January’s cold can be so forbidding that I, and many others, avoid spending much time outdoors. I’m not fond of the bitter cold, but when there is a new snow cover, the deer hunting season has ended, and the wind is calm, I can’t resist the urge to discover what wildlife has been up to.

Last January I picked one of those days taking a walk the day after a fresh snow cover. The previous day’s snow was a “wet snow,” which generally reveals some defined tracks. To make it better, overnight it was cold enough to crust the snow so I could determine when or what animals were on the move.

One of my objectives as I walked an “old logging road,” was to look for deer signs. I soon found two sets of tracks made in the previous day’s snow. The tracks were clearly two different sizes; most likely made by a doe and this past summer’s fawn. Farther along I found a number of deer tracks probably made overnight when the snow was harder.

A quarter mile ahead tracks zigzagged my route. They were made by eight or 10 turkeys. At a number of spots they apparently knew some acorns remained underneath the oaks that lined the road. Leaves covered the fresh snow after they scratched and scratched.

Another 100 yards down the road I found another single set of tracks. A fox, probably in the late afternoon wandered the snowy lane, and at the base of a small maple tree he left behind his “scent.” Male foxes will mark their territories by using some regular “scent posts” to urinate. It made sense, since foxes will breed about this time each year.

The snow cover was not very deep and I was able to see a few spots where a red-backed vole poked above the snow on a short foray looking for seeds. A deeper snow offers them a bit more protection from owls, and maybe that same fox.

While these mammals and the turkeys left me visual signs of their activities, the forest also had some auditory offerings. A pileated woodpecker either detected my presence, or was communicating with its mate, as it loudly cackled from some distance. Farther along, a mixed flock of chickadees and tufted titmice twittered as they dangled and fed among the hemlock branches near me.

Two downy woodpeckers crept around hemlocks killed by the woolly adelgids. A few juncos scattered from the snow every few minutes. Before I returned to my truck, a raven “croaked” as it flew overhead, and from the rhododendron thicket off the road, a deer snorted, using its amazing sense of smell to detect me from 200 yards away.

I spent about an hour in the quiet woods enjoying the peace and nature’s sounds as well. The snow left me evidence of mostly nocturnal activity of animals that are better adapted for winter life than you and I.

In this time of medical restrictions and safety concerns, find your own wooded area in the Times News region and enjoy nature at its finest. Get out there.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: Pennsylvania’s state tree is the eastern hemlock, the state bird is the ruffed grouse, what is the state’s insect? A. tree katydid, B. firefly, C. yellow swallowtail butterfly, D. bumble bee, E. praying mantis.

Dec. 19’s Trivia Answer: Only occasionally seen in this region is the redheaded woodpecker. The others, downy, redheaded and pileated woodpeckers are all regular resident birds here.

Contact Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com.