Critters on the move

With the sometimes tumultuous weather of spring comes a signal to wildlife to prepare for the warmer weather which, for most fauna, is breeding time. As I write this, there is still over a foot of snow on the ground from the last snowstorm. Yet flocks of geese can be heard high overhead heading north, and species such as the green-winged teal, a duck species not seen all winter, can be spotted along the river as they travel through the region. Eagles, at least the migrants, are winging their way to summer breeding grounds, and the region’s resident eagles have laid eggs that will hatch in April.

Even though mammals in the region do not migrate, they also are getting ready for the warm time. Deer are more active as the spring growth starts to appear. The females will give birth to fawns in May.

Bears leave their dens and forage for food, much to the chagrin of people with bird feeders, or who leave trash out for pick-up. The mother bears will have cubs, which were born during the winter in the den. Some good information from the Pennsylvania Game Commission can be found at www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/pgc/blackbear/pdf/living_with_bears.pdf.

Most species of reptiles and amphibians emerge from hibernation during April or May. One of these that makes its presence known after the first warm nights of spring is the tiny spring peeper. The male’s mating call turns wetlands into a nighttime chorus, a celebration of spring.