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Who doesn’t love a buddy?! Well, the answer is more normal than you may think.

By Olivia Henry (she/ her)

A majority of us humans love companionship. It's what makes us, well, human! The same concept goes for our furry friends here at Tanglewood.

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Just like us, animals, as individuals we have complex needs and wants. Some would rather spend their time alone, while others do best with a buddy. 

Personally, I love being smothered by attention-but I may also be a narcissist. Ignore that. What I was trying to say, before I was distracted by the thought of my charm and good looks- Sorry. There I go again. What I MEANT is that I like a companion, but you might not. That's okay!! You see my friends, we are all completely different in the ways we perform best. For instance, you might LOVE your best friend, but your best friend can get a little annoying. Sure, you and Joe Schmo get along, but do you really get things done when you’re with him? The same concept applies to animals. 

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Have you noticed your single guinea pig feeling a little down in the dumps lately? 

Well that's because Guineas are best when they are paired with a furry friend. Now don’t get me wrong, the piggies are cute enough alone to die FUR, but they are much happier when they’ve got a friend to disperse TWICE the amount of poop in your homes!!! 

Alright, enough with the pig puns… Seriously though, a friend for your pig may just make all the difference. 

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Have you ever seen a lonesome Chinchilla? Yeah. Me either. Chinchillas love to play, and require intensive amounts of enrichment time to fulfill all that jumping and climbing.

When the cute furballs are done playing, they will then proceed to take the cutest cuddle nap you’ve ever seen in your life- and I know what you’re thinking right now- NO!!! You have not seen a cuter napper than a chinchilla. I don’t make the rules. (Yes I do). 

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Ah, sweet sweet isolation. Before I was FORCED to see my therapist, isolation was my favorite hobby. 

Was that too deep? 

I’ll continue. 

Here at Tanglewood, lots of our animals love isolation, just like many of us anti-social humans. 

While being lonely seems depressing, many animals survive best in a l0ne enclosure. A good example to start this off is the Ferret. 

Now listen. I have a lot, and I mean A LOT to say about Ferrets, unfortunately, this is not a Q&A, and you guys won't answer my questions, so I’ll get on with the word vomiting. 

The best way to look at why some animals thrive best alone is to think about those God forbidden state tests we all had to take in grade school. I know. I’m sorry, I don't like to remember them either. Anyways, we all were given our tests, and then isolated to enhance our performance. It worked, right? Those sweaty and panicky hands calmed down once we could focus on our lonesome. 

Ferrets are similar in the sense that they prefer individual habitats. We don’t know if this is because they’re attention seeking pesky rodents, or cute slinky-like fur snakes, but either way- isolation finds itself true in the ferret's lives. 

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With this, I conclude my rampage about guinea pig poops, chinchilla jumps, and fur snakes.

The moral of the story is that we’re all different. I myself am a socialite and love the company of others, but you, my dear reader, might like your alone time. The good thing about reading this blog post is that you have the free will to ignore everything I just said and go back to your TikToks about the North Sea. 

Anyways, a big shoutout to my therapist and to everyone here at Tanglewood, who so kindly approve of my word splatters… 




In autumn things slow down, but don’t stop, at Tanglewood

By Bob Recotta (he/him)

www.bobrecotta.com


I don’t know about you, but this time of year makes me sleepy. I think it’s the shorter days and cooler nights. It’s a great time to snuggle in with a blanket and doze to relaxing television, like the World Series. More than one inning and I’m sleeping like a baby on Quaaludes. Which is a horrible idea that you should never do, unless they’re teething and you just want one good night’s sleep. But even so, be careful. Maybe start with half. 

I’m not the only one whose thoughts turn to a long winter’s nap this time of year. Many of our wildlife friends are also getting ready to sleep through the worst part of the year.

***

Do the squirrels seem a little more manic to you? It’s because this time of year is their busy season. They are building up stores of fat to get through the winter, as well as stashing nuts for later. Those acorns lying all over the ground, and I do mean ALL over, are going to be the squirrel version of frozen pizza during the cold winter months.

Squirrels aren’t the only ones who treat autumn like Black Friday at Target. Mice and chipmunks are also working overtime to build up their winter stores. 

