For bears and hares, the mild weather is a mixed bag

MONTPELIER, Vt. – For now, the El Nino-driven mild weather is a boon to some wildlife, which are able to forage for more food and are using less energy surviving, experts say. But for some species, the lack of snow isn’t good news.

Access to food, such as nuts and apples, which have been abundant but are now getting scarce, has kept some black bears active and out of their winter dens. The bear activity has prompted officials in Vermont and Massachusetts to urge residents to wait for snow before putting up bird feeders to avoid attracting bears.

The amount of snow also can affect how comfortable the bears are and likely the rate that they use up their accumulated fat while they hibernate, Vermont Fish and Wildlife biologist Forrest Hammond said.

Virginia, where the temperature is expected to hit 70 on Christmas, is not seeing as many migratory waterfowl as it normally does this time of year.

“Without that colder weather up north to push those birds down, the word is that it’s been slow,” said Lee Walker, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

A lack of snow also makes some prey animals more vulnerable. Snowshoe hares and long- and short-tailed weasels have already molted and grown in their winter white coats, a process driven by length of daylight.

“If you’re a barred owl or a great horned owl or a hawk … everything that’s hooked in as a predator would love to have a snowshoe hare for dinner,” said Mark Scott, director of wildlife for Vermont Fish and Wildlife.