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It’s that time again here in The Adirondacks, and mountain residents know all too well the confinement and extra chores that come with SNOW. My Husband and I find a great deal of joy and contentment feeding and watching the birds, and there is no time like winter to observe the lives and behaviors of our friendly visiting birds. One of the most entertaining winter birds is the dark eyed junco. These little birds are the real snowbirds, unlike humans who are called snowbirds for fleeing the winter temps in search of warmer territory, these little birds arrive in the Northeast in time for snow fall and will fly northward once signs of spring appear.
Juncos are very social and will gather in flocks that may have two dozen birds or more. A flock of juncos is called a chittering, flutter, crew, or host. Juncos will also join flocks with chickadees, sparrows, and kinglets. Due to their similar coloring and size, the junco is sometimes confused with a chickadee but can be differentiated by several factors. Once you identity the differences in each bird, you will immediately recognize who is who and their intriguing habits.
Predator and prey is one of the most common type of relationships in the animal kingdom. Animals need to survive and feed themselves, and for predators that occurs through them hunting smaller animals or prey. Ecosystems are complex and diverse, with many levels and intricate relationships between organisms. Removing any level from an ecosystem disrupts a delicate balance that may have evolved over millions of years.
Adirondack Kids was created after traveling south to see family. My husband and I happened to see a newsletter for kids that looked like a fun and educational way to reach out to the smaller residents in the Adirondacks. Each monthly newsletter will combination of information about an animal here in the Adirondacks with a mixture of worldly facts, art, how to be a friend of nature, outdoor safety, humor and suspense with “Crack the Secret Code.” If you have difficulty viewing the code decipher sheet pictured here, we would be happy to e-mail anyone a copy.
Its that time of year again!! The temperature has dropped and snow blankets the Adirondacks. For most of us here, Winter can seem to last forever and any foresight we can get of what to expect, can be welcomed. Like many other creatures, the woolly bear is now nestled into their Winter hideaway and will hibernate until Spring.
Migrating Monarchs Soaring at Unbelievable Heights
It’s not uncommon to immediately think of coniferous trees when hearing the word Evergreen. For us Mountain folks, these tall beauties with multiple hues of green are a welcomed scene of color as the last parcels of leaves fall to the ground and the landscape takes on a dreary, stark appearance. If you care to venture out on a hike, you will find trees aren’t the only plants that keep their lively green shades throughout the coming winter months.
As fall sets in, it’s not difficult to identify the tiny creatures called fall webworms. This time of year, these masses of larva have been busy recreating scenes from sleepy hollow as they prepare to over winter in the pupa stage.
General inquiries about the Adirondack Almanack should be directed to editor 
Remnants Of Life
The Adirondack Mountains is an amazing place to witness the natural lives of wild animals. With 2,000 miles of hiking trails, there is ample opportunity to witness new life as well as the passing of life. The mountains are full of the cycle of life as we witness baby animals of various species and come upon a pile of dry bones. The cycle of life escapes no creature calling this Earth their home and there is evidence all around us of this fact. Is it possible for death, the dry bones of an expired animal to once again be a part of the building blocks of life? In the lives of some mountain animals this is most certainly possible and is an important factor in survival as a source of essential minerals.
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