That’s because these animals don’t truly hibernate. They instead go into a torpor, a half-hibernation. Think of your Uncle Vic on Thanksgiving during the second football game, except without the Pabst and mild racism.

They sleep through much of the winter, but they also wake up and snack on their food stores periodically.

Sleep, wake up, eat, sleep. Doesn’t sound like a bad way to spend the coldest months to me.

***

Then there are the moles and shrews. These animals, which, by the way, are not rodents, so don’t call them that unless you want to be thought less of by your more biologically hip friends, and possibly shrews, are the Hannibal Lectors of the animal kingdom. They also spend the autumn hoarding food to get through the winter.

Except moles and shrews are insectivores, so the food they’re hoarding is alive. If you’re not horrified yet, just wait. According to the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, shrews and moles are very mildly venomous. They collect worms, insects and snails, paralyze them with their venom and snack on them throughout the winter. Sometimes they reapply the venom if their dinner starts to regain mobility.

Imagine you’re a grasshopper, trapped inside a dark mole den. Your five eyes are wide open but you’re completely unable to move.

All of a sudden out of the darkness comes this living nightmare fuel, who promptly starts to devour your best friend Chet, who’s lying paralyzed next to you.

I mean, sure, you’ve only known Chet a couple days, and during that time, you’ve been unable to talk because you’re paralyzed, but you’ve exchanged some meaningful glances with Chet. They say that eyes are the windows of the soul. Well, you’ve looked deeply into Chet’s five windows. You’ve seen him in ways that grasshoppers are rarely seen. 

And you watch in silent horror as Chet’s thorax is eaten while he’s still alive. The last thing you see in Chet’s eyes is a flicker of terror, followed by resignation. Chet’s accepted his fate. It’s time you did the same.

But I digress.

***

 Even the animals we think about as true hibernators, bears and bats, don’t truly sleep the entire winter. They can wake if roused or disturbed, but in general they sleep much more deeply and wake much less often than squirrels and mice.

Bats and bears are also busy this time of year. They have to pack on the pounds for the winter. Unlike the squirrels, however, they don’t store food. Well, they do, but they store it like I store food - as fat reserves. 

They may wake up during a warm snap to forage a snack, but in general these guys are down for the count - their heart rate and breathing slow and their body temperature drops to conserve that precious fat that’s got to last until April.

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That doesn’t mean Tanglewood’s trails will be devoid of wildlife if you choose to take a fall or winter stroll. Many animals, including white-tailed deer, red foxes, opossums and raccoons stay awake the whole winter. Skunks may or may not go into a state of torpor, depending on the amount of available food.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got football to watch. I’ve very much enjoyed spreading tales about our furry, feathered, scaled and slimy friends at Tanglewood. Animals are amazing. A big thank you to Ryan, Elaine and the other staff at Tanglewood for letting me publish my random ramblings. 

I’m going to take a cue from the squirrel and the bear and call it a season. But, like the chipmunk, I will probably check in periodically throughout the fall and winter. In the meantime, enjoy everything Tanglewood Nature Center has to offer. 

And remember Chet. 




Amphibians reward observant nature lovers


By Bob Recotta (he/him)

Volunteer

bobrecotta.com


No offense to robin lovers, but some would argue that the true first sign of spring is the chorus of spring peepers at dusk on warm April nights. It would be a pretty silly thing to argue about, but the bad blood between the robinites and the peeper people runs deep.

There are some very cool amphibians that call the Twin Tiers home. Unfortunately, casual observers will probably miss most of them. A lot of animals in our area eat amphibians, so it’s in their best interest to keep a low profile. But if you turn over the right rock, if you stare under the right lily pad, you just might meet one of our mucous-covered neighbors. (I’m still not over the mucous thing from the reptile blog. Some things just stay with you.)

One of the most well-known and popular of the area amphibians is the aforementioned spring peeper, probably. I don’t have time to perform even the most unscientific survey, so let’s just go with it. 

One of the coolest things about peepers is that all that sound they produce comes out of a frog the size of a paperclip. Let’s see Clippy do that. Peepers are tiny tree frogs that can change color to match the tree they are clinging to.

