Though great horned owlets are peering from the nest by March and Canada goslings appear along our lakes in April, it is May that brings us the first wave of newborn wildlife. The chunky young of mourning doves huddle on branches, patiently awaiting morsels from their diligent parents while noisy flocks of newly fledged starlings demand constant attention from their harried providers. Independent from the time they leave the nest, young cottontails forage along the edge of our lawns, ducking into the shrubs at the slightest distrubance.
Out in the swamplands, mother wood ducks usher their young across the wooded ponds where the small, black tadpoles of American toads cloud the shallows. Meanwhile, tiny treefrogs are leaving the water, making a hazardous treck to nearby woodlands; there they will spend the summer feasting on insects and filling the nights with song. In the forest, young woodpeckers peer from their tree cavity for the first time while turkey poults parade behind their mother as she hunts in a clearing.
May is the month when fox and coyote pups first leave the den and early or late day hikers may spot them wrestling in the grass or playfully harassing their parents. Young raccoons, opossums, otters and mink are also gracing the scene this month. Fawns are born in May but are kept hidden in tall vegetation for several weeks; we won't usually encounter them until June.
