At least five kinds of adaptable wildlife in the mid-Atlantic States start reproductive activities as early as December and January. Those species are great horned owls, bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, red foxes and gray squirrels, all of which add more life and interest to late winter into early spring in this area. Those species get a head start on producing young, that will be independent in summer when food is most plentiful and available.
Each kind of bird in this essay early on usurps the twiggy, treetop cradles of American crows, various heron species, ospreys and other types of larger birds that nest in this area. And great horned owl, bald eagle and red-tail nurseries are "seen" by live cameras at the nest sites and viewed on computer screens, without the birds realizing what is happening, and going about their daily business.
Pairs of great horned owls start their reproductive cycle by the end of November and continue it well into January. Members of each pair hoot loudly to their mates, both day and night, during that time, particularly at dawn and dusk. Certain woodlots, and older suburban areas with their many tall trees, are alive with the big owls' wild, exciting hooting that continually binds the pairs together to hatch and raise young each year.
During January, each pair of horned owls adds on to their stick, treetop nursery. By the end of that coldest of months, each female owl lays one to three eggs in her cradle and sets on the first one right away. The owl chicks hatch by the end of February, not all at once, but staggered over several days, as the eggs were laid. The owlets leave their nest by the middle of April and are on their own early in June when prey animals, such as mice and rats, are abundant. Courting in winter gets the chicks independent by early summer when they can best feed themselves.
Bald eagle pairs also begin courting during December and January, thrilling many people who see them. One can spot pairs soaring together over their vast territories and gathering sticks, then grass, to add to the platforms they use year after year.
Each female bald lays one to three eggs, one every few days, by mid-February and the white-fluffed young hatch about a month later. The eaglets, when adult-sized and dark-feathered, become independent by the middle of June.
Red-tailed hawk pairs are seen soaring and perching in trees together, in farmland woodlots and older suburban areas during January. Like horned owls and bald eagles, red-tails add sticks, then grass, to their nurseries every year. And like the owls and eagles, female red-tails lay one to three eggs in their cradles, one about every few days. The chicks, therefore, hatch every few days.
These three kinds of large birds have similar reproductive habits. Females of each species laying an egg every few days dictates that the chicks hatch one every few days. The oldest youngster in each brood has already grown before the last baby hatches. If the parents are finding plenty of prey animals there is no problem. But if prey is scarce, the oldest youngster per brood gets most of the food coming to the nest. But the youngest baby gets little or no food and will starve to death. Staggering egg laying in predatory birds is a built-in population control when food is scarce.
Male red foxes court in woods and over fields during January, even during the day, sometimes. I have been thrilled to see several handsome red foxes trotting alone over open farmland by day in January in their search for mates. And I've been happy to experience a few boisterous pairs of red foxes, one at a time, cavorting together in fields during the day in January.
Female red foxes deliver young in March down abandoned wood chuck holes in fields, woods and hedgerows, or in wood piles or brush piles in those same habitats. Young foxes emerge from their dens during the latter part of April and are independently hunting rodents and other creatures by mid-summer.
Gray squirrels in this area mate in January. Many times during that wintry month, I've watched three or four male grays exuberantly and speedily chase an equally fast female gray around a tree or across the ground. It's always a quick, rough and tumble pursuit until the female submits to mating. About six weeks later, each female gray gives birth to young in her insulating tree cavity or nest of dead leaves among twigs in the treetops.
These are some of the earliest of courtships in the Middle Atlantic States. The species involved reproduce early so there progeny have a good chance of getting food and becoming established before the hardships of the next winter strikes.
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