Imagine if you were a varying hare this winter. In case you didn't know, these hares' camouflaging coloration changes from brown to white every winter, and then back to brown again come spring. So there you'd be, since back in November, a white hare trying to be invisible in an all brown-and-green environment. Every owl, hawk, fox and coyote could spot you from a country mile away. Your chances of survival would be less than they normally would be. When long-term abnormal seasonal weather occurs, some wildlife species benefit while others suffer.
So far, this season could only be called winter by the fact that it is occurring between the two equinoxes of fall and spring. The almost complete lack of any even moderate snowfall occurring, coupled with high temperatures that have set all sorts of records, more closely resembles a winter season south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Last Saturday, January 6, people were wandering around outside in shorts and short-sleeved shirts. I half expected to see some daffodils and crocuses popping up in gardens. The weather during last Saturday's Rogers Center's Winter Living Celebration was far better than what occurred during its Earth Day Fest last May. Winter? In name only.
The extremely mild weather has been a real benefit to deer, wild turkeys, grouse, cottontail rabbits and many species of birds. It's also made hunting easier for predator species like fox and coyote, that would normally be trying to catch voles beneath the snow or chasing fleet-footed rabbits and hares atop it. Deer and other prey species that normally must work hard to find food when deep snow covers the ground, are living on easy street this winter, unhindered by having to plow through snow to seek available food. The bare ground also makes escaping hungry predators easier, although they, too, find plenty to eat, such as those poor white hares.
Many species, such as grouse and deer, normally retreat to sheltered conifer stands during winter, where the dense overhead boughs effectively catch large amounts of snow and thus prevent it from reaching the ground. This winter they're occupying basically the same habitat and areas they did in autumn. Others, such as raccoon. skunk and grey squirrel, species than normally den when the more severe snow and cold occur, continue to be nearly as active as they would be in autumn. One might say that the 2006 autumn season wildlife activity traits have continued well into winter and this year.
Another benefit has been no ice forming on streams that were severely damaged by last year's floods. The flood waters scoured and changed streambeds, destroying both habitat and aquatic species in the process, and extensive ice forming would have added insult to injury. Especially so when major thawing occurred, and large chunks of ice crashed downstream, crushing everything in their path.
Of course this winter has been bad news for snow enthusiasts such as ice fishermen, snowmobilers and skiers, as well as the seasonal businesses that depend on those activities. Organizers of ice fishing derbies are holding their breath, not all that optimistic there will be sufficient ice to hold the events, even those slated for late winter. Businesses in the Old Forge and Inlet region that normally enjoy a seasonal exodus of snowmobilers – and the money they leave there – could be looking at very lean bank accounts come spring.
Although probably minimal, the mild weather has been good for the overall environment, since a lower demand to heat residences and business has meant less airborne pollutants entering our atmosphere. Dry roads haven't required heavy sand-salt mixtures being spread on them to reduce slippery conditions for drivers, so there'll be less salt in the runoff water that sometimes kills roadside trees and other flora.
