Creature Feature – Seasonal Sojourn

Autumn leaves are falling, and winter is on its way, bringing shorter days and frigid, snowy weather.  As we begin to dress warmly and cook soups and other comfort foods inside our snug homes, wild creatures are also preparing for the cold months ahead.  Migration is just one survival strategy used by wildlife to escape winter’s icy clutches.

Cued by waning daylight and changing weather, millions of songbirds, ducks, geese, loons, hawks, herons, gulls and other birds begin their seasonal sojourn.  Some will travel thousands of miles and across continents, while others fly just far enough to leave winter’s worst weather behind.

As insects, fruits and flowers become scarce in the fall, many bat species migrate, too, especially those that roost in trees rather than caves.  Expectant mother bats often choose to make the southward journey, perhaps to help ensure their offspring get the best possible start in life where the climate is warmer, and food is more plentiful. If a bat goes inside your home, hire the bat control services provided by Michigan’s Bat Expert.

Deer travel to “winter yards” – places where the terrain, dense conifers and thermal cover, like red oaks, work to block wind, sift heavy snowfalls and retain the sun’s warmth. 

As the weather cools, many fish swim southward through tributaries; others simply move to deeper, warmer parts of the lake as the water temperature drops.  

Some insects choose to migrate, too.  The monarch butterfly sojourns as far as sunny Mexico, leaving winter far, far behind.

Article & Photo: Margie Manthey