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#bioPGH Blog: Spring Baby Boom!
A resource of Biophilia: Pittsburgh, #bioPGH is a weekly blog and social media series that aims to encourage both children and adults to reconnect with nature and enjoy what each of our distinctive seasons has to offer.
With this week’s snowy, cold weather, it may not seem like spring is underway, but that doesn’t stop the mothers of nature! For our local wildlife, spring is still a baby boom season, even with a dusting of snow. When are some of our local wildlife babies born, and what should you do if you happen upon a “lost” little furred or feathered friend? Let’s explore!
Plentiful in our neighborhoods and parks, Pennsylvania has multiple species of squirrels, but most of us are probably familiar with gray squirrels and red squirrels. As their name implies, these two species are differentiated by color and size, but they also differ in the timing of babies. Gray squirrels tend to give birth in late February to early April, while red squirrel litters are born from April to June. Babies of both species will stay in their nest for 5-7 weeks.
Other nocturnal neighbors you might spy out and about are possums and raccoons. Opossums carry the distinction of being North America’s only marsupial, and their tiny babies (only half an inch long) are born in March and then stay in the pouch the first 8-10 weeks. Some female opossums can have a second litter later in the year, usually in May-July. Raccoon cubs tend to be born in from March-April in litters of 3-5 babies.
Though they are present in Western Pennsylvania, you are less likely to see some of our more secretive neighbors. Coyote pups are generally born from mid-April to early May, and both red and gray fox litters can be born as early as late February until mid-April. As for black bears—most cubs were actually born back in January, but they have only recently ventured out of the dens, normally making their first appearances in March or April.
With all of the attention on baby animals this time of year, our local wildlife centers know to expect an uptick in calls about injured or orphaned wildlife. Here in Pittsburgh, the most notable wildlife rehabilitation facility is Humane Animal Rescue in Verona.
“Right now, we get about 30 calls about wildlife per day,” says Alexis Fitzgerald, an education manager at Humane Animal Rescue. “In the summer, though, we will get probably around a hundred calls per day.”
What should you do if you find a baby animal that needs help? Well, first of all, check to be sure that the baby actually needs help. Deer, for example, are often falsely identified as “orphaned” because of their natural behavior.
“A fawn will be alone most of the day, and mom only comes back to feed in the morning and the evening. It’s mom’s way of keeping the baby safe—she draws attention away from the baby most of the time. So even if they are by themselves, they are probably fine. Of course, if the baby is visibly injured, give us a call.” Alexis notes they can’t actually care for deer themselves, but they can connect you with the proper facilities equipped to handle the sensitive needs of a baby deer.
What about another common call: birds? What should you do if a baby bird has fallen out of the nest?
“If the baby is tiny, has no feathers, and is still a bit googley-eyed, that’s a little nestling; and it still needs to be in the nest with mom. If nest is still intact, you can put gloves on and put baby back. If nest is destroyed but mom is around, maybe put a little basket with some leaves up in the tree where the nest had been. Mom will probably come back. A lot of folks think that if you touch a baby bird that mom will abandon baby, but that’s not really something we have to worry about.”
Alexis also noted a common confusion based on bird behavior: if you spot a feathered juvenile bird, with a stubby tail, that seems to be hopping and maybe awkwardly flapping around with a parent nearby, that is a fledgling.
“Mom has kicked them out of nest to learn to fly. They’re fine, it’s totally normal. Surprising to us, but normal. They have to learn somehow!”
If you do find an injured animal that needs help, place the animal in a box and try to keep the space quiet. (Avoiding handling the animal as much as possible. Many behaviors in wild animals that we as humans interpret as being relaxed—such as sitting while being petted—are actually “freezing;” these are stress responses.) Call Humane Animal Rescue at 412-345-7300 x500 to find out what you can do about the animal in particular. The facility’s staff and volunteers are dedicated, well-trained, and they love their patients!
I asked Alexis if there was a memory of past patient that stood out, and she shared the story of a young barred owl.
“A baby barred owl came in last year, was ultimately raised by Cecilia, one of our barred owl females. During feeding time, our caretakers were careful to wear ‘ghost suits’ or ghillie suits—clothes made from camouflage netted material. It makes you look like a big tree—to avoid the baby recognizing the human form and associating food with people.”
“The goal is to raise a baby that doesn’t like people, and she did not like people.” Alexis laughed. “Raptors, corvids, coyotes, and foxes can all imprint on humans—well, any animal could, but those are the ones we really watch out for. We don’t want any animals thinking that humans are where to go to find food. Cecilia did so well, though, she was a great foster mom, and handled all of the food for the baby exactly the way she needed to.”
Thank you to Alexis Fitzgerald of Humane Animal Rescue for her time and expertise.
Connecting to the Outdoors Tip: If you are interested in the phenology (timing) of the spring baby boom, you might be interested in getting involved in Project Nest Watch from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This citizen scientist project relies on volunteers to monitor success rates of different species of birds nesting. Check it out!
Continue the Conversation: Share your nature discoveries with our community by posting to Twitter and Instagram with hashtag #bioPGH, and R.S.V.P. to attend our next Biophilia: Pittsburgh meeting.
Resources
Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Robins
Photo Credits: Forest Wander CC-BY-SA-3.0-US and Pixabay CC0
