In some parts of the world, April showers bring May flowers, but up here, it brings mud. As our snow melts and spring rains appear, more and more of the forest turns to mud. This isn’t entirely a bad thing after a long frozen winter, but there is little doubt that spring is the worst season for our forest roads. Roads which were not plowed during the winter may be starting to look open, but don’t be fooled. For the most part, these roads are impassibly soft. Our plowed roads are in slightly better shape, but still may have truck grabbing soft spots, and almost always have soft shoulders that won’t support a vehicle. It is very easy to get very stuck, so if you do venture out into the forest, check roads before you drive them and be careful.
Because of the road conditions, log hauling is at a minimum. You won’t have to worry about large semis, but the drivable area of a road is very narrow and running head on into even a MiniCooper isn’t fun.
Road conditions don’t matter much if you are a bird. Migrating birds are showing up in the north, new species every week. Robins reappeared this past week or so, although there always seem to be a few of those who never move south. Gulls came back several weeks ago, but vultures are still hanging out down south. Vultures are one of the few birds that migrate based on the temperature.
Most birds would be fine in our cold winter, and migration is about a lack of food. Insects and grubs just aren’t available in winter, so insect eaters move south, but seed eating birds usually stay. Hawks migrate because they can’t see prey through snow cover, but owls winter in the north because they can hear prey through the snow. Vultures eat carrion, which is usually abundant in winter, but their featherless naked heads are no better than ours at resisting frostbite. They will show up in numbers once it is warm enough, and have already been spotted in southern St. Louis County. Being terrific flyers, these early vultures may be spending the nights much farther south, and only coming north in the warmth of the day.
For many animals, spring is courtship and mating season. This sets the timing so the young are born during a period with lots of food available. Bears are an exception. Sows breed in summer, but the development of the embryo is delayed. That means they give birth in winter, when there is little food, and in fact, the mother bear isn’t eating at all. Bears are the only type of mammal who nurse their young while the mother is fasting, which in terms of energy use is amazing. The advantage to this seems to be that when young bears first poke their noses out in the spring, they are already quite large. Their most vulnerable infancy is spent safe in the den with mom.
Bears already have cubs, eagles and owls already have chicks, but for most migratory birds, courtship hasn’t even started yet. Some birds, like ducks, may start pairing up before reaching a territory, but for birds like redwing blackbirds, part of the courtship season is setting up a territory in their new northern living space and defending it. Male redwings will show up several weeks before the females to stake out their turf. The larger and better your territory, the better your chances of finding a mate. Our redwings haven’t arrived yet, but for me the call of the redwing is a far more certain sign of spring than the first robin.
Be careful driving, watch for mud, but also watch for returning birds and other nicer signs of spring than mud. Enjoy your national forest.
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