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Zeroing In: If you’re prone to headaches, don’t bother applying for Wilkes-Barre’s assistant attorney job

Poconos hit hard; 16 inches of snow reported

<p>When the thermometer dips below 20 degrees, as it did a few nights last week, we should be thankful.</p><p>Thankful that temperatures haven&#8217;t dipped below zero, which happened far too often last winter.</p><p>We&#8217;re getting a respite from the harsh conditions of the last two winters, but the relief isn&#8217;t nearly as welcome to us as it is for wildlife.</p><p>Last winter, when deep snow and ice covered the landscape and temperatures frequently dropped down to minus-10 or more, I worried how wildlife would survive. While we merely cranked up the heat inside our homes, wildlife had no choice but to simply deal with the harsh conditions.</p><p>Granted, they&#8217;re immensely equipped to handle Pennsylvania winters, but when the weather turns extreme it can be a trying time.</p><p>Surely, deer burned crucial calories wading through the deep snow of last winter and turkeys likely spent extended periods roosted in trees until conditions on the ground became more passable.</p><p>The bitter cold stung and the hunger increased to the point where I wondered if winter starvation would be significant.</p><p>I did find the carcasses of a few deer last year that were likely victims of the 2014-15 winter. But the toll of harsh weather may have even persisted into the spring.</p><p>Many of the does I saw through June and July had a single fawn. Occurrences of twins is relatively common with adult does, but last year, I rarely saw doubles. When times get tough a doe will abort its unborn fawn, and I wonder if the hard winter was the reason why I saw more single fawns tagging alongside large, mature does.</p><p>But this winter, so far, raises a different question. After months of mild temperatures and no snow or ice, how will wildlife respond to a mild winter?</p><p>After spending the last few years watching for the impacts of a hard winter, I&#8217;m anxious to see how things look in the woods after an easy stretch of winter.</p><p>The results are already coming in.</p><p>Start with the birds, for example. Feeders aren&#8217;t depleted of seed at the rate they were last winter. Birds have an easy time finding natural food sources such as staghorn sumac and the berries of multiflora rose and dogwood. Even weed seeds found in grown up fields are readily available without being buried under a foot of snow.</p><p>Moving up in size, squirrels and chipmunks have had an easy time foraging for acorns on the bare forest floor well into January, and the rabbits must being doing alright as well as I haven&#8217;t seen evidence of cottontails girdling saplings as they feed on the bark.</p><p>There were even reports of bear sightings, including some in residential areas, in January. Perhaps that&#8217;s the most telling sign of all that this winter has been easy so far, as bears - excluding sows giving birth, won&#8217;t go into their dens as long as there is adequate food available.</p><p>Deer are obviously having a much easier time this winter without having to battle deep snow or bitter cold. With a thick, insulating coat, deer can handle temperatures into the teens with ease.</p><p>Turkeys are also doing quite well. A recent walk in the woods revealed large areas where the leaves were scratched away by feeding flocks. Acorns, hickory nuts and even dried grapes on the stem could still be found on the forest floor, and turkeys took advantage of the easy pickings.</p><p>While I&#8217;m encouraged by the mild winter so far, it&#8217;s too early to believe wildlife will get through it unscathed. Things can turn bad in a hurry, and the most trying time for all species is March. That&#8217;s when winter lingers, food sources have dwindled and the new, succulent growth of spring has yet to replenish the forest.</p><p>We may not be out of the woods yet with winter, but so far, so good as far as wildlife is concerned.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Venesky </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Venesky-1-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Venesky </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Outdoors with Tom Venesky: An easy winter… so far