Sadly, as the small pools where they lay their eggs disappear, so do the spring peepers. Their status is creeping perilously close to Threatened. It would be heartbreaking to think that a generation not too far in the future may not know the intoxication of hearing the first spring peepers of the year and knowing that summer, and all the magic the season brings, is right around the corner. (You were expecting a joke, weren’t you? I have a serious side too, you know.)

American bullfrogs are another amphibian that is probably better known by sound than sight. Bullfrogs are the largest frogs in our area and can reach up to eight inches and weigh up to a pound and a half. Females are larger than males.

According to the National Aquarium, bullfrogs can lay up to 20,000 eggs in a season. Of course the vast majority of the eggs will never reach maturity. As I said, a lot of things eat amphibians.

Bullfrogs are opportunistic ambush predators that aren’t picky about what they eat. While their usual prey consists of insects, crayfish and small fish, bullfrogs have been known to eat birds and bats. Anything that will fit into their mouths is fair game for bullfrogs.

Red-backed salamanders are forest-dwelling amphibians that live beneath leaf litter, rocks and logs on forest floors. Like many amphibians, red-backs don’t really like dry weather and will typically only emerge from cover during or after rainfall.

Red-backed salamanders, like many salamanders and lizards, can drop their tails when in danger. It will eventually grow back.

Unlike most other amphibians, red-backed salamanders don’t have lungs or gills. Instead, they breathe through their skin. That’s why it’s imperative they stay moist. Drying out can lead to suffocation.

The honor of the largest amphibian in New York State goes to the hellbender, a species with either terrible or brilliant branding. 

Hellbenders are a species of salamander that can grow up to 29 inches. Forget Shark Week. If I ever saw a two-foot salamander while I was wading in a creek, let’s just say that stream wouldn’t be safe to drink from for quite some time.

You might, however, have a better chance of seeing a snowball in hell than seeing a hellbender in its natural habitat. Hellbenders are masters of camouflage and blend into the bottom of the shallow, swift streams that they call home.

Another reason you might not see a hellbender is because they are at risk of being included on the Threatened list. According to Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, or SNZCBI, as it’s called by probably nobody, hellbenders receive 95 percent of their oxygen through their skins from highly oxygenated streams. Damming, pollution and disease are pushing the species closer and closer to extinction. Damn damming!

Fun fact, according to the National Wildlife Federation, hellbenders are also known as snot otters. 

I bet trash panda’s looking pretty good right now, eh raccoons?

I’ve covered four of the five vertebrates. Where to next? Fish? Bugs? Arachnids?

Let me know what you think. 



Birdwatching in The Southern Tier 

By Bob Recotta (he/him)

Volunteer

bobrecotta.com

I find birdwatching extremely satisfying. Being in nature is very therapeutic and calming, and categorizing  and recording the bird sightings in a birding journal appeals to my neurodivergent brain.

While Tanglewood Nature Center doesn’t boast birds quite as stunning as the amazing bird of paradise (if you aren’t familiar with birds of paradise, you should check them out. It’s four minutes you won’t regret spending) we’ve got our share of lookers in the Twin Tiers.

Because the internet loves a good listicle, I’ve put together a list of some of the most beautiful birds in our area. And most of them don’t require binoculars or a field guide to find..

A couple caveats: This is nowhere near an exhaustive list. As I am a very amateur birder, these are birds with which I have some familiarity. I’m sure as I fill my bird journal, I’ll be amending this list.

This list, like beauty itself, is subjective. You might find some of these birds downright common. That’s very cool. As I said, this is just the opinion of one man.

One very smart, handsome man.

This list is also not a ranking. The order is arbitrary.

 

Indigo bunting – I’ll warn you right off the bat, my favorite color is blue and that is reflected in this list. If a sparrow joined the Blue Man Group, it would be the indigo bunting. This bird is just blue. A beautiful, aggressive shade of blue.

(Now you got that song stuck in your head, don’t you?  And if you didn’t, now you do. You’re welcome. Enjoy that for the next couple hours.) 

Goldfinch – Another thing I’m a big fan of is contrasts, especially the combination of black with a very bright primary color. The goldfinch, with his black wings and cap against his highlighter yellow body, fits the bill (See what I did there?)

