February 11, 2022
-Circle of Life
In the depths of winter, with the hope of spring being not too far away, I thought it would be good to show some of the things Becky and I have observed of how animals survive the winter.
We have seen hawks, owls and eagles in trees and perched on the top of telephone poles looking down for prey. There have also been raptors and other predators eating roadkill along side of the roads as we travel. A highlight was seeing a bright red fox in a ditch north of Fairfax look up at us during his meal as we passed. It is sad for the prey but the only way to survive the winter for the predators.
Once in a great while you see the predator devouring its prey. Anyone who has walked through the woods has seen the evidence of their kills and how completely the prey is eaten by a variety of animals. I will include here a few pictures of what we have seen this winter. If you are a bit squeamish about such things, scroll over these.
A month ago we were greeted by this deer lying on a hiking path below the chalet. Most of it was eaten and it’s body had been torn apart. It must have been a strong predator to tear a carcass apart like this. I assume a coyote or a group of them.
Off to the side of the trail there was lots of hair in a small area. This deer may have died of natural causes and then been torn apart for food by a number of predators and eaten by them and other carnivores and omnivores. In the winter wildlife are not picky when it comes to food
Here is a downy woodpecker eating meat from a deer carcass a few years ago.
Here is all that we could find of the deer carcass in the pictures above recently after about a month
Last month I showed the leftovers of a rabbit we saw on a trail. Here is a squirrel’s remains that we saw recently less than 100 yards from where we saw the rabbit. We saw no tracks leading up to this kill so we assume it was a raptor that flew in, killed the squirrel and ripped it apart for supper.
Early this winter we saw all of these feathers spread out over a square yard of area along a trail on the other side of the creek. I posted this picture on iNaturalist and several people identified the feathers as pheasant. Nothing edible was left by the time we saw it
Deer eat grass so often you see snow pushed aside for deer to get at grass
If you see several open spots like this in an area it may be where a group of deer either ate grass together or where they slept in a group at night. This picture is Becky hamming it up in one small cleared spot in a group of cleared areas
Deer also have to do normal bodily functions. In the winter their scat and pee is often seen along their trails. Their little pellets are often scattered on a trail so that you wonder if they keep moving as they poop
Their pee is very orange or brown as seen in this picture.
Wild turkeys
We often see turkeys near Harken Store on the bottom road to New Ulm. I have seen them a few times at Fort Ridgely, and once in a while, their tracks. My wife grew up on a farm south of Kasota and they have lots of turkeys on their farm. We went for a walk with her sister recently and saw the largest group of turkeys that I have ever seen. I counted about 50. They all follow in close to a line away from the buildings where they must have found something to eat. I wonder how they decide who gets to lead!
If you have never seen a wild turkey close up, here is a group of them devouring bird feed at feeders by the entrance to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. They have a voracious appetite.
Beavers at Flandreau and Fort Ridgely
Saturday, January 29th turned out to be a perfect day for being outdoors and going snowshoeing at the various state parks in the area including Flandrau and Minneopa. Plenty of snow to trample through and go places you normally do have access. My day started out at Flandrau State Park with a Beaver Ecology Snowshoe Hike where we cut across a snow-covered oxbow starting at the Beach House. We saw a number of beaver signs including where this mammal had coming in and out of the water near the rustic campground (text and photo by Scott Kudelka)
Becky and I went on this hike. It reminds us of a beaver that built a small dam across Fort Ridgely and spent the winter. I couldn't believe it when I looked back in my pictures and found it was 10 years ago in 2012. It gnawed down a number of trees in the last curve of the creek before the south bridge. You can see the small dam in the picture and its lodge in the background. It was not a very big or well constructed lodge so it may have been a young beaver spending its first winter away from its parents.
There were many trees like this that it cut down and put into the creek. The trail by the creek went by this sight back then so we walked by these trees during the fall and winter. We could see that the beaver was eating bark off the trees that it took down for food during the winter. It went away in the spring and I have not seen evidence of any beavers in the park since then.
Interpretive Programming
Candle Light Trail Event at Fort Ridgely State Park, Feb.12th
Be part of a fun seasonal outing and invite your family, friends, and neighbors to take part in a traditional winter event. On February 12th (Saturday), Fort Ridgely State Park is holding its annual Candle Light Trail Event from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. starting at the Chalet.
Come out to enjoy a candle lit trail marked for cross-country skiers, snowshoers and walkers winding its way through prairie and forested areas. There will be a blazing bonfire and bring your own marshmallows and hot chocolate to enjoy the winter night.
Snowshoeing with the Naturalist at Fort Ridgely State Park, Feb. 26th
Explore Fort Ridgely State Park to go for a snowshoe hike with the Naturalist on February 26th (Saturday) at 10:00 a.m. Minneopa Area Naturalist Scott Kudelka will lead a fun and informative tour of the park’s landscape.
Plan to spend about an hour and half snowshoeing on the park’s trails where the naturalist will talk about the history of Fort Ridgely State Park and some of the more unusual characteristics of this place.
If there isn’t enough snow this will become a hike. Please meet at the park’s chalet parking lot.