Welcome to the 32nd edition of Windows on Wildlife! If you have a recent post or photo about wildlife you’d like to share (it can be anything: birds, insects, mammals…) scroll down to the end of the post and add your site. I will compile and post all additions the following week. Please don’t forget to link back here (I’d love it if you’d add the Windows on Wildlife button to your post which you can find on our sidebar) and visit other blogs that have articles to share. Thanks for stopping by!
Deep snow makes it harder for wildlife to get around in the winter.
We had a pretty good amount of snow this winter. Certainly not our heaviest, but we had a couple of storms that left over a foot – and in two cases, over two feet – of snow behind. Before I had kids, I used to spend a lot of time in the winter out snowshoeing and tracking. We go out on snowshoes occasionally with the kids now, but not as often as I used to. Happily, with the addition of Thorin to our family getting out and walking all year-long is now a necessity.
Early on in the season, after one of the heavier snowfalls, Obo took Thorin out for a long, snowshoeing walk. A day or so later, I went out with Thorin following the path Obo had set with his snowshoes. And I discovered something that I had forgotten years ago: larger mammals (particularly the ones that are ‘walkers’: deer, canines, felines, etc.) love following packed down paths through the snow. Completely logical – they want to expend as little energy as possible in the winter when out searching for food, shelter or mates. And having packed-down paths to follow makes for easier traveling, obviously.
As I followed Obo’s trail the large amount of deer tracks I saw utilizing his path was entertaining. I found a few sets of fox tracks as well, but alas, no coyote. I was sure to tell Obo thank you from the deer – he said he was glad to be a help. Next time you head out with your snowshoes (let’s hope it’s not until next calendar year…), remember that they make life easier for the woodland critters as well!
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The edition of Windows on Wildlife features travelogues: Around the World posted about seal-watching in the UK, and Helen from Wandering Albatross got rained out from her canopy walk in the Amazon, but managed to capture some, um, interesting (if slightly creepy) videos of ants.
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Linking up this week with Nature Notes
Beautiful shot and cool to find the different wildlife tracks following the snow shoe path.
It’s rare that I go out into the woods and am not surprised at some new (or newly remembered) discovery. 🙂
Newly remembered is a good term…I do that a lot…Interesting info..hope things are Ok your way…Michelle
Still waiting to hear; I’m trying not to think the worst, but it gets harder as new wrinkles come up.