Wildlife Wednesday

Wildlife Wednesday. What is happening in the Estes Valley? The beginning of March ushers in a new season. Mountain Bluebirds should be arriving any day. Bears and chipmunks are starting to emerge from their long winter’s nap. Bull elk say “out with the old and in with the new” as they shed their old antlers in anticipation of a new years growth.

Mountain Bluebirds are one of the first migrants to return each year and we should see our first ones any day now. And what do they find to eat? Many insects have been insulated all winter long, living below the snow or in the bark of trees. As the snow begins to melt back, these bugs are now exposed.

Is it spring yet? Chipmunks begin to emerge from hibernation in hopes of finding a little sunshine and food. I saw my first chipmunk tracks of the year this morning but it’s early excursion didn’t last long. Back to bed to wait for a little more snow to melt.

Black bears are starting to emerge from hibernation. Males emerge first, sometimes just to check out their surroundings. Lack of food makes for a good excuse to go back to bed. Many females, meanwhile, are snug in their dens nursing cubs. Black bear cubs are generally born in late January, weighing less than one pound. The mother will nurse and care for them in her den until emerging in April or May.

While most bull elk are still sporting their antlers and few have already lost theirs. The others will soon follow. The pedicles (the part of the skull where the antlers grow) may look like an open wound for a few days but new antlers will soon start to appear.

March is said to come in like a lion. It was a calm morning here in the Estes Valley which made for some nice mountain lion tracks. Each of these prints is made up of the front and rear tracks of the mountain lion, with the rear falling exactly in the spot vacated by the front foot. That placement can vary, however, with changes in grade or speed. March can be a particularly good time of year for tracking as the extra moisture allows the tracks to hold form better than cold, dry powder.