Like many birds on this list, goldfinches are examples of sexual dimorphism, a phenomenon by which the males of a species are different in appearance from the female. 

Like their human counterparts, male goldfinches only dress up for dates. Before and after mating season, males sport a much more drab brownish yellow. 

Northern cardinal - The northern cardinal benefits greatly from a lack of competition. Its beautiful fire-engine red plumage stands out any time of the year, but really pops in the winter, when the rest of the world is gray and dreary and most of the other songbirds are wintering in Boca.

Seeing that little splash of red in a bush or at your bird feeder in the winter can bouy your spirits as you wait for spring.

For a little bird, northern cardinals can be very territorial. True story – I was hiking one day and I heard the familiar ‘chip chip’ call of the cardinal. I opened up the bird app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and started to play the cardinal call.

In less than three minutes I was hearing cardinals from multiple locations around me. I think I counted at least five birds surrounding me in the trees and I can’t be sure, but I think one of them had a switchblade.

Perhaps it’s best to enjoy cardinals from a distance. And don’t culturally appropriate their songs.

Ruby-throated hummingbird – This might be the easiest choice on the list. Ruby-throated hummers have gorgeous iridescent green feathers covering most of their bodies, with a white chest and its trademark red throat patch.

The ruby-throated hummingbird is poetry in motion. Watching them hover perfectly still while feeding from a flower or feeder can be hypnotic.

Purple martin - The largest member of the swallow family, this bird boasts iridescent blue-purple body feathers. Like the ruby-throated hummingbird, purple martins are meant to be seen in flight. They zip, dart and flit across meadows, lakes and ponds with pinpoint accuracy. It’s no wonder people call them day bats. (Nobody but me calls them day bats, but I’m trying to start something. #daybat)

Wood duck - Two things will stand out when you first see a wood duck. The first is its sweet mullet. This waterfowl might be all business in front, with its sensible green face, but it’s all party in the back with its beautiful black, brown and white feathers flowing down his back like Fabio with a beak.

 A bigger beak.

The second thing you’ll notice about the wood duck is its eyes. They have these orangish-red eyes that are both beautiful and creepy, which is a hard look to pull off.

Great blue heron - With its slate blue body, white face, crown and black eyeliner, the heron is a head turner. 

Seeing a great blue heron take off  is an amazing experience. It goes from lanky and awkward to streamlined and graceful with a few flaps of its wings.

You also get an appreciation for just how big this bird is. A great blue heron can have a wingspan of up to seven feet.


I know what you’re saying. What, no robins or starlings? That was some pretty low hanging fruit, Bob. First of all, you’re being hurtful. And secondly, maybe I’m planning a follow up in a couple weeks. Did you ever think of that?

(I’m blue da ba dee da ba di)


Snakes are Some of the Twin Tiers Most Misunderstood Residents

By Bob Recotta (he/him)

Volunteer

www.bobrecotta.com

I’ve always been a mammal guy, but I have to admit there’s something very cool about reptiles. I think it’s because reptiles provide a tangible link to the time when dinosaurs roamed the earth. And who doesn’t love dinosaurs? 

And that’s not too far off. Some reptiles, like crocodilians, have changed very little in millions of years. (I’ll save the discussion that birds are dinosaurs for another post.) Reptiles, like amphibians and fish, are ectotherms, which means they can’t regulate their body heat and are at the mercy of an external heat source. This is why lizards, snakes and turtles bask in the sun.

A couple characteristics separate reptiles from amphibians. Reptiles have scaly, dry skin, while amphibians have smooth skin that is often kept moist with mucus. Just makes you want to pick up and smooch the next frog you see, doesn’t it? How does a big plate of frog legs sound right now? Unfortunately our area isn’t warm enough for most lizards, but that doesn’t mean we’re bereft of reptiles. In fact, there are up to 10 species and subspecies of snakes that call the Southern Tier home.

