Habitat For Hibernation
Dec. 6th, 2015 11:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
twilightponySince I wanted to see the new enhanced winter warren development that Amethyst Star had told us about last Hay Board meet, I talked Fluttershy into giving me a tour. It wasn't hard to convince her.
She snapped up her wildlife kit, collected Angel (her bunny) and off we went. First stop, a big rock pile in a wildlife corridor in the western pasture expansion.
Snakes are already exploring these new rock piles they've built. I kept a respectful distance and an open eye on the ground, in case one should slither by. Maybe Fluttershy could have chosen something else to show me. But Fluttershy is quite proud of her rock piles. They're built in sheltered spots on sunny slopes to keep the snakes from getting too cold in the winter, and they're the warmest spots in the woods in the Fall and Spring. Now I know which areas to avoid in the late Fall and the early Spring.
Next it was bats. In another sunny location Fluttershy and Amethyst Star made a kind of bat roost central with several hollow, upright snags. Fluttershy said that the bats approve of the setup and have moved in in large numbers. I took her word for it and I didn't look too closely to see if I could see any of the winged mammals. At least they only come out at night. We moved on to a hilly area.
There, Fluttershy and Amethyst Star chose the sides of bowls and nestled hills on higher ground to excavate dens and warrens for most of the critters. That way they won't get flooded and they're protected from the wind. Angel hopped down from Fluttershy and demonstrated just how fast a bunny can dig when he's in the mood, choosing a spot under a brush pile.
The brush piles that are in with the dens are for critters that prefer the extra protection a pile of branches can give from swings in temperature, but most of the brush piles are elsewhere. They are distributed in locations along many of the new fields, just inside the forest edge, for bunny use during the summer.
The winter dens, warrens, snags and rock piles are grouped in clusters. This is not just because the animal team selected the best locations for denning. They're also clustered to make finding them again in the snow on Winter Wrap Up Day that much easier, and to speed up the time it takes to wake all the critters up and serve them their first post-hibernation meal. The dens are on higher, well drained ground, but all the critters must be awake before the Weather Team can clear the Winter clouds and melt the snow.
Well, I'm happy to report that after all their planning and hard work, the Animal Team and the ponies clearing the area to make new fields have built some first class hibernation homes for our wildlife, and in plenty of time for the critters to move in.
She snapped up her wildlife kit, collected Angel (her bunny) and off we went. First stop, a big rock pile in a wildlife corridor in the western pasture expansion.
Snakes are already exploring these new rock piles they've built. I kept a respectful distance and an open eye on the ground, in case one should slither by. Maybe Fluttershy could have chosen something else to show me. But Fluttershy is quite proud of her rock piles. They're built in sheltered spots on sunny slopes to keep the snakes from getting too cold in the winter, and they're the warmest spots in the woods in the Fall and Spring. Now I know which areas to avoid in the late Fall and the early Spring.
Next it was bats. In another sunny location Fluttershy and Amethyst Star made a kind of bat roost central with several hollow, upright snags. Fluttershy said that the bats approve of the setup and have moved in in large numbers. I took her word for it and I didn't look too closely to see if I could see any of the winged mammals. At least they only come out at night. We moved on to a hilly area.
There, Fluttershy and Amethyst Star chose the sides of bowls and nestled hills on higher ground to excavate dens and warrens for most of the critters. That way they won't get flooded and they're protected from the wind. Angel hopped down from Fluttershy and demonstrated just how fast a bunny can dig when he's in the mood, choosing a spot under a brush pile.
The brush piles that are in with the dens are for critters that prefer the extra protection a pile of branches can give from swings in temperature, but most of the brush piles are elsewhere. They are distributed in locations along many of the new fields, just inside the forest edge, for bunny use during the summer.
The winter dens, warrens, snags and rock piles are grouped in clusters. This is not just because the animal team selected the best locations for denning. They're also clustered to make finding them again in the snow on Winter Wrap Up Day that much easier, and to speed up the time it takes to wake all the critters up and serve them their first post-hibernation meal. The dens are on higher, well drained ground, but all the critters must be awake before the Weather Team can clear the Winter clouds and melt the snow.
Well, I'm happy to report that after all their planning and hard work, the Animal Team and the ponies clearing the area to make new fields have built some first class hibernation homes for our wildlife, and in plenty of time for the critters to move in.
no subject
Date: 2015-12-07 02:25 am (UTC)