Plus 1 today.
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Plus 1 today. First coffee on the deck in 2026. First Glaucous Gulls of the year. #Nunavut
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Plus 1 today. First coffee on the deck in 2026. First Glaucous Gulls of the year. #Nunavut
@NunavutBirder any bears awake yet?
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@NunavutBirder any bears awake yet?
@ThisCJ Our bears do not hibernate. Pregnant females den, but no hibernation takes place.
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Plus 1 today. First coffee on the deck in 2026. First Glaucous Gulls of the year. #Nunavut
@NunavutBirder How do animals like hares and foxes survive in winter? What do they eat? Are there still mice under snow? Birds? I assume carots don't grow for the hares in winter?
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@NunavutBirder How do animals like hares and foxes survive in winter? What do they eat? Are there still mice under snow? Birds? I assume carots don't grow for the hares in winter?
@jfmezei Foxes eat largely lemmings which live under the snow all winter. Also some hare, and carrion. Arctic Foxes also scavange polar bear kills and in the spring predate seal pup dens. Hares eat plants that they uncover under the snow. Ptarmigan mostly eat Arctic Willow buds. Ravens hunt and scavange. Redpoll eat plant seeds. Owls and Gyrfalcon predate ptarmigan and hare, and lemming. Polar Bears hunt seal. Seal eat fish. Caribou eat lichen.
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@jfmezei Foxes eat largely lemmings which live under the snow all winter. Also some hare, and carrion. Arctic Foxes also scavange polar bear kills and in the spring predate seal pup dens. Hares eat plants that they uncover under the snow. Ptarmigan mostly eat Arctic Willow buds. Ravens hunt and scavange. Redpoll eat plant seeds. Owls and Gyrfalcon predate ptarmigan and hare, and lemming. Polar Bears hunt seal. Seal eat fish. Caribou eat lichen.
@NunavutBirder Surprised/impressed animals could survive eating what are essentially dead plants under the snow in winter when you'd expect they would need the max amount of calories to stay warm. Pretty impressive.
here in the cities, birds and squirrels survive on peanuts that grow naturally on balconies
(some get bird seeds in bird feeders though). -
@NunavutBirder Surprised/impressed animals could survive eating what are essentially dead plants under the snow in winter when you'd expect they would need the max amount of calories to stay warm. Pretty impressive.
here in the cities, birds and squirrels survive on peanuts that grow naturally on balconies (some get bird seeds in bird feeders though).@jfmezei @NunavutBirder they are really well adapted to the cold: not only massive fluff for insulation, but also large body size to reduce heat loss through surface area. You can see that in the picture of the hare with its tiny ears (tiny for a hare, anyway)
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Plus 1 today. First coffee on the deck in 2026. First Glaucous Gulls of the year. #Nunavut
@NunavutBirder I consider the day we spot the first gull as the first day of spring.
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@NunavutBirder I consider the day we spot the first gull as the first day of spring.
@brosetti certainly a sign
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@NunavutBirder Surprised/impressed animals could survive eating what are essentially dead plants under the snow in winter when you'd expect they would need the max amount of calories to stay warm. Pretty impressive.
here in the cities, birds and squirrels survive on peanuts that grow naturally on balconies (some get bird seeds in bird feeders though).@jfmezei @NunavutBirder
They aren't getting enough calories to survive during the winter; they're eating whatever they can find to extend how long they can survive on the fat they built up in the summer. -
Plus 1 today. First coffee on the deck in 2026. First Glaucous Gulls of the year. #Nunavut
Préservons notre magnifique faune et flore sauvage !
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@the_roamer one is on I believe. But I have shots where it looks like they’re levitating.
Yes, the hares can really move.
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@jfmezei @NunavutBirder
They aren't getting enough calories to survive during the winter; they're eating whatever they can find to extend how long they can survive on the fat they built up in the summer. -
@NunavutBirder @VATVSLPR How much of ground thaws in summer for them to burrow some dens ? Or are they able to dig into permafrost to make deeper dens that have more constant temperature year round? Or do they find areas between rocks where they can plug in gaps with dried vegetation?
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@NunavutBirder @VATVSLPR How much of ground thaws in summer for them to burrow some dens ? Or are they able to dig into permafrost to make deeper dens that have more constant temperature year round? Or do they find areas between rocks where they can plug in gaps with dried vegetation?
@jfmezei @VATVSLPR Active layer is only a few inches deep. They den in rock crevices and bivouac in the same and snow drifts. Last week I hike up the canyon behind the cabin and there were several little caves in drifts at the base of cliffs.
The area is littered with hares this year. On Ellesmere hares form large herds. And there is one place here where that happens. A few years back I counted over 200 there.
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@jfmezei @VATVSLPR Active layer is only a few inches deep. They den in rock crevices and bivouac in the same and snow drifts. Last week I hike up the canyon behind the cabin and there were several little caves in drifts at the base of cliffs.
The area is littered with hares this year. On Ellesmere hares form large herds. And there is one place here where that happens. A few years back I counted over 200 there.
@jfmezei @VATVSLPR I don’t have a great photo as there are a lot of eyes and they’re pretty skittish there. But here is one of a small part of the herd. https://flic.kr/p/bELoYA
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