I knew that would grab your attention. Unfortunately snakes get a very bad rap. Snakes are generally harmless if left alone. The smaller ones eat insects, while the larger ones dine on rodents. Which would you rather have, a snake in your yard or mice in your pantry? Your choice.I know what you’re thinking. What about the snakes that are poisonous? First off, snakes are venomous, not poisonous. If you bite something and get sick or die, it is poisonous. If something bites you and you get sick or die, it is venomous. Secondly, there is only one venomous snake in our region (technically two, but we’ll get to that in a minute.)

While it’s true that the timber rattlesnake venom contains both hemotoxins (toxins that attack blood cells) and neurotoxins, bites from timber rattlers are extremely rare. They are the least aggressive member of the pit viper family and would much rather avoid confrontation than bite. They’ll do everything, including playing you a warning song on their butt maracas, to avoid biting. 

They may even give you a “dry” bite - a warning bite that does not include venom. Most rattlesnake bites are on the hands and feet because the rattlesnake’s first instinct when confronted with danger is to lie motionless and let their camouflage work its magic. Unfortunately sometimes they blend into their surroundings a little too well, hence the need to bite.

This does not mean you should  pick up the next rattlesnake you see, but if you do stumble on one while hiking, just give it some space and it will most likely go on its way. You have even less to worry about from the other venomous snake in the Twin Tiers - the fearsome garter snake. Yes, garter snakes have a mild neurotoxic venom, but it’s mostly harmless to humans. Unless you have a very rare allergic reaction, at most you’ll experience bruising and some swelling at the bite site.

The real danger from garter snakes isn’t from their bite. When handled many subspecies of garter snakes release a musk that’s harmless, but smells pretty horrible. It will wash off with soap and water, but it may take a while.If you aren’t afraid of a little musk, garter snakes can actually make great pets. They are beautiful, fairly easy to care for and they eat insects, so you don’t have to keep rats or mice in your freezer.

If you are interested in garter snakes, it’s highly recommended you don’t just pluck one from the wild. Look for captive bred snakes instead. They are more likely more acclimated to human contact, so they are more sociable than wild-caught snakes. They are also less likely to musk on you while handling. Just like any pet, garter snakes should not be purchased (or caught) on a whim. All pets deserve conditions that will allow them to thrive, not just exist. They are a commitment and, if you aren’t willing to do the less-fun parts like cleaning their cages and feeding them insects, then owning a snake probably isn’t for you.

We’ve barely scratched the surface of all the great snakes that live in our region, and I haven’t even talked about turtles, the other reptile that calls the Twin Tiers home. Future blog fodder. Sometimes these things write themselves





Lantern Fly the Latest Invasive Species to Plague Twin Tiers

By Bob Recotta (he/him)

Volunteer

www.bobrecotta.com

(photo provided by NY DEC)

This is the time of year when the radar of anyone who spends time outdoors should be on the lookout for spotted lantern fly eggs.

If you see lanternfly eggs, which are described by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation as one-inch long masses that are brownish and waxy when new and grow brown and scaly as they age, you are asked, nay, encouraged, nay, morally obligated, to Terminate with Extreme Prejudice and report the siting to the New York State Department of Agriculture.

Spotted lantern flies feed on the sap of over 70 species of plant, including grapes, otherwise known as the lifeblood of the Finger Lakes. The potential impact these insects could have on the Finger Lakes region could be significant.

The spotted lantern fly, or SLF among entomologists, who just love to use their secret bug languages and laugh at us non-buggies when we can’t understand them, is a perfect example of an invasive species. 

Invasive species are non-native species that actually have a detrimental effect on the ecosystem to which they were introduced. 

There are many species in the Finger Lakes that are invasive, but have been a part of our ecosystem for so long, they’re often forgotten about.


(Photo of a male house sparrow provided by Cornell Lab of Ornithology)


House sparrows, for example, are native to Europe and Asia, but were introduced into the United States to help control the caterpillar population in Brooklyn. As many who have taken on the powerful Brooklyn caterpillar cartel have found out, often the cure is worse than the disease.

Sparrows were very successful in the new world. They weren’t happy, however, with just Brooklyn, and really, why would they be?

They soon set their greedy little eyes on the whole Northeast, then all of North America. It’s gotten to the point where the sparrow “family” gets a little taste of every bird feeder, every bird bath, every piece of suet from Saskatoon to San Paolo.

