Are They Ever Gonna Leave?

Many of us are "wildlife watchers." We spend our free time observing the wildlife in our area. We build or buy bat-houses and birdhouses. We plant native plants or leave a portion of our property in its native state to encourage the wildlife to stay in our area. Our native wild birds and mammals are important to us and we want to provide for their future generations by protecting habitats and providing them with a safe haven.

In the spring and summer, we take great delight in the nest-building activities of the songbirds, and eagerly wait for the eggs to hatch. Then we are privy to the feeding ritual, and the fledging of the young.

There is, however, so much that we don't know about some of our native species. There are many activities performed by some species at certain times of the year that can often cause us to wonder, "What the heck is going on here?"

For most of our wildlife, their lives are played out in an almost ritualistic system of finding food, finding a mate, finding a home, making babies, raising babies to be self-sufficient, and kicking babies out so that the whole routine can start all over again. Their lives are not unlike our own. The main difference between us is that we need "green money" to fulfill our destinies. The wildlife need only "green spaces" to fulfill theirs.

The more we know about our native species and their habits, the more we will appreciate them and learn to respect their need for their own space. Our native wildlife are not animals to be feared; they are "working Joes" like the rest of us, just trying to eke out a living.

Songbirds are everyone's favorite. These are our finches, orioles, blackbirds, swallows, wrens, gnatcatchers, kingbirds, bluebirds, thrushes, warblers—this list could go on forever. Suffice it to say that these are the birds that either we put birdseed out for or they are naturally encouraged to be in our area by the number of insects and native plants that flourish here. These are the LBJ's of the animal world (little brown jobbers) who consume plant matter and/or insects. They, as a general rule, build their nests in early spring and immediately begin egg-laying. The eggs incubate for about two weeks, and approximately two weeks after hatching, the young songbirds are ready to leave the nest. They'll hang out with their parents for several days after fledging and will often continue to be fed by the parents until they are self-sufficient. Weather permitting, many songbirds will double or triple clutch during a season, reusing their original nests. By the time young songbirds are ready to fledge, they are their full adult size. Many young songbirds of both sexes resemble the female of their species. Only when they are old enough to mate does the coloration difference in some species begin to appear. For these species, just remember , the rule of thumb is two weeks to incubate and two weeks until fledging.

As an interesting side note, the birds and mammals who are "meat eaters" ("meat" includes insects, rodents, rabbits, etc.) are slower to disperse from their parents. It is assumed that the reason for this is that these young must be taught to hunt, not just scavenge for food.

Birds of prey are pure carnivores. Meat, in some form, is their sole diet. Nest building for these birds generally begins in late winter and early spring. Some species will be spotted carrying twigs and branches for several weeks during this time. Some birds of prey use the same nest year after year—just sprucing things up from one birthing season to another. Some, such as the barn owl, often use barn lofts, haystacks or any other high, flat man-made structures as their nests. Birds of prey nest sites are varied and cannot be pigeon-holed into a specific category. In some cases, if a permanent nest site is disturbed by hikers, nearby construction, etc., a bird of prey will not nest, lay eggs or produce offspring for at least a year. Sadly, such has been the case throughout the years with many of our golden eagle nesting sites.

After building or refurbishing a nest, the female bird of prey lays her eggs and incubates them for about thirty days. While the incubation period for most birds of prey is very similar, the time till fledge is not. The smaller birds of prey (i.e.kestrel falcon) will fledge in about thirty days while the larger species may take nine to twelve weeks. Birds of prey are born covered in white, downy feathers. By they time they are ready to fledge, they are their full adult size. Fledged birds of prey look just like the adults, except in some species who lack the colors that come only with age. For example, a juvenile red-tailed hawk is as large as his parents when he leaves the nest. He just won't have the distinguishing red tail that will appear when he or she is about two years old. Golden eagle youngsters will sport more white under their wings and on their tails than their adult counterparts; they will, however, be as large as their parents.

So, for those of you who call us at 2 a.m. in November with a baby red-tailed hawk that sits in your hand and is covered with yellow down, let me tell you something: It ain't what you think it is. You've probably got a pigeon or dove on your hands. By November, the birds of prey have fledged—there are no babies. Secondly, birds of prey are born fuzzy and white, not yellow; and thirdly, pigeons and doves are not seasonal as most birds are. They can have young all year round. So there you have it!

Our native mammals are very diversified in their habits. As with the birds, the smaller mammals and the prey species usually have their young early in the spring. Baby cottontails, mice, and rats usually come first, followed by the scavengers and herbivores, with the pure carnivores coming in last. There are exceptions to this, with the opossum able to breed at any time, but usually the young are born in January through July. The mountain lion is polyestrous, but usually the young are born in the spring, although late bloomers (fall babies) are not unusual. Bobcat females will enter one estrous cycle and, if a fertile mating does not occur, she will enter another cycle. This also accounts for some early fall youngsters.

Nesting or denning spots also vary greatly, although all mammals will seek a dark, quiet place in which to bear their young. The quiet place may be a hollow log, an underground den, a cozy attic, underneath a home, under a rock out-cropping—just anywhere perceived to be safe, dark and quiet.

Dispersal ages of the young also vary greatly. The young prey species must be able to escape a predator as quickly as possible. In most cases, as soon as the eyes have opened, these kids are out and about. Young cottontails, for example, as tiny as they may be, are old enough to leave the nest within a few days of opening their eyes. The same goes with mice, rats and other members of these small species.

Our three largest mammals, the coyote, bobcat and cougar, stay with their families for extended periods to learn the skills necessary for survival. The young coyote will leave home at about nine months of age. This time may be a little sooner or a little later depending on acquired skills and weather conditions. A tough winter ahead (trust me, the wildlife can forecast the weather better than we can) may delay the dispersal.

Bobcats leave home at about ten months or so. As with the coyote and cougar, these young are almost adult-sized before they disperse.

The cougar is a really late bloomer. He will not leave mom until he is 18-24 months old. I look at our huge mountain lion boy who is just shy of his second birthday and realize that, in the wild, this big oaf might still be with mommy. I'm sure that mama lion is sure happy to see the back of her youngsters' heads as they walk out the door for the last time!

The purpose of this column is to help anyone with an interest in our native wild species to learn as much as possible. If there is something you want to know about, a question you might have, or even a suggestion for future column, please let me know. My e-mail is CTraisi@AOL.com

— Cindy Traisi