Watch for winter wildlife

#Middlebury #MiddleburyLandTrust

This pawprint in the snow tells us a feline, likely a bobcat, has passed through. Learning to tell apart tracks in the snow can be a fun winter pastime. (Janine Sullivan-Wiley photo)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

Two things make it easier to observe wildlife in the cold midwinter. Trees and shrubs that have shed their leaves make visibility better, and snow (when it’s on the ground) becomes a canvas that tells us who has been there and what they were doing.

In winter, many of the birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians that share this area with us are hibernating, have flown South or have become very quiet. The birds that remain throughout the winter do not sing the songs we know and enjoy. Most of those are related to breeding. In winter, you will most likely hear only their simple call notes. Some, such as male goldfinches, also have traded in their bright breeding plumage for more drab winter wear, making them harder to spot.

Other than seeing birds at your back yard feeder, the best way to spot birds in winter is to stay very still for several minutes, maybe sitting on a log or leaning on a tree. Don’t be surprised if crows give you away with their loud calls. They are reliable sentinels for many animals and birds when the territory has been “invaded.” After a few minutes, most birds will resume their activity and you will be better able to spot them as they flit through the tree crowns or along the branches.

Many larger mammals remain active all winter: deer, coyotes, bobcats, foxes and even the occasional bear that has roused from its winter hibernation if disturbed. Bears can sleep all winter. Thanks to their insulating fat and fur, they don’t always need to sleep in dens. Some sleep out on the ground including in brush piles, or next to a log or uprooted tree roots. Although they are hibernating, they can wake up fairly quickly if they are disturbed by you or an unleashed dog.

Neither bears nor coyotes respond well to having their dens disturbed. In Connecticut, the coyote breeding season is from January to March, and pups are born from April to mid-May. During this time, caution needs to be taken to avoid their dens, which they will defend against all threats, including unleashed dogs that venture too close.

Animal signs on trail and tracks in the snow tell you who has traveled through an area. Coyotes tend to mark their territories by leaving their scats (feces) in mid-road or trail, or even on a log. (Dogs tend to “go” to the side.) Look closely, and if it’s mostly or completely composed of fur, that’s coyote scat. Rabbits and deer also leave their scatological calling cards. Find online information on animal scat at www.northwoodsguides.com/animal_scat_notes.php.

When it comes to tracks, telling apart canine (dog and coyote) tracks can be tricky, as can distinguishing between feline tracks (bobcat versus large domestic cats). Feline versus canine is easier: canine tracks are more oval in shape, with claw marks visible, and the space between the pads forming a shape like a “X.” Feline tracks are more rounded, the claws rarely show, and that space between pad and toes is more of an arc shape. The photo with this article, taken in the Goss preserve, shows a feline track, probably a bobcat.

In the snow, tracks can be read like sentences in a book – once you learn the language. The Middlebury Public library has several good books on the subject. “Wild Tracks” and “Big Tracks, Little Tracks” are especially nice for the younger set. “Animal Tracking Basics” covers a broad range of tracking considerations, while the “Peterson Field Guide to animal Tracks” has the most details of prints and various scats presented in a well-organized format.

You can contact this writer at jswspotlight@gmail.com. Visit the MLT on Facebook or at middleburylandtrust.org. We’d love to hear about what you see in our woods. Happy hiking!