Innsbrook Nature Group Winter Update

Innsbrook property owners and nature enthusiasts Rich McFall and Kath Kremer share their favorite things about Innsbrook in winter, upcoming events and facts about wildlife in the latest blog post.

“Having lived at Innsbrook full-time for over 10 years, we have come to enjoy the winter as much as any other season. Just a few things we love include spying on eagles perched in the tree tops, the singing of frozen lakes, being the first to walk a trail after a snowfall and spotting fresh animal tracks, dark skies at night with stars sparkling like diamonds, our pets frolicking in snow, birds of every color and size at our feeders, and different vistas now that our trees have no leaves.”

Photo by Clayton Hotze

“We encourage you to get out and enjoy all that Innsbrook has to offer this season!”

Valentine’s Day Nature Lover’s Hike

“Last year we still had a respectable turnout on our first Nature Lover’s Hike on Valentine’s Day, even though it was one of the coldest days of the winter. We have decided to make this an annual tradition, as it sure beats out a polar plunge into one of our lakes, which was another suggestion!

Innsbrook property owners are invited to join us on Sunday, February 14 at 1 p.m. for a 1-2 hour hike around the Lake Konstanz Trail. We like this trail in the winter, as it is largely protected from the wind and travels through several diverse micro-ecosystems that attract wildlife, including red foxes, which we often observe.”

Photo by Missouri Department of Conservation Staff

Great Backyard Bird Count

“Fill your feeder and find your bird identification guide anytime between February 12 and 15 for the annual Audubon-sponsored Great Backyard Bird Count. The event encourages bird watchers from across the country to identify and count the birds they see on their property or at their feeders. Just count your feathered visitors for as little as 15 minutes or as long as you want on any day of the count and report your sightings at www.birdcount.org. Last year, there were 138 species reported in Missouri, including 22 on our property alone!”

Photo by Bob Wombacher

Wonderful Woodpeckers

“Our favorite birds of the winter to watch, and hear, are the woodpeckers. We have such a variety of them at Innsbrook. It’s so comical to see a 15-inch pileated woodpecker trying to eat while hanging upside down from a feeder! During last year’s Great Backyard Bird Count, we reported 7 types of woodpeckers. In decreasing order of size:

• Pileated;
• Northern flicker;
• Red-bellied;
• Red-headed;
• Hairy;
• Yellow-bellied sapsucker; and
• Downy.”

Photo by Karen Bettis

Wildlife Corridors

“Innsbrook property owner and Master Naturalist Allison Volk continues with Part 2 of her comments about Missouri wildlife corridors.

In my last article I spoke about Innsbrook acting as a type of corridor. Well after more reading I would like to say that I am not technically correct. I think we do act as a corridor because we have animals passing through but not staying full-time, like otters and trumpeter swans. But Innsbrook is so much more than just a corridor with over 7,500 acres of hardwoods, lakes, streams, creeks, glades and savannas. 

Upon researching conservation articles about wildlife corridors I happened to revisit the Innsbrook website. Here I found that our own [Director of Horticulture] Keith Thompson authored “The Village of Innsbrook Conservation Management Plan” in 2004. It’s a great plan worth reading. It is filled with information about our natural community and offers great insights for us to become better land stewards for ourselves and the other species that call Innsbrook home. 

In closing, I was just amazed that my little cabin in the woods is actually a part of a much grander natural ecosystem and I hope to do my part in keeping it healthy as I hope you do, too!

Thanks, Allison, for your inspiration, and also to Keith for producing a great reference for property owners.”

Photo by Clayton Hotze

Wildlife-Friendly Lots

“For several years after moving to Innsbrook we would have yard waste on our property, like fallen branches and leaves, hauled away just like we were still living in the city. It wasn’t until we looked at the requirements of having a wildlife-friendly lot that we discovered how brush piles provide a host of critters with protection from predators and shelter from weather.

By providing food, water, cover and a place for wildlife to raise their young you not only help wildlife, but your property can also qualify to become an official Certified Wildlife Habitat. We’ve completed these steps and are now a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat! This was a fun family project and now we have a sign to prove that we’re a five-star resort property for wildlife, too!”

Closing Nature Quote

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Coming up in the next post: How to make this Valentine’s Day the perfect Midwest moment!