Another winter has definitely come.  The hardwood trees are bare and there’s much less animal life around.  So, what kind of animals are active in the winter?  From this list, beetles, frogs, snakes, blue jays, raccoons, which of these might we encounter on our winter hikes?

In order for the internal chemical reactions, that support animal activity, to take place, the animal must have an internal body temperature that’s high enough.  At least, water, the solvent for these reactions, must be in the liquid state.  To be active, most animals need to move to an environment that’s above 32F.  You might have learned the term, cold blooded, for this type of internal temperature control.  The proper zoological term is ectotherm – (therm=heat, ecto=outside).

Sometime, in the evolution from reptiles, to birds and mammals, some, now extinct, intermediate animal, developed the ability to convert part of the food it ate, to internal body heat, and maintain a constant body temperature.  The proper term is endothermic (endo-inside).  All decendent birds and mammals have this ability.

Some fish can maintain sluggish activity in the cold water beneath the ice in a lake but, terrestrial ectothermic animals would die if exposed to sub freezing winter air temps so, to survive the winter, they must enter a state of dormancy in a sheltered spot.  Insects, in different but specific life stages, amphibians, reptiles etc., all do this so, don’t expect to see active beetles, frogs or snakes, in the next few months, even though we saw a sluggish little frog, looking for a winter shelter, by Canadice Lake, last Sunday.  An animal, that is endothermic, like us, can remain active in the winter, as long as it can conserve its body heat.  So, on our hikes, we might hear a squawking blue jay or see a coon coming out at twilight (they’re nocturnal).

Sustained energy output of a warm-blooded (mammal) and a cold-blooded (reptile) animal as a function of core temperature

Endothermic has its advantages but does require a lot more food to generate this heat.  Maybe, like Nat King Cole, you wish the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer would always be here but, isn’t it nice, for the next few months, not to have to contend with mosquitoes or ticks?

Have you ever taken a good look at snowflake crystals?  You don’t need any special equipment.  Next time you see snow falling, put on a warm, dark jacket, go outside, catch falling snowflakes on your sleeve and look at them, and take the grandkids with you  How many points are there on a snowflake crystal?  Do they all have the same number of points?  Are they all exactly alike?

Sunday, December 2, was one of our organization’s best outings, concluded by a great “thanksgiving” dinner.

Do you find our winter to be cold?  Be glad you weren’t here 12,000 years ago.  Then, it was cold enough that water stayed frozen and our area was covered by a sheet of ice.  There were also rivers then, that flowed, as they do today, only much slower.  Continue reading →

Mac and Duffy were right.  Dogs have a great sense of danger and, there have been many cases of them warning their masters of impending peril.  So, superstorm Sandy has come and gone and, compared to what some other places got, we made out OK here.  No flooding or power outages in our area and, the rain held up nicely Wednesday evening, so our kids could enjoy their Halloween.

A number of unusual factors combined to make Sandy the disaster that it was.  It was heading north, out in the Atlantic, till it got to about the 40th parallel, when it made a sharp turn to the west.  Usually, hurricanes, at that latitude, follow the prevailing winds and go northeast and harmlessly die when they get to the cold waters.  When Sandy got to the 40th parallel, a stationary high over Greenland blocked and prevented it from proceding north or east, giving it no choice but to go west, into New Jersey.  Once inland, it encountered a storm front from the west and a cold air mass from the north, creating the hellacious mess of snow, heavy rain and surge.

Hurricane winds blow in counterclockwise circles around the eye.  Therefore, the ocean surge, often the most damaging part of the hurricane, is worst on the right side of the eye.  Last year, although Irene landed close to New York City, its landing was to the north and east of it.  The strong winds were pushing the water away from the city and so, the surge prone city was spared.  This year, the Big Apple’s luck ran out.  Although the eye’s landing was much further away, due to its huge swath, strong winds pushed water into the harbor and, combined with the full moon phase, created the record damaging surge at high tide, flooding the numerous tunnels in the rivers on both sides of lower Manhattan.

So, lets count our blessings and enjoy our hike in Letchworth.  We know winter’s coming when it’s totally dark at 5 PM.  Time to get out the snowshoes.