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Jim Gilbert

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Outdoors Journal: Pine thoughts

The scented air of tall pines are the symbols of the North Woods.

Updated: February 10, 2012, - 12:32 AM

Outdoors Journal: Woodchucks keep hibernating

Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, are hibernating underground in their burrows, and their internal clocks will awaken them near the end of March, not on Groundhog Day (Feb. 2).

Updated: February 02, 2012, - 11:23 PM

Outdoors Journal: New life in bear dens

Now is the time when black bear cubs are born. Lily, the Internet-famous black bear hibernating in her den in a cedar swamp near Ely, gave birth to two cubs on Jan. 21 last year. The young arrive in late January or early February while mothers still are sleeping. At birth the young, usually two or three in number, are 6 to 8 inches long and only weigh 7 to 12 ounces, about 1/500th of the weight of their mother.

Updated: January 26, 2012, - 10:48 PM

Outdoors Journal: Great gray owls

The great gray is Minnesota's largest owl. It stands about 2 feet high, and has a 5-foot wingspread. The boreal coniferous forest is its home. In this state, great gray owls are most often seen within 100 miles of the Canadian border. However, during some winters, a few will visit the southern part of the state. Like other owls of the far north, this species hunts during the daytime, often watching for prey from a low perch. In winter it will plunge into snow to catch rodents detected by sounds.

Updated: January 19, 2012, - 09:49 PM

Outdoors Journal: Common goldeneye

These midsized 2-pound ducks get their name from their yellow eyes, but a male possesses even more colorful features.

Updated: January 13, 2012, - 12:26 AM

Outdoors Journal: Nature notes for early January

• Already by Jan. 6 we have gained 9 minutes of daylight since the winter solstice, a welcome gift. To many people, winter is the season of anticipation and joy, and here in temperate Minnesota, the season of survival and frozen beauty. Lake ice cracks, groans and booms as it expands and contracts with changing temperatures. This doesn't necessarily mean that the ice is unsafe for fishing or skating, but for those out on the ice, the rumbling and rolls are eerie indeed.

Updated: January 06, 2012, - 12:10 AM

Outdoors Journal: Tracking animals in the snow

For every creature seen or heard, at least a hundred pass by unobserved. Only when we see tracks in the snow do we begin to realize all of the activity going on around us.

Updated: December 29, 2011, - 11:22 PM

Outdoors Journal: Gray squirrels

The grays are the squirrels of the hardwood deciduous forests. The eastern gray squirrel, with its long, bushy tail and general gray coloration, is the species seen in Minnesota. It is most common in the south but can also inhabit the mixed coniferous/deciduous forests in the northern part of the state. From extreme southern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, its range covers most of the eastern half of the United States.

Updated: December 15, 2011, - 11:10 PM

Outdoors Journal: Walking in the moonlight

If you have the opportunity, take a walk in the woods or in a park, or even around a city block on a December night when the moon is full, or nearly so, and there is good snow cover.

Updated: December 09, 2011, - 01:46 AM