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Wildlife Report from N.H. Fish and Game -- January 30, 2004 Here it is, almost February -- the month we know as "the dead of winter." It will be months before life is resurrected from the bleakness of New Hampshire's snow-covered landscape. In reality, though, there is no "dead" of winter -- lots of life exists just beyond our eyesight. It's called subnivean life. Life UNDER the snow. Mice, voles, shrews -- and the predators that search for them, like weasels and pine martens -- live a subnivean life for months under the snow cover. Oh what a life they lead! While temperatures may dip to 10 or even 20 degrees below zero, and a sharp winter wind can add an almost immeasurable chill, subnivean life is warm and snug. Water vapor condenses under the snow's surface, freezes and seals out the chilly outside air. Typically, temperatures are just above freezing in a creature's winter lair under the snow, sometimes 50 degrees warmer than the night air outside. In their tunnels under the drifts, mice and voles dine on nuts, seeds, grass and bark, for the most part hidden from prying eyes of predators like foxes, coyotes and owls. The little creatures create multiple burrows under the snow, leading to food supplies. Often, routes travel along dead and down woody debris lying on the forest floor under the snow. Some predators have learned to hunt for these munchy morsels by listening and pouncing into the snow to capture them. Still, for nearly half the year, mice and voles find heavenly habitat sequestered beneath the snow in their subnivean world. So don't think of February's blanket of snow as a casket for the dead of winter, but as a warm, protective comforter for a universe of winter wildlife. -Eric Orff, Wildife Biologist This month's Wildlife Report takes a closer look at New Hampshire's crafty canids - coyotes and foxes. In this issue:
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Coyote The eastern coyote is a relative newcomer to New Hampshire. The first coyote was seen in Holderness in 1944. During the 1970s and 80s, coyotes spread throughout the state. Today, they are entrenched statewide in every available habitat from rural to urban. Studies by Dr. Robert Wayne of the University of California on tissue samples of New England coyotes found a great deal of wolf blood related to the gray wolf of Quebec. This is why our coyotes, weighing 48-60 pounds, are nearly twice the size of the western species. Coyotes come in an array of colors, from creamy to rust-colored to tawny gray. Their erect, pointed ears and bushy, drooping tails distinguish them from dogs. Coyotes are opportunists and eat all sorts of things, depending on the time of year. In the summer, they eat fruits and berries, insects and small mammals like rabbits, squirrels and mice. They'll also eat dead animals and prey on deer slowed by deep snow. New Hampshire trappers have harvested an average of 379 coyotes each year over the past decade. The coyote is the only furbearer species that has a year-round open season for hunting and trapping in the state, but this hasn't reduced New Hampshire's coyote population. No wonder this crafty canid is called "wily coyote!" --Eric Orff, Wildife Biologist; and Dr. Judy Silverberg, Wildlife Educator
The larger of the two foxes, the red fox has a sleek, lean appearance, compared to the more stout and robust gray fox. The red fox is generally reddish, though shades may vary, and has a distinct white tip on its tail. The gray fox has a line of black-tipped fur down its back. The upper part of its gray coat is grizzled with guard hairs banded with gray, black and white; the under parts range from light-colored, buff and white to reddish. The gray fox's tail is tipped with black. The gray fox prefers more wooded and brushy habitat, while its cousin, the red fox, inhabits fields and farm country. Gray foxes have always been here, but have never been as numerous as red foxes. The gray fox's diet changes with the season, ranging from grasshoppers, grapes and apples in the summer months, to small mammals like mice, voles and squirrels at other times of year. In the last decade, New Hampshire trappers have taken about 100 gray fox each year. Like gray foxes, red foxes can eat a variety of foods, including insects and fruit. They are well known for capturing mice and voles, which generally make up most of their diet. They will also eat larger prey, such as woodchucks, rabbits and the occasional housecat. For many years, hunting red fox with hounds was a favored sport. In the 1930s and 1940s, as many as 5,000 foxes were taken in New Hampshire each year. Today, hunters take only a dozen or two foxes each year, and trappers have harvested an average of 310 red foxes a year over the past ten years. Red foxes are susceptible to several diseases, including mange, rabies, distemper and parvovirus. In 1994, the red fox rabies virus spread from Vermont into Coos and northern Grafton counties. A separate strain of rabies is spreading north from Massachusetts via raccoons. Unfortunately, we can expect both these strains of rabies to continue their spread across the state. --Eric Orff, Wildife Biologist
When New England was first settled in the colonial days, wolves were common here. Despised for their habit of killing sheep, they were eradicated over the years. The last N.H. wolf bounty was paid for two killed in 1895. New England has been hearing more about wolves these days. In 1993, a wolf was killed in northern Maine, and other sightings have since occurred there. A population of wolves lives in Quebec, just 200 miles north of New Hampshire. In fact, a female wolf was killed in Canada two years ago within 20 miles of the New Hampshire border. This winter, a wolf was killed in New York State that had the genetic profile of a Great Lakes gray wolf; officials are still attempting to confirm whether the animal was wild or captive-reared. New Hampshire, with land that is 90 percent wooded and thriving populations of moose and beaver -- two prime wolf foods -- has many of the right habitat ingredients to support a wolf population. Within the next few decades, we may see wolves return to New Hampshire on their own, and our canid family will be complete once again. --Eric Orff, Wildife Biologist
Darrel Covell, a wildlife specialist with UNH Cooperative Extension, notes that white-tailed deer in New Hampshire are at the northern limit of their range. During winter conditions, adult deer conserve their energy, getting as much as 40 percent of their daily energy during winter from their fat tissue. In winter, COVER -- not food -- is the key to deer survival. They seek softwood cover ("deer yards") to avoid deep snow, high winds and extreme cold. Deer move very little in these areas, using a network of trails that disperse them and reduce competition for natural food. When humans feed the deer, it disrupts carefully honed survival strategies and may lead to the animals expending more energy than they can afford. So, if you care about deer, leave them alone -- let them be wild and find natural foods and appropriate winter shelter on their own. Click here to download "More Harm than Good," a brochure on deer feeding. This brochure is also available at Fish and Game offices; UNH Cooperative Extension offices; or the Forestry Information Center (1-800-444-8978). -- Liza Poinier, Fish and Game Programs Information Officer
The next step will be to develop strategies to conserve wildlife, especially species of concern, taking into consideration biological, social and economic factors. This phase of the project gets underway with a statewide Wildlife Summit taking place on March 25, a forum to gather input from dozens of conservation, government, community and business leaders interested in wildlife resources. Participants will help identify important issues facing wildlife in the state and talk about how communities and organizations can get involved. In the coming months, we'll keep you posted on this important project. Click here for more information on the State Wildlife Grants.
This year's wintering eagle survey, coordinated by the Audubon Society of N.H. and Fish and Game's Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program, found eagles in each of the state's five major wintering areas during the two-week count: 3 near the Androscoggin River, 8 near the Connecticut River, 6 in the Great Bay area, 11 in the Lakes Region and 15 near the Merrimack River. In all, a total of 43 eagles were seen in New Hampshire during the survey. Eagles had a successful breeding season in the state last year: 7 pairs of eagles returned to the state last summer, including a new pair that arrived to nest at Squam Lake. Of these, 5 pairs nested and 3 pairs succeeded in raising chicks. -####- |
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