Eberwhite Woods Settles Into Winter!

Eberwhite Woods looks, feels, sounds, smells, and tastes (for those who eat snow) very different than it did a few weeks ago. Though winter does not technically arrive until December 21, the woods are in full winter mode. The forest may seem very quiet, but there is still a lot of wildlife and natural history to observe, and you may just need to tune your senses and focus a bit more to find it. A great part of learning about winter wildlife in the northern hemisphere is that there are fewer organisms around to identify, and with a bit of observation, you will quickly become familiar with most of the main characters!

Some of the most obvious, and entertaining animals to observe in winter are squirrels. There are nine species of squirrels in Michigan, and this includes groundhogs! However, in Eberwhite Woods, the most common squirrels that you will observe are below. Eastern chipmunks are very common in the Woods, but they are generally not around during the winter because they hibernate (but they don't sleep throughout the entire winter). The most commons squirrels we observe in the Woods are gray squirrels, fox squirrels and red squirrels. If you are a frequent user of the Woods, you have also likely observed the "black squirrel". This squirrel is actually a dark variety of the Eastern gray squirrel but they are the same species. In Michigan, black squirrels are common, but they are rare in other parts of the country. For more information on black squirrels in southeastern Michigan, please click here. If you love watching squirrels and want to participate in a citizens science project, and especially with your kids, check out Project Squirrel!

From left to right, top to bottom: Eastern gray squirrel, Eastern gray squirrel dark morph, Eastern fox squirrel, American red squirrel

One thing that you may have recently noticed in Eberwhite Woods is the abundance of leaf clusters, often high in the trees. Those are squirrel nests, called dreys! They do not look very sturdy and often give one the impression that they could fall out of the tree at any moment. But they are surprisingly strong! Tree squirrels often build multiple nests in order to provide refuge from predators when out foraging, or when the food supply has dwindled at their main nest. Squirrels are very busy building their nests in the fall in preparation for mating season in early winter, followed by nursing and raising of young in the spring. Thus, now there is an increase of dreys in the forest because squirrels are busy making more, but they are also more noticeable when trees are bare of leaves. There will also be more leaf nests in a given forest if there is a lack of good tree cavities for the squirrels to use.

From left to right, top to bottom: Squirrel drey (leaf nest), squirrel poking out of tree cavity nest, a red squirrel with babies in tree cavity nest, red squirrel with babies in drey, red squirrel nest making, Eastern chipmunk burrow

Though many of our songbirds have left for warmer places, we have some lovely resident birds that are more noticeable now, partly because the forest is bare but also because they are active in the winter. Below are drawings and pictures of two very similar looking hawks, Cooper's hawks and Sharp-shinned hawks, that you may observe in or around the Woods. However, they don't start breeding activity until March. The last two pictures below are of Red-tailed hawks, another large and common raptor in our area, both inside and outside of the Woods. They also start breeding in March. If you like birds, or just want to learn more about them and be involved in another great citizen science project, check out Audubon's 119th Annual Christmas Bird Count! This is a great event for kids too!

Left to right, top to bottom: Cooper's hawk, Sharp-shinned hawk adult, Sharp-shinned hawk juvenile, both species, Red-tailed hawk in flight, Red-tailed hawk perched

Another amazing bird that is currently active and easy to observe and hear in Eberwhite Woods is the resident pair of Great Horned Owls. If you are familiar with Eberwhite Woods, then you may have learned that a pair of GHOW successfully reared two young owls, two winters ago. Though the owls took a break from breeding last winter, they are definitely active now, calling back-and-forth to defend their territory before possibly breeding again this winter - they are the earliest nesting bird in Michigan, they will lay their eggs in late January or early February. This hooting only lasts a few months before nesting begins, so it's a good idea to head into the woods and look and listen before January. They vocalize at different pitches - the male has a lower call and the female's is higher pitched. One can usually hear them calling in the late afternoon/early evening, and with a bit of searching, can sometimes find them roosting during the day by the pines in the eastern part of Eberwhite Woods. Remember, they are nocturnal - active at night! 

Great Horned Owl individual and GHO adult and baby in nest

Video of the male and female together

Video of the male calling (can see him in video frame) and female responding

The Eberwhite Stewardship Committee and many parent volunteers helped take ALL Eberwhite elementary classes into Eberwhite Woods during a week of Fall Woods Walks. We explored the beautiful forest bathed in colorful leaves,  learned about why leaves change color, studied different creatures in the woods, and played in our natural playground. Thanks to everyone for their help and we are so grateful to have these woods as our neighbor!

Lastly, please take a close look at the new interpretative sign for Eberwhite Woods near the west parking lot entrance. It is a work in progress, but provides a lot of great information to users of the woods!