Apparently my declaration of an early (very) spring was a bit premature. I have been living in Perry County (yes, it is in Pennsylvania, get a map!) since spring of 1981 and have witnessed some very snowy winters. In fact I have a fond memory of shoveling off our house roof one night in, I believe, 1993. Yes, it is a fond memory: the temperature hovered near zero, the stars were radiant in an unnaturally clear sky, the air was dead still and all was silent. (Now, I had been shoveling snow all day and I may have been hallucinating, but that is how I remember it.)
The weather this winter has been somewhat unusual here in Perry County. I can’t recall another winter in which the temperature dropped so low and remained there for such a prolonged period of time. Based on my rather informal record of weather here at the house—a thermometer/barometer combo—we recorded a temperature above freezing only once from January first through February 18. Single digit nightly lows have been common and the cold was accompanied much of time by snow cover. Even in winters with heavier snowfalls we usually experience periodic thaws, normally melting off the snow cover. Very often this year, however, the ground was bare only where the wind had cleared it.
Though we country folk generally scoff at the incessant weather related whining of city folks, I will admit that winter in the city is a difficult in its own right. Cold can be a hardship as you try to keep your living quarters warm (especially with higher rates for electricity). Snow covered streets and sidewalks are inconvenient and sometimes dangers to traverse (I hear much of the city is rather lax in clearing their walks). Public transportation delays and cancellations only contribute to the hardships. What might be interesting to a city dweller is to consider what hardships winter creates beyond their concrete world way out in the magical and mysterious world of nature.
Cold weather in itself is not necessarily a hardship for the wild animals. They have or seasonally develop necessary natural protection in the form or fur or feathers that to a substantial degree water proof and insulate them from the cold. Nature also provides many physical forms of protection from the cold and precipitation: ground burrows provide protection for rabbits, tree dens for squirrels and thickets for deer. In inclement weather animals seek protection that is appropriate to their species and wait out the storm. (Note that only people go out in all kinds of weather. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions…)
Our early snows were light and fluffy, cold temperature snows. Initially, the lack of snow depth and the soft consistency of the snow posed little problem for the ground dwelling animals. They could readily penetrate through the snow to the ground below to reach available feed. However, rain fell on top of snow and was followed immediately by extreme cold that created an eight inch icy barrier between the wild animals and the food supply. With all the ice, movement became restricted, dangerous and potentially physically damaging. Birds like wild turkeys have problems with footing on the slick snow surface. Deer may damage their legs when their hooves break through the crust particularly if trying to escape predators such as coyotes.
All wildlife must eat regularly to live and finding food becomes a serious problem in any winter. In a winter such as this one, the difficulty increases. Each species has substantially different needs. Birds—especially those that do not hunt or scavenge other wildlife—must eat regularly and frequently in order to survive. They burn enormous amounts of energy merely keeping warm. Wild birds feed on readily available plant buds but also on many tiny feed items left in the ground cover at the end of the summer growing season. The hard long term snow cover has to a great degree removed access to the ground. In my own backyard, our bird feeders have been furiously busy sites for months. The amount of feed that such small creatures consume is both amazing and informing. Failure to regularly find feed at the feeder or in their natural element in the necessary quantity means imminent danger of death. (We’ll discuss bird feeders and squirrels another time.)
Rabbits and deer are able to survive on the bark and buds of some types of trees for a period of time but eventually need access to ground browse. This winter turkeys could be seen foraging in the fields anywhere there was even the slightest bit of bare ground. The squirrels fed from our bird feeders, as they are finding it difficult to access their stored nuts. Squirrels, you might be interested to know, share a trait more commonly associated with bears: in extreme weather conditions they will become semi-dormant, in effect temporarily hibernating. Even our domesticated animals have faced adversity this winter: our family Chihuahua, who is better suited to a warm lap than a cold snow drift, has struggled to find a suitable place to do her business.
As we inch closer to spring, the snow is starting to melt despite the cold. The late winter sun has new strength and will melt any new snow quickly. That is good news for the animals of the county and not bad for the people of the country and city either. This winter has been difficult and its end will not be lamented. Bring on spring!
-Papa Perry
