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Taking Flight: Highlands Biological Station
Written By: Paige Engelbrektsso | Issue: 2020/12 - December
Just like their human counterparts, some Plateau residents are departing for sunnier climes, while others are settling in for a long winter’s nap. To learn more, watch Baby It’s Cold Outside. You can watch the premiere on the Highlands Biological Station’s Facebook page (@highlandsbiologicalstation) on Tuesday, December 15, at 1:00 P.M. or find it afterward on the Highlands Biological YouTube channel.
December brings the promise of snow and the chance for our favorite winter pastimes like cozying up in front of a fire and enjoying a warm mug of cider or hot chocolate. While I embrace the promise of snow and crisp stargazing, I occasionally envy our wildlife species who make the trip south for the winter.
In September, our spritely Ruby-throated Hummingbirds headed down the mountains. This tiny flier fueled up at feeders and late summer blooms on its way to cross the Gulf of Mexico in a single trip. Now it visits the plentiful flowers as far south as Costa Rica, joining dozens of other hummingbird species across Central America. Our only eastern breeding hummingbird will return in April, when our spring wildflowers are able to sustain them.
An even more colorful bird, the Hooded Warbler, took the scenic land route down through Mexico this fall. In the spring, it will follow the Ruby-throated Hummingbird back north across the open waters of the Gulf. For now, it has settled across the coast of Central America where it hunts for spiders and insects in the forest understory – meals that are in short supply in our neighborhoods right now. I admit I’m more partial to the idea of long, sunny days than to such crunchy meals.
What about the animals that can’t fly to warmer climates? They’re at the heart of the Foundation’s virtual Nature 101 program for this month, Baby It’s Cold Outside. Our Nature 101 series explores basic natural history topics every month. This month, we’ll be looking at how the wildlife in the Botanical Garden stays warm. You can watch the premiere on the Highlands Biological Station’s Facebook page (@highlandsbiologicalstation) on Tuesday, December 15th, at 1 PM or find it afterward on the ‘Highlands Biological’ YouTube channel.
For more information, visit highlandsbiological.org or contact us at (828) 526-2623.
