You may not realize it, but far north of here is a forest that is just as important as the rainforests for sustaining wildlife. Rosemary talks about Canada's Boreal Forests and some efforts to ensure its future.
Something Wild: Moving Around in Winter
Air date: February 26, 2004
Welcome to this week?s edition of Something Wild. I?m Rosemary Conroy for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
Getting around in winter, is for the most part, easy for humans. But what about wildlife?
For most of the animals that live in our state, it comes down to a few basic choices. You can either go over, under, or through the snow that typically blankets the landscape at this time of year.
Most birds fall into the over category. Having wings allows birds to move around without really having to deal with snow. Although, there are exceptions, of course. One would be the ruffed grouse; which buries itself in the snow to stay warm.
Not unlike our tiny four-footed friends. Mice, voles, and shrews take advantage of snow by burrowing under it. The snow?s insulation keeps them warm and out of sight of many predators. You can see evidence of these ?sub-nivean? tunnels around your bird-feeders after the snow melts. Those winding snake-like snow trails are the remnants of former rodent runways.
Then there?s the animals that go through the snow, which includes most of our mammals. Some, like moose, are very well-suited to traveling in deep snow. Their long legs and large hooves give them a big advantage over deer, for example. Being shorter makes it harder for our white-tails to move about in real snowy terrain. They tend to hunker down in stands of softwood trees where they can better conserve their energy.
And snowshoe hares? Well, their name says it all. Weasels appear to do well in snow ? they either bound through it like fishers, or dive under it like ermines hunting for mice.
And otters, no doubt, were the model for the clever human who first slid down a snowy hillside.
Something Wild is a joint production of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, NHPR, and the Audubon Society of New Hampshire.
For Something Wild, I?m Rosemary Conroy.
