As I was making my way around the yard today, putting away sleds, raking around large patches of snow, I found the most peculiar thing...a little tunnel in the snow. I crouched down to peek in the hole then took a few steps back to observe the whole area. There were so many tunnels! I called my daughter over and our impromptu discovery session began!

Here are some pictures of what we found as we explored around the house, in the edge of the woods, and along the driveway:

These are the first couple of tunnels I found behind the house.

The tunnels were numerous!

This leaf helps give perspective to how small the opening to the tunnel was.

After exploring the backyard, we decided to venture into other areas where there was snow and see if we found any other evidence of tunnels. Here's what we found on the edge of the woods and along the driveway:

The recent melting had really opened up this tunnel, but it was so neat to peek through a snowbanking!

This picture was taken in one of the colder sections of our yard. Here you can see how the tunnel
would appear in winter. The tunnels are usually close to the ground, between the leaf layer and the snow.

Some of the other tunnels had formed ice towards the bottom of them
from the melting and refreezing that has been occuring as of recent.

My daughter and I had more questions than answers, but were so excited to search for more tunnels. It almost felt like a rush job to find as many as we could because we knew the snow that was left wouldn't last long in the very warm temperatures. We found so many tunnels, and had so many questions...

• What made these tunnels?
• Where was the animal going?
• What was the animal doing?
• How many more tunnels are there around us that we can't see?
• When were these tunnels made?

We hypothesized about mice, squirrels, and chipmunks. Even started thinking of stories we could make up as we pretended to be the animal crawling through the numerous tunnels! It was a rewarding adventure outside and we were thrilled to have that unexpected adventure...then we came inside and had one of the biggest treats of all...

This was the view outside my daughter's window. We somehow had missed these when we were
outside, but were treated to a special viewing from her window.

With more questions than answers, a quick online search was in order. It appears that these tunnels were most likely the work of voles!

(information about moles and voles)


Head on out before all that snow is gone! Maybe there are tunnels near your home...? Maybe there are some fresh tracks in that soft, mushy snow...?

Share your ideas and adventures here!







Ice Fishing Lesson #3 - Here Fishy, Fishy!

Just what are those fish doing down there

while it's soooo cold?!?!

Knowing what those fish are up to will help you have better chances of making a catch while ice fishing. Here are some things to consider...

Habitat:

• all animals need a place to live, called their habitat
• all animals have the same basic needs in their habitat... food, shelter, water, space
• fish can be found near a shelter and food source (weed bed, fallen tree, rock, etc.)

Animal Behavior in Winter:

• as the temperature drops, so does animal activity level
• many animals slow down when it's cold to conserve energy, therefore needing less food and oxygen (ex. Painted turtles breath so slowly that it may only be once every eight to ten minutes! source: New Hampshire Wildlife Journal, Jan./Feb. 2012, p. 24)
• cold-blooded animal's body temperature changes with their surroundings, so animals like fish move deep into the water near the mud
• fish also move nearer to food sources so they don't have to use to much energy to find food

Fish Fact Conclusion:

• they slow down in winter (move and eat less)
• they like to be near structure (protection from predators, food source)
  • ex. weed bed, land point extended out into water, fallen tree, rocks, place where the water changes depth quickly)
• they move deeper into the water (near food source)
• they move apart from each other (most of the water is the same temperature so they are not moving to a warm/cold spot with other fish)

As you head out on the lake/pond, take a look around you. What looks like a good place to check the depth of the water? Are there any structures visible from the surface to drill holes somewhat near? Also consider what type of fish you're hoping to catch... Different fish prefer to hang out in different regions. For example, pickerel like weed beds.

Games to play while waiting for the fish to bite:

Oh Deer! (or Oh Fish!) (six or more players)

• Form two equal lines of people and face away from each other, about 10-20 feet, depending on age group
• Pick one line of people to represent the deer (fish, bear, etc.)
• Both lines have each person choose to be: food (hands on belly), water (hands on mouth), shelter (hands together, pointing over head – looks like roof of house), or space (arms out wide). (No talking or peeking to see what others are choosing...)
• On the count of three, both lines turn around to face each other. The deer (bear, fish, etc.) run/swim/bound across to the other line to find a matching food/shelter/water/space. (The food/shelter/water/space people don't move. They wait patiently hoping an animal needs what they have to offer.)
• Those animals who find a match bring his/her match back across the playing field to where they started.
• Because the animal was able to find what it needed to survive, it was able to live and reproduce. The animals who didn't get a match, in other words get what they needed to survive, pass away and join the food/shelter/water/space line. Also, any food/shelter/water/space people who didn't get match stay in the line they were in.
• Continue this as many rounds as possible until all the animals have passed away, or run out of habitat requirements (become overpopulated).
• It should start to become obvious to participants that not every animal gets what it needs every time. If all animals did, there would be too many animals and not enough resources to go around.

Fish Frenzy

• Pretend to be a fish under the ice, swimming in the water, by lying on your belly on the ice
• In summer the fish move around quickly, so when someone yells “Summer!”, it's time to swim as fast as you can!
• (“Autumn” = slower, “Winter” = slowest, “Spring” = speed up a little, “Summer” = swim fast)
• Participants can take turns picking a season to shout out or one person can be the season shouter.
• (This could also be done as a race. The fastest fish, while adhering to the correct speed of movement for the proper season, could be the first to get to food/shelter.)
• So many variations! Just have fun with it!

The big day is almost here! After hikes in the woods looking at fallen trees, tracking wild animals, quests across the ice, we're so excited to get out there and fish! There's is always more to learn and more connections to make!

*Here's a connection from our quest on the ice today... Old tracks across the ice that have now become part of the ice!