I’m not quite sure how, but 2024 is just about over but I’m very excited to see what 2025 has in store! I can’t wait to search for animal tracks in the snow, watch pasque flowers bloom in the spring, and see fireflies light up the summer night sky. As random as nature appears to be, it can also be predictable. It’s nice knowing that we get to experience nature throughout the seasons all over again!
As we prepare for the new year, let’s get outside and see what’s happening right now!
Downy woodpecker
A large portion of our birds in Wisconsin migrate south for the winter and I don’t blame them! The birds that choose to stay despite the bitter cold, are my absolute favorite. I can’t imagine going an entire winter without seeing blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, or owls. When spring arrives and the flashy warblers and other songbirds return, it’s easy to lose sight of our year-long residents. Sure enough, when winter rolls around I’m reminded just how resilient and wonderful our local birds are (like the downy woodpecker pictured above).
Migration
This time of year is also special because we get a chance to see birds that we wouldn’t normally see. Tundra swans (pictured above with Canada geese) are migrating by the thousands across Wisconsin. They stop here on their way from the tundra of Alaska and northern Canada to take a rest. They’ll eventually make their way to the southern coasts of the US, but for now we get to enjoy their calls in the sky above.
Red-tailed Hawk
While out with my family, we found a red-tailed hawk that swooped in above us and landed in a tree. Red-tailed hawks look like they were built for the cold. They’re fluffy, meat-eating predators with insanely good vision. I love watching them dive down onto the snow and fly away with a small rodent that thought it was hidden.
I’m pretty proud when I can catch a bluegill through the ice, but it’s hard to imagine that a hawk can hear (and catch) a mouse that’s hiding up to 1′ below the snow.
Virginia opossum
While on the same hike, I saw some movement on the ground out of the corner of my eye. Whatever it was, it had scurried into the brush and out of sight. I told my 7-year-old I thought I just saw a house cat run into the brush and he replied with “actually, I think it was an opossum”. I wasn’t sure that I had ever seen an alive opossum in the daylight so I was skeptical. As we got closer, we saw the mysterious creature climbing a tree and sure enough, it was an opossum! I may have my 7-year-old write the next ‘Nature Now’ email…
Unlike red-tailed hawks, Virginia opossums don’t look like they’re built for the winter. In fact, they don’t really do so well being North America’s only marsupial. Not having fur on their feet, ears, and tail exposes them to the cold and it’s not uncommon for them to get frostbite on these exposed extremities.
Well, I hope you had a wonderful year and here’s to new adventures in 2025!