Well, the cold snap seems to have passed and the snow is melting rather quickly. Buds on trees are getting bigger, the cardinals are belting out their songs, and I’m constantly cleaning mud off of my dog’s paws. All signs that spring is near!
While we’re still a ways out from the first official day of spring, let’s see what’s happening outside in late February!
Brush burning season
Throughout the year we clear invasive brush from some of our favorite outdoor spaces like Westport Prairie and Patrick Marsh. The brush piles tend to accumulate on the land until we get a little snow and then it’s time to light them up!
Every once in awhile I see a cottontail rabbit run out of one of the piles as we’re lighting it. It’s a good reminder that while they just look like piles of sticks to us, they can actually provide habitat (or I suppose rabbitat if you’re a bunny) for various critters. I always try to leave a few brush piles scattered here and there instead of burning them all for just that reason.
An abandoned bird nest
Abandoned bird nests are very easy to spot this time of year since branches are much more exposed without the foliage. Just about every time I spot one within reach, I take peek inside to see if there is any evidence of it still being used. A lot of times you’ll find a large pile of seeds that have been stockpiled by rodents over the winter. It’s a nice little insulated place to eat a winter snack.
An epic journey
As you can probably tell, most of the photos I took for this monthly nature update were from earlier this week when we still had a decent amount of snow. Now that a lot of the snow has melted and the ground is wet, keep an eye out for tracks in the mud. Just this week I’ve seen deer, turkey, squirrel, and even some raccoon tracks.
Mouse tracks are a little harder to find in the mud because mice are so light. Since they don’t weigh that much, it’s easier for them to walk around without leaving a trace. In the snow, however, rodent tracks are almost impossible to miss (like the photo above). While small (each individual track was <0.5″), it’s easy to find these little mouse highways on top of the snow. If you’re lucky, you can sometimes follow these tracks and find a pair of wing prints in the snow where they end… a sign that an owl or hawk swooped down for the mouse (unlucky for the mouse).
Well that’s all for this month! It’s easy to find cool things in nature, you just need to get outside! I hope you make the time to do so yourself and I’ll see you next month for another nature update.