Animal tracking. Right after newly fallen snow, head out to a hiking trail and look to the sides of the trail. Usually you’ll spot some sort of animal track. My kids have found a variety of large and small tracks in the snow that they haven’t been able to spot in the warmer months. The side-by-side tracks of a rabbit hopping along were one of the more exciting discoveries for the girls one year. And even if you don’t spot any wild animal tracks, identifying dog prints and having the kids guess at the size and breed of the dog that made them can be a lot of fun as well.
Winter Birding. For birding fans, the lack of leaves on the trees offers some great views of our winter bird residents. For kids interested in nature photography – even those with inexpensive cameras with minimal zoom - can usually catch a nice birding shot at this time of year.
Christmas Bird Count in December. Audubon’s Christmas bird count is a good way to get connected to a fun, one-day commitment service project with your family. There are locations around the state for the general public to assist in this count. And despite its name, it’s not actually held on Christmas day. Participants agree to cover a certain area on a particular day in December and count the birds they find during their time in the area. For more information go to Maine Audubon’s website - www.maineaudubon.org/explore/event/count.shtml
Great Backyard Bird Count in February. This is a super simple weekend project for families and even little ones can help with daily observations. And although we love being outside during the winter, I have friends that like this bird count because it’s a good way to teach their kids about the outdoors without actually having to be out in the cold. This year’s count is February 18-21, 2011. The basic idea of this count is to simply set up a chair by a window in your house and watch your backyard (or front yard in our case) to see what birds stop by. Then you record the time, type and number of birds you see and submit your report at the end of each day to the GBBC’s website - www.birdsource.org/gbbc
Night Sky Watching. Families can take advantage of shorter days and much longer nights by learning about the night sky. Winter nights offer some awesomely clear nights to view the stars and planets. Southworth Planetarium at the University of Southern Maine’s Portland campus offers classes and group shows to help novice sky watchers learn how to identify the stars. Visit their website for a schedule of programs - http://usm.maine.edu/planet
Full Moon Hike. A winter full moon is bright and a great time to break out the snowshoes - or simply your winter boots if the snow isn’t too deep - and discover a local trail in a whole new light. Headlamps are not usually needed on a clear full moon evening and viewing the trail at night is a totally different kind of experience.
Winter Fireworks. This is a man-made outdoor experience but if you have a chance to see a winter fireworks show on a frozen lake this winter, do it. The fireworks reflect on the snow and ice around the frozen lake for a spectacular colorful experience that is very different from the summer shows. Many of the ski mountains sponsor fireworks during the winter as well as many winter community events.
Originally published in Raising Maine Magazine, December 2010
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