It's oh so quiet

February 14, 2026

“It’s oh so quiet…”

…Or is it?

This may be a time of stillness for some, but in many ways, it’s anything but quiet out there! For several critters, this is peak time to find love and get started on this year’s babies.

Fox are scratching and scenting and finding partners to make this year’s fuzzy fox kits. Drops of red estrus blood in the snow signal wild canids coming into heat. As the coyotes too, are looking for love in these snowy days. Great Horned Owl babies are already in progress, and Eastern Screech-Owls are courting. These lovely tiny owls — “the size of a box of Kraft Dinner” (a fabulous unit of measurement coined by @pauljwildlife) — are trilling their little owly songs to each other. One account says screechies have been known to leave food in a tree cavity to tempt a mate. (Note: I also respond to this mode of courtship. A well-wrapped and conspicuous cupcake left in a tree cavity at eye-level is a highly effective wooing technique.)

Bowing, clicking, preening, trilling, scratching, rubbing, scenting, sniffing. Critters communicate their feathery and fuzzy butts off. Even when they’re not “talking” to us, they sure are deep in conversation. With a little practice, we can start to understand more of what they have to say. Because it may still be winter, and it may still be snowy, but by jove, the wheels of life and love keep turning. // Next winter tracks and sign walk is coming up soon if you’d like to join us. Likely this Wednesday, likely at Goodrich-Loomis, weather etc permitting. DM me if you’d like to be added to the notification list. Let’s go see what we can see! 🐾 // Have a lovely weekend folks!💚