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Hi All,
Winter snow levels have finally reached their peak up here in the hig=
hlands so I thought I'd send in a report of my impressions on how wildlife =
are doing after all these late winter storms.=20
There is a base of snow on the ground now of about 6'+/- depending on=
where you are. Snow drifts along tree lines, filling ravines and up on the=
barrens are much deeper; up to 10'-12'+ deep. There is a crust on top of t=
he snow at the moment hard enough to support my weight without snowshoes - =
in most cases. A second much stronger crust (easily supports a moose) lies =
at the 3'-4' depth range. This crust was formed in late February and is ext=
remely hard. Wildlife with some exceptions appears to be doing pretty =
well despite the deep snow and in some cases that depth may even be a benef=
it to them; as moose, deer and snowshoe hare can now easily browse tree bra=
nches that normally would be out of their reach. Moose and Deer: I've =
seen the occasional moose or deer and lots of tracks throughout the winter =
and those animals that I have observed appear in good condition. Browse is =
plentiful and aside from coywolves and hunters; moose and deer have no real=
predators in this area. The only cause of death this year, for moose and d=
eer, aside from predation, is accidental death from falling through ice on =
lakes and rivers or into gorges by straying to close to snow overhangs alon=
g ravine edges. My wife saw a doe and young fawn a few days ago and both lo=
oked in good health. Snowshoe Hare and Red Squirrel: There are health=
y populations of both these species this winter (particularly hare) and tra=
cks/sightings are plentiful. The return of snowshoe hare in large numbers i=
s particularly appreciated as they are one of the main food sources for coy=
wolves and other predators like bobcat, lynx, large owls and hawks. C=
oywolves, Fox, Bobcats and Lynx: Coywolves are more often heard than seen b=
ut with the abundance of snowshoe hare I imagine they will do well this win=
ter. I haven't seen any sign of either fox, bobcat or lynx this winter but =
that is not that unusual here. Mice/Voles/Shrews etc.: I haven't seen=
mice/vole/shrew tracks in the snow in months; which is very troubling. The=
y are prey for many small predators and practically the sole diet of Northe=
rn Saw-whet Owls. I imagine the mice/voles/ shrews are doing fine under the=
snow. It's the predators that will suffer. Owls, Hawks and Eagles: =
Large owls, hawks and eagles should do well because there are abundant hare=
s, squirrels and grouse about. Northern Saw-whet Owls, and earlier arriving=
smaller hawks like American Kestrels, will on the other hand, I think, hav=
e a very hard spring. Hopefully they will delay breeding until much of the =
snow is gone. Other Birds: There have been lots of birds around the =
house feeders all winter but away from feeders it's been very quite. I did =
a two hour walk a few days ago and saw or heard not a single avian species.=
The only evidence I saw of birds were a few grouse tracks. I expect early =
arriving spring migrants that depend on insects or are mostly ground feeder=
s (robins, sparrows, blackbirds etc.) will have a very tough time until the=
snow is gone. It's been a long winter and I look forward to seeing=
and walking on bare ground again. If anyone has questions or corrections a=
bout any of my opinions on how local wildlife may be surviving here I'd be =
happy to try and answer them. I've linked to a few recent photos for your =
amusement. All the best.=20
Fritz McEvoy =
Sunrise Valley, CB (near Dingwall)=20
Fritz has files to share with you on On=
eDrive. To view them, click the links below. =
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<div dir=3D"ltr">Hi All,<br> Winter snow leve=
ls have finally reached their peak up here in the highlands so I thought I'=
d send in a report of my impressions on how wildlife are doing af=
ter all these late winter storms. <br> T=
here is a base of snow on the ground now of about 6'+/- depending on where =
you are. Snow drifts along tree lines, filling ravines and up on the b=
arrens are much deeper; up to 10'-12'+ deep. There is a crust on =
top of the snow at the moment hard enough to support my weight without=
snowshoes - in most cases. A second much stronger crust (easily supports a=
moose) lies at the 3'-4' depth range. This crust was formed in late Februa=
ry and is extremely hard.</div><div dir=3D"ltr"> &nbs=
p; Wildlife with some exceptions appears to be doing pretty well=
despite the deep snow and in some cases that depth may even be a=
benefit to them; as moose, deer and snowshoe hare can now easily browse&nb=
sp;tree branches that normally would be out of their reach.</div><div =
dir=3D"ltr"> <u> Moose and Deer</u>: I've=
seen the occasional moose or deer and lots of tracks throughout the winter=
and those animals that I have observed appear in good condition. Browse is=
plentiful and aside from coywolves and hunter