It might be chilly outside, but things are heating up for our local wildlife! Male skunks are leaving hibernation and heading straight for mating season. For us, that means more sightings (and smellings) of our undersized neighborhood referees. Thanks to their short legs and shuffling gait, they take any opportunity to avoid deep snow, preferring to use our nicely paved roads and sidewalks. (You won’t catch a skunk doing hurdles!)
With their pungent predator defense system, skunks call the shots of most of their encounters. This evolutionary history has shaped skunks to be over-confident pedestrians, and they are terrible Frogger players. Please keep your distance while walking and watch out while driving: Let those short-legged stinkers have the right of way!
Topics
- Introduction (0:00-0:24)
- Skunks’ springtime shuffle (0:24-2:19)
- Arrival of Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings (2:19-5:20)
- Bald Eagles building nests (5:20-5:56)
- Nuthatch and woodpecker courtship (5:56-6:47)
- Barred Owl hunting (6:47-8:44)
- Lonely Snow Bunting (8:44-9:29)
- Winter resident birds, now including crows (9:29-10:29)
- One overeager aspen buds early every year (10:40-13:08)
- Meager snowfall leaves grouse out in the cold(13:08-14:05)
- Conclusion (14:05-15:12)
What have you seen out there? Let us know: email us at comments@kaxe.org or text us at 218-326-1234.
That does it for this week! For more phenology, subscribe to our Season Watch Newsletter or visit the Season Watch Facebook page.
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
