Sixteen bald eagles, mostly immature, roost in a tree in preparation for a night’s rest. Although highly territorial, bald eagles will frequently roost together during cold winter nights in a cooperative effort to shield each other from the cold and save precious energy that would otherwise be used to generate body heat.
Winter critters
Winter, for some plant and animal species, is a time for rest. Most plants have shed their leaves and are lying dormant, waiting for the warm weather to arrive where they will once again bloom. Reptiles and amphibians are hibernating, hidden in the mud on the bottom of a pond, or tucked away in a rocky den. These also will emerge with the arrival of spring.
Spring arrived with a startle at my cottage in Luxton Lake on February 20 at 9:00 a.m. With the thermometer reading 20 degrees and snow flurries in the air, the last thing I expected to see fluttering outside my window was a robin. Let alone a flock of them. But sure enough, a quick look at my Audubon Field Guide confirmed the full orange breast, yellow bill and white tail vents as the American Robin. And they were everywhere: outside the living room, the office, the bedroom. But why? Had spring arrived already? Or was there some other reason for this happy preview of April?
