critters and the weather

Ol ma nature has always been a good indicator for me. Anytime the jackrabbits turned white in august/early september winter came early. A well dressed coyote in october always indicated a cold winter.
So now that I'm no longer out and about, I've noticed another sign.  The mice are already moving in, grrr.  I think it's going to be an early winter here.
Well, traps are set, poison is out. I hate those little buggers.

I haven't seen any rabbits or snakes and very cardinals birds all year. Don't know what that means.

Terry

My wife woke me from a sound sleep a couple of weeks ago, saying, "Wake up. There's something in the house." I came up wondering if I needed a shotgun, a pistol, or a fly swatter. She finally explained she heard something in the bathroom cabinet. I went and looked, found nothing. Then I heard it... mice getting frisky, bouncing around under the floor. Must be time to toss poison packets under the house.

We're covered up with cottontails, which likely means an uptick in the coyote population in a few months. I've seen fewer snakes on the road than in average years. The reduction in snakes may be why we have mice bouncing under the floor.

Isn’t the woolybear caterpillar an indicator? If his brown stripe is wide, winter will be harsh? I haven’t seen one, so I don’t have a prediction. But our local guy says a warmer but snowier winter is coming.