Amateur Naturalist: Winter Snow Fall

Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 30, 2023
- 9:19 am

Deer prints in the snow. Photo by Robert Dryja

Squirrel prints in the snow. Photo by Clyde Hyde

By ROBERT DRYA
Los Alamos

Winter has clearly arrived with snowfalls. Meadow lands and open areas among trees now have a gentle and smooth layer of snow. The natural world becomes visible in new ways with the arrival of the snow. Different kinds of footprints may be seen crossing an otherwise undisturbed field of snow. One straight line of prints has been made by a deer. These footprints show the distinct cloven shape of its hooves. There is a distance of about three feet between sets of prints. Perhaps it was on it way to a meal rather only wandering.

A different kind of footprint may be seen in the snow close to trees. Sets of these footprints have only a few inches between them. They also are meandering around. A squirrel had come down a tree trunk and was looking for acorn seeds. What other kinds of animals may pass through this area at other times? Skunks and raccoons are common but have not come yet. Perhaps their footprints will appear after another snow fall.

Birds appear in a different way. Certain kinds come together in groups in the winter but disburse in the summer. Redwing blackbirds are more common in marshy areas and along streams in the summer. They claim separate sections to make their nests and raise their young. However, they may gather in the winter high up in the mountains in groups of 50 to 100 birds. A group may be seen at the top of a tall tree. They may be eating seeds that still remain on the tree’s branches. A tall tree without leaves in an open area next to a snowy meadow provides an easier place to look for food. The branches high above ground also are a protective setting.

Ravens and house finches follow a similar pattern. Ravens typically are in groups of two to five during the summer. Parental pairs with their fledgling young fly together high in the sky. In contrast, groups of ten to fifteen may be seen at ground level, looking for food in the winter snow. A pair of ravens that successfully finds food attracts other ravens to join them and this results in larger groups. House finches similarly gather in groups of five to ten and may be seen clustering in shorter trees close to the snowy ground. The preferred shorter trees have their branches growing close together. This helps protect the birds because they are less visible among the branches. Seeds may still remain on the branches of a shorter tree or are visible when they fall a short distance to the top of the snow. This helps the house finches to find a meal.

It is a remarkable to see certain kinds of birds remaining for the winter and appear above a snowy field. Other kinds of birds such hummingbirds in contrast fly south for the winter. Hummingbirds live on flower nectar and it is not available when plants die back for the winter. Hummingbirds will return in the spring, just when other species of birds disburse.

Footprints in the snow or clusters of birds are two results from a winter snow fall. A third result relates to plants. Grasses and shrubs die back for the winter. A single plant seen at a distance is brown with no obvious flowers remaining. However, a close look shows something very different. The Chamisa bush is an example. It is bright golden yellow when it is blooming in the summer. It then becomes covered with hundreds of small dried brown flowers in the winter. Each flower still has five petals that remain visible. Each flower has a single pistil that received pollen to fertilize its seeds. The pistil still remains in winter.

The pistil looks remarkable with many fine threads extending around its top. A Chamisa bush in winter becomes a brown bouquet of dry flowers.

A house finch fluffed in the snow. Photo by Robert Dryja