Some
wildlife, like squirrels, will spend time stocking up and storing food
sources before the cold hits. Black bears eat as much as they can in
advance to store up the necessary fat they need to survive. Still others
are subject to what’s available throughout the cold months, which takes
a toll on their energy levels and can make surviving the winter a game
of chance.
Angela
Pierce, a naturalist at the Missouri Department of Conservation Cape
Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, said we can help these animals
conserve some of their energy by helping to provide their three basic
needs throughout the winter months: shelter, food and water.
“Making a shelter is as easy as making a brush pile,” Pierce said.
Larger
limbs and branches can be piled and then filled in with dried leaves
and grass. Fallen trees can be left for the winter, also, to provide a
place for wildlife to shelter in from the wind and elements. Real
Christmas trees are great items to recycle for wildlife shelter, she
said, by simply placing them outside after the holidays.
“These
shelters provide cover for ground-foraging birds, rabbits, chipmunks,
hibernating reptiles, amphibians and insects,” Pierce said.
To
help provide food in the winter months, high-fat suet and sunflower
seeds can be provided to winter songbirds. High-fat food sources help
the birds to build up their energy sources.
Pierce
also said providing warm water on a daily basis will save animals from
using their energy to search for unfrozen water sources. She recommends
either replenishing water daily, or purchasing a heater for bird baths
or backyard ponds.
By
taking a few steps to help wildlife find shelter, food and water
throughout these cold months, we can help make their chances of survival
much higher. To find more resources on winter wildlife, go online to www.mdc.mo.gov.
