February Hike

MINBURN, IOWA - As the winter of 2014-2015 continues on and we edge ever so slowly toward spring, it's been a lot of fun to hike around the wooded areas of the Raccoon River Valley.  I've been on the lookout for deer sheds.  After a freshly fallen snow, it's obvious there is a healthy population of deer throughout the area but I've yet to find my first shed.  Signs are everywhere - small trees where deer have obviously been rubbing their racks.  We'll keep looking on our subsequent hikes through the woods.

Sunset over the Raccoon River Valley

     Another noticeable noise as of late have been the owls - both great horned and barred.  Great Horned Owls actually begin nesting this time if year.  Most evenings, it's a regular occurrence to hear both great horned and barred owls singing.  Even during the daytime, crows occasionally uncover a resting owl and create a lot of commotion causing the owls to take off for a daytime flight.  We've also observed a screech owl who, at least for a couple of weeks, liked to perch at dusk near or on the bird feeder in the backyard.  Not sure if he ever found any prey, but he didn't stick around too long.

     I still insist that winter time is one of the best times to hike through the woods - no bugs, no poison ivy, better visibility, and the wind is usually not a problem.  It's a great way to burn off some steam and enjoy the winter season which causes may folks (myself included) to often become quite restless.