NatureBoost Podcast Episode 59, December 2024
A Nature Boost Holiday Countdown
"Winter Countdown"
SMA
[Music ♪.]
>> Hey there, and welcome back to NatureBoost! I'm Jill Pritchard, with the Missouri Department of Conservation. This month, we're closing out 2024 with a seasonal nature countdown. Take a break from the holiday hustle and bustle and learn about what's happening in the outdoors during these last few days of the calendar year.
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It's Thursday, December 19th, and around this date red foxes begin mating. Listen for their barks and squalls.
[Fox call sounds.]
Red foxes have pretty impressive hearing. The crimson canines are particularly tuned to low frequency sounds, such as those made by rodents rustling around underground. Foxes pounce with pinpoint accuracy, even when prey is hidden under inches of snow.
[Fox call sounds.]
December 20th is a good time to look for goldfinches, cardinals, titmice, chickadees, and nuthatches. Fill your backyard feeders to attract them and enjoy birdwatching! Saturday, December 21st marks the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year with the fewest hours of daylight. The winter solstice marks the exact moment that the northern hemisphere is tilted the furthest away from the sun.
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You may see a lot of Canada geese on December 22nd. Their population is at its peak in Missouri around this date.
[Geese squawking.]
Around the 23rd of the month is when beavers start to feed on sapling reserves.
[2:04.]
In the fall, these rodents collect up to 2,000 pounds of tinder branches, and stash them in the mud, in the deepest part of their pool. When winter comes, beavers will swim under the ice to grab a stick for a snack. Here's MDC furbearer biologist Nate Bowersock.
>> Missouri is pretty fortunate that we have lots of creeks and rivers that run throughout the state. Essentially, any of these places that have woody plants that grow along streams and creeks, those are food sources for beavers, but they can also use those to build dams, which essentially creates more habitat for them to use and grow their populations. Essentially, the dams are helping them store food. So, the dam helps back up water, which then allows that riparian plantlife to grow up. Then, that's the food they eat. So, they can then forage on those plants that they leave along those corridors, and stash that food for them.
[Beavers squealing.] [Music ♪.]
>> On Christmas Eve, watch suet feeders for common woodpeckers like downy, hairy, pileated, and red-bellied. Fun fact, woodpeckers have spongy skulls that tightly cradle their brains. This helps them avoid brain damage while hammering away on trees. And, unlike most birds which have three toes pointing forward, and one toe pointing backward, woodpeckers have two forward, and two backward. This arrangement gives them a "no-slip grip" while they're pecking on trees.
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We're all hoping to hear the hooves of Santa's reindeer on the rooftop around December 25th, but you're more likely to encounter white-tailed deer in Missouri. Just like Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, white-tailed deer are known for their antlers.
[4:00.]
In fact, their antlers are among the fastest growing tissues found on any animal with fur. At the peak of growth, a deer may add up to 2 inches to its antlers in a week.
[Music ♪.] [Bird calling sounds.]
December 26th is a great time to eagle watch with friends and family. From late December to early February, watch for bald eagles perched in large trees along the water's edge. Head out early in the morning to see them flying and fishing. Although young eagles grow flight feathers just a few months after they're born, it takes them about 5 years to grow the white head and tail feathers that they're famous for. MDC volunteer engagement specialist Jeff Cantrell has more.
[Eagle sounds.]
>> Watching bald eagles is a great pastime. There's a lot of fun, even looking at the plumage. When you see a bald eagle that is fully white-headed and white-tailed, you know it's at least 5 years old, or maybe up to 25 or 30 years old. But, the stage getting up to that point, the first year, they can be almost all brown. Then, it can be mottled. My favorite pattern is the 3-year old, which will have a mask and look like the Lone Ranger. People love bald eagles because to us they symbolize wilderness, but they also symbolize the state of freedom. You know, they're our national symbol. There's a lot of nostalgia there.
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>> On the 27th, golden mice begin to huddle together in their nests, to stay warm. They build softball-sized nests in bushes and trees. Usually only one mouse lives in each nest, but up to 8 mice may crowd inside to stay warm during chilly winter days.
[6:00.]
If there's a deep snowfall on December 28th, bobcats will stay in shelters. These wild felines eat rabbits, squirrels, and other small mammals. When stalking their prey, bobcats place their back paws in the exact same place where their front paws once were. This helps them stay silent before pouncing on prey.
Around December 29th is when squirrels gather in their nests to conserve energy. Their home is a leafy nest located in a cavity or fork of a tree. Leaf nests can be made in less than 12 hours. If well-made and repaired, they can last around 6 to 10 months. Some larger nests, however, that are added to from time to time, may last up to 3 years.
[Birds squawking.]
On the 30th, look for bracket mushrooms on tree trunks. This group of fungi, also called polypore mushrooms, often resemble shelves or brackets that grow on trees and logs. Some you may find on this date include cinnabar polypore, artist conk, and turkey tail.
And, as you're celebrating New Year's Eve on the 31st, be sure to have your 2025 MDC natural events calendar ready to hang! Don't have one? Grab one at your nearest MDC nature center, or order one online at mdcnatureshop.com. You can find other great MDC holiday gifts in our online nature shop, like our fun, strange but true book that I used for fun facts in this episode. Our popular cookbook, Cooking Wild in Missouri, and even more. Browse our holiday offerings at mdcnatureshop.com.
I'm Jill Pritchard with the Missouri Department of Conservation, wishing you a happy holiday season! And, as always, encouraging you to get your daily dose of the outdoors.
[Outro, music ♪.]
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