Somewhere between the end and the beginning

We are somewhere between the end and the beginning. End of winter and beginning of life.

We associate spring with birth, renewal, the start of life. That makes sense. After a winter of dormancy, plants sprout, birds return to sing and lay eggs, and by early June newborn deer and elk will dot the landscape.

But right now, while the calendar and the weather fight for supremacy, the cycle of life has already begun for some species.

Near the beginning of February, hundreds of pregnant grizzlies and thousands of black bears gave birth in their winter dens. Each litter averages two cubs, born tiny and helpless. A grizzly’s average weight at birth is one pound. Black bears average half a pound.

While mom has been snoozing away, the cubs were awake, drinking mother’s milk and growing. When the family emerges from their den towards the end of May, the cubs will weigh about 8 pounds.

Near the beginning of March, great horned owls start to incubate their eggs. Doesn’t matter whether March is cold and snowy, Montana’s most recognizable owls will keep the next generation warm for 30 to 35 days until they hatch, just in time to catch an early seasonal meal.

Speaking of eating, part of nature’s balancing act has some predators hatching and birthing earlier than their prey species. For example, Richardson’s ground squirrels (gophers) are on every predator’s menu. Gophers are born mid- to late-April. By then, not only have avian predators hatched, but ground carnivores, think badgers, have given birth and need food for their young.

Near the beginning of April, Canada geese are sitting on nests full of eggs. The goslings will hatch out in a month or so and pop up in early May like so many dandelions in a new lawn.

Geese nest earlier than ducks, such as mallards, and they are more conspicuous. That’s because geese prefer to see predators coming, as the birds are big enough to fight off most predators like a red fox.

Ducks, being smaller, will hunker down and hide while on their nest, trying to avoid rather than confront predators. And depending on the species, they often nest away from water, even up to a mile away from water. That’s why every year or so it seems, a mother mallard somewhere will nest in town, and after all her eggs have hatched, will march her family through traffic and head for water.

The spring rush to produce life also continues under water. By now, rainbow trout are spawning in the Missouri River and its tributaries. Given the right conditions, eggs spawned March 30 will hatch about May 10. The peak of spawning occurs mid-April.

Depending on snow melt and run off, fish hatched earlier in the spring have a better chance of survival. For example, in a year with a heavy snowpack, melting snow and rain in June can send torrents of water into tributaries of the Missouri, destroying eggs or dashing very young fish against rocks and killing them.

Somewhere between the end of winter and the beginning of life lies survival.

Bruce Auchly is the information officer for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 4.