A Phenology Note For The Week of February 18 - 22: Horny Canids

With overnight temperatures this week 20 to 30 below, Spring seems like a remote possibility. It wouldn't be uncommon for more below zero readings the rest of the month. But the Canids - wolves, fox and coyotes - are preparing for thier mating season by marking their territorial boundaries with urine and scats. As you ski, snowshoe or snowmobile in the woods these days look for the signs of these fur-bearing pedators who time the arrival of their young with the availablity of rabbits, deer and other mammals they depend on for their food

John and Harry's Suggestions for Starting Your Own Phenolgy Journal

If you have been thinking about keeping a journal of the nature around you, here's a list of John and Harry's suggestions for things to look for when you are getting started. You can begin any time recording daily temperatures, snowfall amounts, birds at you feeders, and so on. This list includes things that are easy to spot and common benchmarks as the seasons change. A number of them are noticable as Winter gives way to Spring.

1. Right now, listen for the first fee-bee calls of the chickadees. They are beginning to think about setting up their territory for Spring.

2. Soon woodpeckers will begin hammering away their percussive beats, again an early sign of beginning to establish a Spring territory.

3. The emergence of the light green buds on the Trembling Aspen, usually in late April or early May, and two or three weeks before the Big-tooth Aspen.

4. The flowering of Cowslips, a.k.a Marsh Marigolds, in the ditches and bogs in early Spring.

5. The budding of Red Maples

6. The flowering of Wood Anemones

7. The arrival of Red Wing Blackbirds: easy to hear and easy to see.

8. The return of Redstarts, Yellow-Rumped, and Chestnut-sided Warblers

9. Ice-in or ice-out on area lakes: John has found Ice-in dates to be a more reliable benchmark; also keep track of the number of days your lake is covered with ice.

10. If you see a specific tree or plant everyday, us it as your personal measure of the changing seasons.

John and Harry's Phenology notes for Tuesday, December 18th

The Winter Solstice arrives this Friday. The sun sets about the same time this week. After this Friday, the 21st, the sun will begin to set a little later later each day. At first we only gain a few more seconds of daylight because the sun will continue to rise a little later each day until around January 1st. After that, the sun rises a little earlier and sets a little later each day until the Summer Solstice in June.

You can find more information about the solstice and other heavenly topics at the Earth and Sky web site and listen to Earth and Sky every weekday morning at 6:06 and 8:06.




Harry's top picks for birding field guides are the Sibley Guide for Birds of North America, the Fifth Edition of the National Geographic Field Guide for Birds of North America, and the large print edition of Peterson's Field Guide for Birds of Eastern North America for someone who has trouble with the small print in the regular field guides.

Are you a reptile killer?

We got this talkback from Charles:

Can you provide me with information about the study you mentioned where 3% of motorists will intentionally run over amphibians? I'd like to read the whole paper. A sad situation! Thanks.


Last week on a Talk on the Wild Side Harry Hutchins and John Latimer reminded us to be watchful of the roadways for animals and critters. From that comment some interesting information on a Canadian study came up.

According to a Human Dimensions of Wildlife study "Incidence of Intentional Vehicle-Reptile Collisions" almost 3% of motorists intentionally hit the fake turtle and fake snake that were set up on the roadway for the study.

Do you avoid reptiles? Have you ever seen someone intentionally hit a critter?

What do you think of the the whole issue?