Flocks of house sparrows can do a number on grain fields and fruit trees. They also muscle native species like bluebirds out of nesting boxes.


(Photo of an adult European starling provided by Cornell Lab of Ornithology)


European starlings are another Old Worlde export that has found success on this side of the pond. Starlings’ origin story in the United States is even more dumb, and I really hope it’s apocryphal. According to legend, someone released 60 European starlings in Central Park in the late 1800s because, and here’s the stupid part, they wanted to fill the world with the birds mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare. It’s a good thing this kook never read Shakespeare’s lesser known “Ode to the Black Plague”

LIke sparrows, European starlings reproduce quickly and can bully and crowd out other songbirds. Starlings also cause hundreds of millions of dollars in crop damage.


(Photo provided by WNY PRISM) 


Remember when you could swim in the Finger Lakes without water shoes and not worry about slicing your feet to shreds? If you are under a certain age, there have always been zebra mussels in the Finger Lakes, but actually zebra mussels were first noticed in New York State in the mid-Eighties. It didn’t take long, however, for them to spread across the state.

Zebra mussels routinely attach themselves to any structure, natural or man-made, that is in the water over a long period of time. They can eat away at docks and seawalls and even clog machinery that isn’t drained.

And no discussion of invasive species would be complete without mentioning my nemesis, my bane, my white whale - Japanese knotweed.

This pernicious weed was introduced on estates in the late 1800s. It grew fast and it grew tall, up to 15 feet. Its stems look like bamboo and it grows wispy white flowers. In the fall it dies back completely.

Except it doesn’t. Under the ground there is a swarm of rhizomes. This is how the plant reproduces. That’s what makes knotweed almost impossible to get rid of. The roots can easily go more than six feet deep and the rhizomes can spread out far from the stalk you see above ground. Sure, you can try to dig it out, but if you don’t get it all, if you only leave a little piece, it will survive, grow and reproduce. And god forbid if, while shoveling, you split the rhizome in two. Well, now you’re just doing its work for it.

Japanese knotweed grows in even the most inhospitable conditions and, if left to spread, will choke out native plants and create a monoculture. It's very noticeable in August and September, when it flowers. When you know what it looks like, you will be amazed at how widespread it is, and where it’s well established, you’ll notice how nothing else grows there. Monoculture.

So is there a takeaway from this? Yes, if you see spotted lanternfly eggs, squish them, preferably with a European starling or house sparrow.

And knotweed? Just forget about it. We’ll all be working for the knotweed someday. Might as well just embrace it. 

Not literally. Knotweed doesn’t care about your human emotions. 




Springtime means babies for Tanglewood

4/6/2023

By Bob Recotta (he/him)

Volunteer


Photo by Matthew Burroughs

After months of gray skies and fallow fields, spring has finally sprung. I know, I know, it’s April in the Southern Tier and we’re probably getting a foot of snow as you read this. But fear not, whether it’s a few flakes or a few feet, winter is on its way out. 

And spring at Tanglewood means baby animals! If you decide to take a spring hike along Tanglewood’s 10 miles of trails in the next few weeks,you just might catch a glimpse of one of the many species of birds and mammals that call the nature center home.

Here’s how some of the most common animals in this area spend the first few weeks of spring.


Great Horned Owls


(Photo by Ryan Donnelly)

Great Horned Owls lay their eggs in mid-February to late March, so the new owlets should be arriving any time. Owlets will stay with their parents throughout the summer before striking out on their own to establish their own hunting territory and find a mate.

Owls are generally very good parents, but pretty lousy homemakers. They don’t build their own nests, preferring to use a nest discarded by another species, such as a hawk, crow or squirrel. The same nests are almost never used from year to year because owls spend no time on upkeep. Basically, the only difference between an owl nest and a pile of sticks on the ground is gravity. )


Foxes


(Photo by Chris Smith)

Red foxes also give birth this time of year, though kits could be born as late as Memorial Day, but that would probably ruin the annual Memorial Day fox picnic.

Female foxes are called vixen and can give birth to up to 10 pups. The pups are born with their eyes closed and covered in fine gray fur, They generally turn Ron Weasley orange after about a month.

