After a snow storm, I go outside to feed the birds (and other creatures) and I am fascinated by all the many tracks I see in the yard. Of course, there are the birds, and rabbits, and probably raccoons and deer as well, but there are always a few "mystery tracks" that defy identification. While we humans can make a run to the grocery store to stock up on comfort food, our animal friends have no such luxuries.
Even though most mammals are in torpor (slowed down or in hibernation to conserve energy) during the winter, some still need to forage. Their metabolism is able to adjust to the changes in their environment - for example, deer resort to eating more woody things like bark and twigs instead of the plants and grasses easily found during the growing season - but that doesn't mean they have to like it.
My husband does the same thing, but for another species of mammal - the homeless. During the winter months, he volunteers his time to help a group that offers hot meals to those who need it. Giving continues beyond the holidays, like Scrooge finally learned in Dickens' A Christmas Carol:
“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!”
Happy wildlife "adventures" to you!
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