January - A Cold and Quiet Month?
We may look out the window through the snow coming down and think about how all the animals have seemed to vanished. Brave the cold or take a stroll on a "warm" day and you may hear resident birds like the black-capped chickadee or nuthatches chirping away. Off in the distance you see a doe and her now big and fluffy fawn meandering through the snow to find some twigs to munch on.
Unless you enjoy ice fishing, snowshoeing, or snowmobiling, you probably aren't outside exploring as much as you were this last Fall. You know what, that is alright! This may be a good time to cuddle up by the fire with a good book or watch some documentaries to learn more about our natural world.
Even though we may not witness it, there is quite a bit of action taking place in those quiet woods. End of January is when some wildlife species, like red fox, wolves, beavers, Canada lynx, and gray squirrels are starting to mate. By this point in time, great horned owl pairs have sealed their bond and either find a big cavity, take over an old crow or heron's nest, or appropriate a red-tailed hawk's nest (much to the surprise of the homecoming hawks). If you're interested in seeing a great horned owl, February is the month to search the countryside. Bare trees make it easier to locate the large, bulky nests, which may seem unoccupied. A telltale sign a great horned owl is in residence will be two ear tufts rising just over the nest rim or a rounded lump in the center of the nest which may be the brown-feathered back of an incubating owl.
If you decide to brave the cold and explore some, remember to share your pictures with us, especially if you happen across great horned owl nest! Make sure to mark the location so you can return to see those fluffy chicks!
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