Around this same time, the  pups will start venturing out of the den. By the time the young foxes are 12 weeks old they are subsisting solely on prey caught by their parents.The young foxes will become more independent, hunting more and more and wandering further from their parents until the late summer or early fall when they leave their parents for good.


Bear

Bear cubs are born in January and February, but contrary to popular belief, bears do not truly hibernate. Instead they enter a state of torpor in the winter, waking up to search for food during warm winter days.

When bears are born, they are far from the bruisers that demolish our bird feeders and root through our trash.

At birth, black bears weigh less than a half pound. By the time they leave their winter den, usually in April, however, they’ve bulked up to five pounds. By their first birthday they will weigh about 80 pounds.

Compared to many other animals, black bears are the mama’s boys of the animal world. Black bear cubs stay with their mother for up to a year and a half before establishing their own home range. 


Coyotes

Coyote pups are born in April and May. A litter usually consists of four to six pups. They will start venturing out of the den after about two weeks, once their eyes open.

The pups will stay with their parents until they are full grown at about nine months of age.

When the coyote pups move away from home, they move AWAY from home. The young coyotes can travel up to 100 miles to find a vacant territory and a potential mate. Coyotes mate for life. 


Deer


(Photo by Chris Smith)

Tanglewood’s whitetail deer population generally gives birth in late spring, typically to one fawn, though it’s not uncommon for older does to give birth to twins or even triplets.

They say that fawns are born odorless to protect them from predators. I am not going to test that theory. If you want to go around smelling newborn deer, that’s your business.

Whitetail fawns form a close bond with their mother. They will stay with their mother for up to a year and can stay close by even after reaching maturity.

Fawns are covered by white spots that help it with camouflage. The fawn will retain its spots until the fall.


Raccoon


(Photo by Ryan Donnelly)

Raccoons are born in mid-spring and litters usually contain up to seven baby raccoons. Baby raccoons are called kits. And I thought raccoon kits were like Build-A-Bear for people on a budget. 

Raccoon kits will nurse for up to six weeks before switching to fruits, nuts, berries, small animals, including insects, and of course, garbage.

When I’m not out hiking, raccoons are about the cutest thing out there, but resist the urge to scoop them up, love them and call them George. These are not domestic animals. They are wild animals and they will take every opportunity to remind you of that. 

It’s illegal to have most exotic animals without a permit  in New York and Pennsylvania, and raccoons can live up to 10 years in captivity. Are you really ready for a life of crime? That’s how they got Capone, you know. Tax evasion and his pet raccoon, Lil’ Al.


Eagles


(Photo by Chris Smith)

One of the joys of living in the Southern Tier is the opportunity to see bald eagles in their natural environment. Catching a glimpse of these gorgeous birds as they swoop down to pluck a fish from the Chemung River or one of the area’s other waterways is a breathtaking experience, whether it's your first or your 50th time.

In our area, bald eagles can lay their eggs as early as mid-February. They typically lay 1-2 eggs per clutch and the eggs hatch 30-35 days later.

Once they are hatched, the parents will take turns staying with the fledglings while the other hunts for food. The young eagles will stay in the nest for 10-12 weeks before learning to fly. Brown and black feathers will start to appear among the eaglet’s down at around five weeks. Within 10 weeks it will be fully feathered.The eagle won’t develop its iconic white head until it’s reached breeding age, at five years.

The bald eagle was classified as endangered due to human hunting and pesticides in prey the eagles consumed.Since 1970 the bald eagle population has increased, but the species is still classified as threatened.


Bees

This time of year, honey bees are just emerging from their colonies. They ride out the cold winter packed tightly together living off the honey stores from the previous season.

Queen honey bees typically lay eggs in late December or early January. The new bees will replace the bees that died over the winter.

Honey bee reproduction is greatly impacted by the availability of pollen. If the pollen stores are low, brood rearing will be delayed until the colony can refill its stores. This can result in a smaller colony with fewer worker bees.

You won’t see any baby bees buzzing around. Bees emerge from their colonies fully grown. A honey bee queen reaches maturity about 16 days after hatching, while a worker takes 21 days and drones 24 days.

 


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