Colorado is a magical place in winter. The morning sun glistens on the crunchy, sugar-coated, frost-bitten earth. At sunset, skeletal trees become silhouettes against huge glowing skies. Many don backcountry skis or snowshoes and escape the stress and the holiday throngs to enjoy the solitude, peace, and beauty of nature. It’s the perfect time to heed your "call of the wild"—and a perfect time to view wildlife, too.
Winter offers wildlife viewing opportunities that are not found at any other time of the year. As the snow deepens in the high country the animals move to wintering grounds in lower elevations and valley bottoms. Animals you can see in winter include moose, deer, and furbearers such as marten, ermine and perhaps a rare glimpse of bobcat or cougar. Birds abound in this icy wonderland—jays, woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, and owls.
As you hike or swish silently through the snow filled forests on snowshoes or backcountry skis, you can learn about wildlife behavior, habitat, and every animal’s amazing adaptability to the often harsh conditions of winter. Life persists on the edge of existence; food is scarce, water is locked within icy vaults, day length has withered, and extreme temperatures threaten both man and beast. The beautiful and isolated landscape insists you hone your senses for a new and heightened state of awareness.
A fresh snowfall is like a blank canvas on which animals paint their daily work of survival. Footprints tell us what kind of animal passed by. Scat, fur, and gnawed or trampled vegetation provide more clues. Sometimes a torn shred of fur or a splash of blood in the snow is a sign that a life-and-death struggle has occurred. You can learn to read this winter landscape in great detail—be it the route of a deer marked in snowy prints or deciphering the coded conversations of squirrels coming and going from their trees. In addition to binoculars or a spotting scope, it is helpful to pack a guide to animal sign or tracks with you. There are many helpful resources, including (but not limited to) James Halfpenny’s Scats and Tracks of the Rocky Mountains, A Guide to Nature in Winter by Donald Stokes, and Watching Nature by Monica Russo.
If you seek to see wildlife at this fragile time of year, you will need patience. You are more likely to see signs than the animals themselves. Animals that do stay active through winter often limit their movements to conserve energy through periods of intense cold, and take shelter in dense stands of trees or shrubs or under rocks or snow banks to protect themselves from biting winds. Smaller animals, like snowshoe hares, ravens, and red squirrels may be more common than larger animals. You may encounter ptarmigan hidden among the rocks and willows. They are well camouflaged; they are completely white to blend into the snow-covered landscape.
In winter, animals are under stress from cold and reduced food supplies; being chased may cause them to lose critical fat—which may threaten their survival. You are using more energy, and so are the animals. Wildlife viewing ethics are particularly important now. Maintain distance and do not cause animals to change their behavior. Enjoy your winter wildlife watching!
(For more viewing tips, download a handy guide to share with your family. Read more about winter adaptations and tracking in Tales of Winter, and about winter survival in Small Mammals in Winter.)