Parenting tricks of the animal kingdom
As summer hits full swing, you may cross paths with baby animals. It's a dangerous world for little critters, so contrary to what you may expect, good animal parents sometimes leave their young seemingly alone to help them survive. Your mission, as a wildlife spy, is to enjoy observing animals without disturbing them - which means extra caution around youngsters.
I was snooping around a stream-side trail when I heard a persistent peeping in the forest ahead. Curious, I crept through the trees, pausing now and then to triangulate the source of the noise. I finally spotted a tiny brown bird with a stubby tail sticking straight up: a winter wren. Then another appeared, and another, until I counted four.
They behaved oddly. Instead of skulking around in the low shrubs like usual, they flitted through the tree branches, calling over and over. One paused on a branch and crouched, its half-open wings quivering. Suddenly yet another wren zipped onto the scene. It quickly stuffed something in the crouching bird's bill and flew away.
Suddenly, I cracked the code. The loud birds were fledglings; young birds just out of the nest. A nest provides shelter for baby birds that hatch naked or with fluffy down; often they're barely strong enough to lift their heads at first. Unfortunately, these young birds also make a stationary target. The sooner baby birds become mobile, the better their chance of survival. Many types of birds that start out helpless in the nest, from owls and hawks to songbirds, go through the fledgling phase. They're basically bird teenagers.
Looking closer through binoculars, I could see the back corners of the fledgling wrens' bills, called the gape, were a bright yellow - baby colors. (An adult's is dark, matching the rest of the bill.) Although they could fly short distances, the fledglings weren't strong enough or experienced enough to take care of themselves yet. Like many teenagers, fledglings are constantly hungry. The crouching posture, quivering wings and constant calling tells the parents they want food ... now! It also helps the parents find the location of their wandering offspring. Although it may look like the youngsters have been abandoned or lost, the parents are usually not far away. Set up a stakeout for a little while, and the parents will come feed the youngsters. Stay focused though, it really is fast food delivery!
If you do stumble across a nest with eggs or nestlings, take a brief look and keep moving. You never know when predators are spying on you. Crows, ravens, jays and magpies are all known nest plunderers. Red squirrels are also enemy agents, known to eat eggs. If you linger too long, a predator may stop to investigate, too. As you leave, continue past the nest, don't return the exact way you came. Predators that hunt by scent or that were observing could investigate why you stopped there and uncover the nest.
Birds aren't the only baby animals that may deceptively appear abandoned. Don't fall for it! For some animals, such as Sitka black-tailed deer, the best parents stay away except for essential care, at least initially. Fawns can stand within a few hours of birth, but it takes a few weeks until they can dash from danger. Their best defense against predators such as bears or wolves is to run a covert operation.
After a doe gives birth, she thoroughly cleans the baby, removing any scent left from the birthing process. Newborn fawns have very little scent themselves, helped by the doe's grooming the first few weeks. Minimizing their scent is one tactic to avoid predators. The mother positions the fawn in dense vegetation, where it can hide. The doe then wanders away to feed, returning every few hours to nurse her obedient offspring.
The fawn remains as still as possible while the doe is absent. At this age, if danger lurks nearby, the fawn freezes instead of bolting. The trademark spotted coat breaks up the fawn's color, making it harder to see. A doe may even bed down away from the fawn, so that it has a chance if a predator detects the mother.
If you come across a fawn this age, take a quick look and leave quickly and quietly. Chances are mom is nearby, being a good deer parent by staying away until danger is past.
Black bear cubs are another example of critters that, at first glance, may seem abandoned. Several summers ago, a female black bear frequently brought her cubs near the boardwalk at the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center. One time I heard scraping up in a tree, and there was one of the cubs, settling in. It seemed very relaxed, maybe even napping, paws dangling down on either side of the branch. Scanning the area, I noticed another cub in a different tree. The mother was nowhere in sight.
She wasn't far though. Sudden splashing just behind some trees soon gave away her position. She was chasing salmon, and apparently decided sending the cubs into the trees was the best day-care around. Why? Black bear cubs are born while the mother is denned up in the winter. They start out blind, tiny and nearly hairless. By springtime, the cubs are ready to keep up with their mother, but they are still very small. She generally keeps them close. She needs to spend time foraging though, so sometimes she'll tuck the cubs somewhere safe.
Black bear mothers are very protective of their cubs, and for good reason. Male black bears will occasionally prey on cubs. The mother must remain constantly vigilant, especially in places, such as salmon streams, where bears congregate. When danger threatens, she sends them up the nearest tree for safe keeping. When the mother bear near the Mendenhall Glacier needed to concentrate on grabbing a salmon dinner, it was up the tree for her young cubs until she'd fished her fill. If you spot cubs up high, don't stick around long. Their mother is bound to be closer than you think.
• Beth Peluso is a freelance writer, illustrator, and avid birder. She enjoys spying on wildlife around Alaska.