January 29, 1999

     Spring is on the Way

With the lengthening days, it's possible to hear five types of birds declare that spring is on the way.  Cardinals, black-capped chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, and blue jays are vocalizing their special spring calls, and woodpeckers are drumming.

White-tailed deer are browsing more than a dozen species of woody plants including basswood, sugar maple, and red-osier dogwood.  About six to eight pounds of browse (twigs) are eaten daily by a healthy deer.

Now is the time when black bear cubs are arriving in northern Minnesota.  The young are born in January or early February while their mothers are in winter dens.  At birth the young, usually two or three in number, are 6 to 8 inches long and weigh seven to 12 ounces.

American goldfinches are beginning to take on some bright yellow feathers; they have been in their somber brownish plumage since late fall.