Winter sleepers

Today's nature calendar task:

List the winter sleepers that have come out. Raccoon? Chipmunk? Bear? Skunk? Groundhog? Bat?

We think we may have seen a racoon up in the fork of a tree, but it also might have been a cat, it was difficult to get a good look. We thought that the bats were probably still sleeping, since there weren't very many bugs around to eat yet.

The Nuthatch felt that the chipmunk, bear, skunk and groundhog were all still asleep based on the fact that he hasn't seen any of them yet. Those bears will be sleeping a long time if that is how the deduces their hibernation patterns.

Raccoons mate in February, so they are probably awake.

Chipmunks are coming out of their hibernation in March.

Bears come out of their dens in March or April. Apparently they are not true hibernators because they can move around when they are dormant.

Skunks are also not true hibernators. They mate in February and March.

Groundhogs emerge in March. They are one of Canada's largest true hibernators.

Bats hibernate until April or early May.