For us humans that idea is something we can attempt to understand even if our bodies do not have a hibernation on-off switch. So we joke about hibernating as a good thing whereby maybe, just maybe, in some future science lab this phenomenon can become reality for people.

Us humans who chose to not migrate, adapt to long winters by remaining active, dressing for outside weather conditions adequately if and when we must go outside, and if staying inside, finding a cozy spot to get comfortable with a good book. Winter is not our time to “hibernate” but partake in activities that make the day go swiftly, while enjoying winter as a unique time when the soil rests, when trees rest, when eagles soar, and snowy trails beckon us to maintain exercise routines.

In the meantime, some of our friends make winter-long journeys to Texas, Arizona or Florida. Perhaps any southern state will work where cold air and occasional snow events are very rare. We label these northern latitude residents as temporary winter escapees “snowbirds” since they migrate (without flying) to a warmer climate. They return in early April and attempt to contrast their warm winter activities with the cold and snow we residents had to endure. Each to his/her own choices is what matters.

A groundhog, or woodchuck, is a common large rodent we may see in late spring, summer and fall times. This burrowing animal may become a nemesis to folks growing gardens whereby woodchucks raid those leafy plants before humans harvest the crop. Woodchucks may dig burrows under garage slab floors or other outbuildings, leaving heaps of soil deposits outside as evidence that a critter has found a new home or den site.

Woodchucks living deep in a native forest environment or farm field fence row will go about their business unseen and unmolested by people. Wild predators like foxes or coyotes have a different viewpoint in these cases.

Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic slow down. It is seasonal. It is a response to survive when vegetation type foods outside are not growing due to winter. Hibernators may go into deep periods of low body temperature, low respiration rates, and low heart rates. They live= off of their fat reserves in a precise manner that allows the animal to live while deep underground below the frost line. It works.

Conserving energy is what hibernation accomplishes. The long sleep can last weeks, or months, all depending upon where the animal lives, outside ambient air temperatures, and elevation of the habitat. Some critters such as pikas, may have already gathered hay stacks of grasses from summer time and piled those morsels deep into mountain rocky talus slope burrows.

Bears hibernate but the term deserves a bit of finesse to define its differences. A female bear will eat a lot of anything, meat or vegetable matter, during late summer and fall to increase her body weight. She will need those reserves to help nurse her young who will be born while in the winter den. While her body is in its sleep mode, she is not totally withdrawn from her situation. She is coping by not being too active. Keeping her cubs warm and fed is her top priority. Spring will inevitably bring the right time to emerge from the den and begin a new feeding schedule outside.

Birds we see during the summer time, particularly hummingbirds, during cold nights of spring or summer, will go into what science calls torpor. It is a slowing of body functions just enough to get through the night.

We could call it a mini-hibernation, which is the wrong term, but torpor allows a small bird a mechanism to conserve energy temporarily. Come the next day, the bird rewarms and feeds itself to regain full body function. Adaptation mechanisms have allowed all kinds of critters from insects, birds, small and larger mammals to live through cold times.

In a few short weeks, some folks will celebrate Groundhog Day. They will pull a groundhog out of its warm sleep chamber to see if it sees its shadow.

Alas, the celebration of groundhog day is just the halfway point of our winter season, from a celestial orbit standpoint of earth’s journey around the sun. People will just be anxious to have spring arrive. True hibernating animal species will continue to take their naps until such time as Spring really does arrive.

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Bald eagles are active in Iowa. Of particular note are the winter activities we are privileged to observe from the Raptor Resource Project remote cameras at eagle nests near Decorah.

For this scribe, I find the website on my computer almost daily to learn and watch videos of paired eagles in their nest. The camera allows people all over the globe to see these large birds of prey adapting their nest skillfully to accommodate egg laying and incubation in the near future.

This week the eagles were settled deep into the grassy lined nest bowl, just sitting and enjoying the warmth their bodies are creating from the insulating layers of grass they assembled. It is a test they need to find satisfactory for future egg laying.

New outside nest sticks are still being brought to the site and arranged around the outside to establish a wind barrier. It is a home eagles have built to suit their needs.

Later this winter the weather will bring snow. An adult eagle on the nest will become completely covered in the white fluffy flakes. The big bird can tolerate snow across his or her back. Meanwhile under the adult’s belly will be several eggs all toasty warm and safe from heat loss thanks to a deep bed of dried grasses. Mother Nature has demonstrated again she knows what she is doing.

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Late deer seasons will end on Jan. 19 in those designated northeast or south central counties. As of mid week, the statewide take of deer is showing a total of about 99,800 animals removed. This is close to last year’s total of about 104,000.

Final numbers will be tallied during the next several weeks. Stay tuned. It will be interesting to see and note to what extent biologists think disease vectors may have had on the deer herd.

And as a reminder to deer hunters who place ladder or tree stands on public land, the seven day period of time to remove them expired Jan. 17, last Friday.

If stands are still in place now, do be diligent to remove them this weekend. After that, the stands may be removed by conservation staffers for eventual sale at the State’s excess equipment auction.

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Garry Brandenburg is the retired director of the Marshall County Conservation Board. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BS degree in Fish & Wildlife Biology.

Contact him at: P.O. Box 96

Albion, IA 50005

A big thank you to the folks at the Raptor Resource Project.