Winter food quest: a challenge for wildlife

Winter creates some extra issues for area wildlife. Not only do animals need to survive the cold temperatures, but they also need to find sufficient food to sustain them through the winter. Non-hibernating wildlife have to continue to forage throughout the winter in order to survive and, for many species, to prepare for breeding season when warm weather returns.

Ice covers lakes and rivers, which makes it more difficult for fish-eating mammals and birds to find prey. Plants have lost their leaves or died off for the winter, so deer and other herbivores have to find browse under the snow in the form of small shoots or buds. Creatures such as the porcupine resort to eating the bark and tender shoots from trees.

For animals that dine on insects, the quest for food is more effort; insects and other invertebrates lie dormant under rocks or logs. It often takes brute strength or digging to find these hidden morsels. Other species, like the woodpecker, sense insects within trees and burrow with their beak in just the right spot.

Watching winter foraging activity can offer some unique insight on how local wildlife adapts to adverse climate conditions.