At 9:48 AM -0700 12/30/08, M, J, & V Phinney wrote:
>on 12/29/08 7:53 AM, Rob Danielson at
><type%40uwm.edu> wrote:
>
><SNIP>
>
>Would some mammals be active even in the brutal cold, Mark? Perhaps
>under the ice near streams or select habitats? I'm much further
>south in Wisconsin but the mice, voles, rabbits and owls seem to
>still be fully active during nights when its under -20F. At -10,
>things can be pretty much normal with deer, yotes, etc. The huge
>variety of freezing and thawing sounds can be thrilling too. The
>denser air has a plus side in that the increased "reach" can make
>recordings seem more spatial. Rob D.
>
>From my local observations, mammals seem to 'hole up' or stay put as long as
>they can afford to. Decent snow cover makes a big difference. Many of the
>smaller critters and some of the bigger ones stay under the snow where it's
>warmer. The larger mammals such as deer, moose, coyotes, etc. seem to hunker
>down and not move about. This can only go on so long, and all animals will
>eventually have to find food. When the local cold snap breaks (from -40 up
>to -20 C), animals seem to be everywhere...many more tracks in the snow,
>deer in the fields, birds at the feeders, etc.
>
>Mark Phinney
>
Sounds pretty similar to here, Mark. It is amazing how quickly and
how much mammal activity changes. Not much of "winter hibernation"
model at all here in Wisconsin.
Recording activities that are under the snow is curious possibility.
Has anyone experimented with this? I thought about placing mics
inside of a undercut stream bank before a big snow storm.
I'd prefer to not attract animals with practices like cutting an
opening in the ice, feeding etc. I'm wondering what other
cold-weather, anticipatory mic-placement techniques for cold winter
recording people might know of. Rob D.
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