What To Do During Winter...

As much as I love the idea of keeping my blog updated, my photos updated, and generally staying in touch with the world, I find it hard to do.  I am never in shortage of passion, energy, or ideas, but my focus and follow-through always needs a boost.  I think there is a term to describe me (ADHD?)  I am working on it though : )

Living in Northeast Ohio is extraordinary for inumerable reasons, one of which that I really want to emphasize being our beautiful seasons.  It amazes me how many people that I encounter who just seem to complain about the climate here.  The Winter is too cold, not enough sunny days, blah blah blah.  Do these people ever stop to realize what a diverse and bountiful land that we call home?  Northeast Ohio is positioned so where many different eco-regions come together.  The land here has characteristics of lands surrounding it in all directions.  Such diverse habitats allows for great diversity in flora and fauna.  We also have had glacial history that has blessed us with some of the most fertile till soil that one could imagine.  Oh, and Lake Erie...one of the great lakes that supplies us with such generous amounts of fresh water among other things...Northeast Ohio really isn't so bad.

The seasons here are an effect of our latitude on the globe.  We have wonderful warm (even hot) Summers and cold snowy Winters.  Spring and Autumn are also beautiful transitional periods between.  I would argue that every season has cosiderable beauty, and especially from a naturalist's point of view, there are so many wonderful things to discover and anticipate year-round.  Personally, I enjoy getting outside all year; even during the Winter, but there are many things that one can do to celebrate the natural world even without being outside much.

Being the big nature geek that I am, I decided to use this Winter as a time to develop my tree (and shrub) identification skills.  Without leaves, tree ID becomes a matter of twig ID...and this can be challenging.  One major challenge is to obtain a representative twig from the tree of which you are trying to identify.  For me, twigs are the final step in identifying a tree.  I first take into account habitat, growth pattern, bark, and overall characteristics.  There can also be clues on the ground such as fruits, nuts or leaves.  Sometimes clues may allow me to have a few guesses as to what the tree might be.  If nothing else, I can usually narrow down the suspects and then hope to manage getting a twig (I've climbed many trees).

American Basswood (Tilia americana) is characteristically multi-trunked, and grows in clumps.  This was an extreme example found at Observatory Park.  

Another great thing about Winter in the amatuer naturalist's world is bird identification.  In Winter, we are left with our resident species (birds that stay in one place year-round) and Winter migrants (who come from further North).  Bird numbers are much fewer in the Winter, and diversity much less for most habitats.  I always tell people that Winter is a great time to learn because they can try to get the resident species figured out, so that once Spring comes at least they can recognize some birds.  These common birds include Cardinals, Blue Jays, Chickadees, Nuthcatches, Titmice, and most of our woodpecker species.  Mixed flocks of these birds can be found moving as a group through woodlands often with Kinglets, Brown Creepers, and Juncos.  Wrens and Sparrows are around as well as other songbirds and raptors.  Winter is also a great time for seasoned "birders".  Many rare species are found in Ohio during Winter.  I saw my first Northern Goshawk this year...a species that only gets reported (at least credibly) in Ohio a handful of times each year.  Besides many raptors, songbirds and numerous waterfowl species also can be seen in Ohio for just the Winter.  Every season has it's own wonderful characteristics : )

Of course, many animal species become dormant during Winter, and some change habits or become much less active.  There are plenty of specific examples.  Some amphibians burrough in the mud and can actually withstand parts of their bodies becoming frozen!  Reptiles find some sort of Winter den such as a burrough or stick pile. Some mammals gather up large caches of food to help sustain over the Winter and become much less active, others remain active. All of Ohio's wildlife has it's own special adaptations for surviving through this tough season...a topic on which I still have much to learn.

Beyond actually getting outside, there are other things to do in Winter that can appeal to the nature lover.  I use this time inside for organization, and consolidation of the previous year's collections.  I like to keep somewhat of a loose almanac of happenings in the natural world around me.  Some in pictures, some in notes, others just in memory.  During late Winter it is exciting to think of Spring just around the corner, and the chain of events that occurs during the transition into better weather.  This is when I try to set goals for myself as far as projects to embark on and subjects to focus on for the year.  Once Spring hits, so much happens so fast it can be overwhelming!!

Early flowering Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) seen on January 11th 2012 in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

In 2012 I have already seen early signs of the changing seasons.  We have had such a mild Winter that I think nature may be confused.  February 1st I was listening to at least 3 Spring Peepers along the Mentor Marsh.  I've seen Skunk Cabbage in many places many times this Winter, with flowers and all!  More regular for this time of year, Red-shouldered Hawks have begun their courtship and territorial displays.  I first heard two pairs relentlessly vocalizing over territory at Geauga Park District's new Observatory Park in Montville on February 8th.  Here is a link to hear what they sound like - http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-shouldered_Hawk/id/ac Keep your ears out for this screaming hawk and bring some binoculars.  Red-shoulders are among the most beautiful birds in my opinion, you may be able to witness territorial diving displays, or even courtship behavior and mating ; )  Here is a photo that I took a couple years ago in my backyard in Kent.

The moral of the story is that Winter is a great time for certain aspects of the natural world, and there are plenty of things to see and learn.  Even better for some Winter can be a time to refresh and organize to get ready for the next year.  VERY soon we will be amongst breeding amphibians, early spring wildflowers, breeding raptors (some of which have already started), early migratory birds and so on.  Once the chain of events in Spring starts, every day is different!  So I hope that anyone who is interested sets goals for themselves this year to get out and witness some of these amazing seasonal spectacles in nature.  They are so brief, and I for one look forward to them every year.

I even got this lovely lady out with me most of the time throughout Winter and she is a freeze baby : )  Here we are admiring a giant Red Oak (Quercus rubra) at the Mentor Lagoons