It is in Quebec that outdoor enthusiasts will have to live their adventures over the coming weeks. They can take comfort in thinking of all the animals and birds that will spend the winter with them.
“Mammals do not tend to migrate,” notes Patricia Presseau, director of animal care at the Ecomuseum Zoo in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. “But there are some that we won’t see because they are overwintering or hibernating. ”
These two states are somewhat different. Bears and raccoons, in particular, are specialists in overwintering.
“The metabolism will slow down, but they can wake up,” says Mme Presseau.
If we think of the bear, the cubs are born in January or February. The mother will therefore wake up to give birth and take care of her young.
Patricia Presseau, director of animal care at the Ecomuseum Zoo
A gentle awakening
Bear and raccoon may come out of their dens for a short time, especially when the weather is warmer, but usually they will not feed because they cannot find a food source.
You should not expect to see a bear jump on a passing snowshoe or skier to devour it. “Of course, a bear is still a bear; in nature, we leave it alone, says Mme Presseau. But when he woke up from winter, his stomach did not consume for several months. He’s not going to binge. The first meals will be small and they will increase. It’s not like us: we would eat a bear because we are so hungry! ”
With increasingly bumpy winters, we see more and more raccoons going out briefly, especially in urban areas.
True sleepers are those who hibernate. Their metabolism is kept to a minimum. “They’re still going to have a heart rate, the lungs are working, but they’re going to have minimal energy expenditure to stay alive,” explains Mme Presseau.
The expert in the matter is the groundhog. “There is no wake-up call that takes place during the winter season. It begins to prepare for winter early, from September-October it accumulates reserves. ”
Another great sleeper is the bat. It is also preferable not to go for a walk in the cave she has chosen as a dormitory so as not to disturb her in her precious sleep.
There are mammals which do not overwinter, which do not hibernate, but which remain well hidden when it is really cold. They are a bit cautious. The porcupine, for example. “He may be able to stay hidden for a few days, without eating, without going out, when the weather is really bad,” says Mme Presseau. It has a good reserve of fat, but it is less adapted than others to the cold. ”
Active mammals
There are indeed many mammals which remain very active during the winter, such as the fox, which can count on extremely dense fur in winter.
If we are lucky enough to observe a red fox in winter, then in summer, we see a huge difference. It looks a lot bigger in the winter.
Patricia Presseau, director of animal care at the Ecomuseum Zoo
“He uses his tail as a scarf: when he lies down, he protects his extremities, like the tips of the legs and the muzzle,” she adds.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FOREST WANDER
It is very rare that we can observe a fisherman. This beautiful beast is mostly active at night.
Wolves and coyotes also gain volume in winter. Animals of the mustelidae family (martens, stoats, fishermen, otters, etc.) are also very active in winter. You can see their tracks on the snow at daybreak. In the case of otters, we often see long sliding tracks on the small slopes that border the waterways.
Aquatic animals such as the beaver stay awake and move around in particular at the bottom of the water, where it does not freeze. “If the water does not freeze, it is above 0 oC, observes Patricia Presseau. The beaver’s body is adapted to function very well in these conditions. ”
Caribou, moose and white-tailed deer are also well adapted to winter, although deer must increase their calorie intake in the fall to build up reserves. “They can lose up to 30% of their weight in winter,” says Mme Presseau.
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Several owls and owls, like this barred owl, spend the winter in Quebec. Be careful, do not wake them up during the day.
There are also birds that stay with us in the winter, such as the black-capped chickadee, which we often hear in the early morning hours. The cardinal looks especially gorgeous in a white setting, like the blue jay. Most owls also live there. It often happens that traces of owl wings are seen where the trail of a little mouse ends abruptly (many small critters move on the snow in winter, at their own risk).
On the other hand, American robins and red-winged blackbirds are leaving us. When we hear their song again, it is because spring has arrived.
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