Syracuse.com - Mild CNY winter has mixed effects on local wildlife and fish

[HuntingNY-News]

Interviews this week with DEC wildlife and fishery biologists, along with scientists and researchers at SUNY ESF, indicate there are no simple answers.

Dick Blume/The Post-StandardWildlife experts say more deer than usual will survive the winter months.

Outdoors enthusiasts have been talking a great deal lately about how this year’s mild winter is crimping the local outdoors recreational scene — the ice fishing, the skiing, the snowmobiling and the snowshoeing.

But what about fish and wildlife? What will be the impact come spring? Will there be an explosion of some species and fewer of others?

Interviews this week with DEC wildlife and fishery biologists, along with scientists and researchers at SUNY ESF, indicate there are no simple answers.

More deer: In general, a mild winter increases the survival rate of deer.

There’s a strong possibility Central New Yorkers will be seeing “more deer on the landscape, chewing up resources” this spring than in year’s past, according to Steve Joule, regional wildlife manager at the DEC’s Cortland office. Their increased numbers will be felt not only in forests and farmlands, but in suburban and urban areas where hunting is banned, he added.

It won’t be a huge, region-wide population explosion, he said, noting something like that would take several mild winters in a row.

“This could lead to a short-term increase, but one season is like a blink of an eye in determining what the long-term population will be,” he said. “These things are cyclic.”

The next severe winter could cause a “crash” in deer numbers, he said, with the main factor being the lack of food.

APBlack bears will probably emerge from hybernation a bit early this year.

Coyotes/turkeys: Don’t worry about the coyotes.

They’re extremely adaptable, said Jacqui Frair, assistant professor of wildlife science at SUNY ESF. Although during the winter they can rely on the heavy snow to take down disabled or aged deer, or occasionally feast on roadkill, they can easily switch to other food sources when deer aren’t available.

“Things like mice and rabbits, which would usually be hard to get at through the snow, would be easy pickings,” she said.

On the other hand, mild winters also make it easier for many herbivores such as turkeys to get food. They’re not as stressed.

Bottom line: There should be more turkeys than usual making it through this winter — at least until the start of spring. A wet spring, though, could change the picture, Frair said.

Early-bird bears: Joule said this year’s mild winter won’t result in more bears on the landscape.

“They’re not prolific breeders like deer,” he said. “You may see them emerging earlier (from hibernation), looking for food and rooting around in people’s backyards.”

Fish largely unaffected: The relatively warm winter should not prove problematic for most local fish, said David Lemon, regional fisheries manager at the DEC’s Cortland office.

“Obviously, if stream temperatures were warmer, things like incubation of trout eggs would occur faster,” he said. “But (what we’ve had so far) is not likely to make a big difference. “

He said an extremely wet or dry spring would have a greater impact on local streams and the survival of stream fish.

Neil Ringer, an ESF fisheries ecologist, said fall-spawning fish such as brown trout could have higher survival rates this year.

Lemon and Ringler both said ice fishing results in a significant “harvest pressure” on perch, sunfish, bluegill and northern pike on local ponds and lakes. Fewer ice fishermen getting out will mostly likely result in more of these fish surviving the winter.

Lemon also said the lack of a complete ice cover on Oneida Lake could affect the winter survival rate of gizzard shad, a major player in the lake’s bait fish scene. The ice creates a situation where temperatures are more “stratified” in the relatively shallow lake during the winter, he said.

Without the ice, constant wind and waves can actually make the water at the lake’s bottom colder, affecting the bait fish’s survival rate. In the past, the gizzard shad population on Oneida has taken hits following mild winters, Lemon said.

Submitted photoA relatively snowless winter and dry spring could prove fatal for many amphibians, such as this spotted salamander.

Amphibians and reptiles may be hurting: If the warm temperatures continue, many of these species will emerge earlier and have a longer breeding season.

But if there is a long cold snap and no snow, the lack of insulation normally provided by snow will enable the cold to penetrate deep into the ground and into wetlands where these animals are hibernating.

That could kill them, according to James Gibbs, professor and director of the Roosevelt Wild Life Station at SUNY ESF.

In addition, the lack of a substantial snow pack to melt and sustain vernal (spring-time only) pools and wetlands, and to keep stream levels high and the ground moist into summer, would also be deadly for many of these creatures, he said.

Possibly fewer mosquitoes/black flies: Many of the insects we’re used to seeing in Central New York are well-equipped to survive snowy, frigid winters. Many, though, rely on the snow to provide protection from predators and insulation from the cold, said Kim Adams, of SUNY ESF’s extension service.

A relatively snowless winter followed by a dry spring could have negative impacts on the spring-time breeding of such insects as mosquitoes and black flies. That would change, however, if the winter is followed by a wet spring.

She said most adult insects and larvae are programmed to come out of hibernation as a result of two factors — increased daylight and warmer temperatures. Some, like house flies, may emerge earlier than usual if an unseasonable warm stretch develops and stays that way.

Adams said the winter we’ve had so far shouldn’t have an impact on tick numbers.

“But if the weather stays warmer than normal, deer tick adults may begin questing earlier in the spring and the nymphs may follow suit in the summer,” she said.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

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I think its possible that this article is only skimming the highlights of how this mild winter impacts the critters of nature. But it was interesting to read some of the expected results. It appears that the results are not always so obvious. For example, I expected the milder temps woule result in a mosquito explosion, and they are saying it will be just the opposite. I am curious how this weather might impact such species as gypsy moths and tent caterpillars and other pests.