As welcome as the recent warm spell has been to a lot of
people, a typical February accompanied by cold weather and plenty
of snow would be very welcome. Not only will a good cover of
snow be of vital importance to plants, it will also be enjoyed by
thousands of outdoor enthusiasts, regardless of their manner of
locomotion.
Elinor Wylie said in her poem, Velvet Shoes, "Let us walk
in the white snow In a soundless space…" How invigorating it
would be to get in some snowshoeing this month. Some of my most
cherished experiences were on snowshoes in February when I was
able to get back into the "bush" to the extent that all
man-made sounds were out of earshot. That’s what I call pure
ecstasy.
Do you recall the hard rain in this area on the night Feb. 24
of last year? We recorded seven tenths of an inch which
unfortunately transformed our long driveway into glare ice by the
end of the next day. Yes, I could have put on my ice skates and
skated out to the mailbox!
What severe hardships this hard varnish-like coating on top of
the snow brought to many wild creatures. Scores of field mice,
for example, living beneath the snow were forced to get oxygen
along the branches of juniper shrubs whose tops extended above
the snow. Those same mice, hurting for food, also girdled and
killed thousands of these shrubs in nibbling down to and
consuming the nutritious cambium of the branches. Invariably
February is the famine month, the month of the "Hunger
Moon." It is usually in late January that one can begin seeing
northern oriole-size, sparrow-like birds regularly in this region
along the shoulders of many country roads. Their nervous,
short-stepped walk instead of hopping mark these birds well as
they scrutinize the snow-free ground in search of seeds. We
could accurately label them as the true champions of spring, the
horned larks.
These unassuming creatures sport narrow black patches under
their eyes and on their upper breasts. Tiny tufts of black
feathers which, when erect, on the upper sides of their heads
give them the horned lark name. A close look will reveal a soft
yellow color on their throats, foreheads and eye-lines. Brown
backs and light undersides offer them excellent camouflage.
An outstanding fieldmark is easy to see when they fly. Most
of their tail feathers are black. These hardy birds, when
disturbed from their roadside eating of weed seeds, fly to the
fields in low, choppy, hesitant undulations as though momentarily
faltering. At times they wheel upward with surprisingly strong
wing strokes.
The first horned larks were seen west of our place on Feb. 19
in 2000, on Jan. 25 in 2001 and on the 27th of Jan.
this year. These dates may appear to be early but bear in mind
that, in general, seed-eating birds do not migrate nearly as far
southward as do the insect eaters. This past December and
January, being unusually warm and quite snowless, produced
unusual bird sightings in this region including several eastern
bluebirds coming to Bob and Nancy Davis’ feeders in Ephraim
until January 8th and a meadowlark seen regularly near Baileys
Harbor in late January.
Every February I see fox tracks on a morning following a
nighttime snowfall and invariably they’re in pairs. This is the
romance time of these beautiful carnivores that I still contend
are being over-hunted and over-trapped while the mice problems
experienced by some farmers and orchard owners continue to grow.
Homer referred to Orion, the spectacular winter constellation
of this part of the world, as "the tallest and most
beautiful of man." Learn too about Sirius, the Great Dog
Star, the brightest star (other than our sun), the "King of
Suns," visible to us earthlings. All one has to do to
locate Sirius is sight downward toward the left along Orion’s
3-star belt and this will lead you directly to Sirius.
Teachers, regardless of the grade level they teach, who don’t
inspire their students to learn about even a few of the February
constellations are missing the boat. Children who can find their
way around the "Internet" with surprising speed yet
don’t know one star and constellation from another are getting a
bum steer during their formative years of learning, both in
school and at home.
Horned larks, sparkling winter constellations and a host of
other interesting natural sightings can add up to a fascinating
February. In addition to planning your garden and making
valentines, spend some time outdoors too and let nature enter
your heart!
The horned lark, a true champion among spring birds.
This column appeared in the Door County Advocate
on 02/05/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Roy Lukes. All rights reserved.
