccoon survives when one winter day; snow fell from the sky at a furious pace coating the landscape in a white blanket. Outside my office window a raccoon climbed up to the first crotch in a three-story tall sycamore tree where it rolled into a ball. As the snow fell it coated the raccoon’s fur which made it difficult to see the animal. It stayed in the tree all afternoon and I left it at dusk when I went home to the warmth of my house.

The next morning after 12+ inches fell, I checked the tree and the raccoon was gone. Many birds came to our feeders and deer wandered past my office window. To the wildlife, it was just another day.

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