Walker Nature Center
A LOOK INSIDE • Calendar of Events 4 • Kid’s Corner 6 • Native Spotlight 7
Nature Notes By Sharon Gurtz
DECEMBER • • • •
Groundhogs hibernate. Furbearers have winter coats. Foxes begin searching for mates. Spotted Wintergreen and Partridgeberry are evergreen.
JANUARY • • • •
Deer shed antlers. Robin flocks dine on holly berries. Raccoons breed. Bald Eagles begin to nest.
FEBRUARY • Owls are nesting. • Witchhazel blooms. • Southern Flying Squirrels are breeding. • Spring Peepers begin to call.
BRANCHING OUT Counting Calories By Ken Rosenthal
If birds could count calories, they would during winter--but they would be looking to increase them. Consuming enough calories when it is cold can be a big challenge, especially during a time of year when food is scarce. Smaller birds like chickadees use strategies to conserve calorie use, much like we trim budgets or improve homes to increase their energy efficiency. Their most fascinating method is lowering their internal body temperature on cold winter nights to reduce the amount of energy needed to survive until they can refuel in the morning.
Staying Alive
Strategies for survival are varied for different birds in the cold of winter. Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches all cache seeds, saving them for later. These birds form mixed flocks with Downy Woodpeckers, Brown Creepers, and Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets. Group foraging provides many eyes to find food and keep watch for predators. Larger woodpeckers like the Pileated and Red-bellied Woodpeckers and
Winter 12-13 Volume Eighteen