June has arrived and we are fast approaching that time of year when school ends and summer vacation begins.
This has led to a tremendous level of excitement in my own students, and I must admit to being more than a little excited myself. Sure, I’m ready for school to be over, but I’m also eager to see the world fill up with baby animals.
“April showers bring May flowers.” That’s a rhyme that some of you kids might be familiar with and it is quite true.
Right now the fields around my home are brimming with buttercups, ragged robins and all sorts of other beautiful wildflowers.
It’s too bad that no one has come up with a rhyme for June; a time when the birds and mammals of our area seem to finally succeed in producing offspring. It won’t be long before we see little rabbits in the quiet corners of our yards, fawns galloping across those lawns and little birds following their parents around.
Yes, June is a fun time of year.
The main reason that we experience this pattern is because of the seasonal nature of Earth’s orbit around the sun. The planet is tilted on its axis, which means that the Northern Hemisphere (where we live) is pointed toward or away from the sun at different times of the year.
In the winter, the Northern Hemisphere points “away” from the sun, while in summer it points “toward” the sun.
Now, the most interesting thing about this arrangement is the fact that if we are pointing away from the sun during winter, then the Southern Hemisphere is pointed toward the sun.
In other words, the north gets winter while the south gets summer. The thing to remember is the fact that you have to go all the way to Argentina, southern Africa, or Australia to experience this switch. Going south to Florida isn’t going nearly far enough.
On June 21, we will experience the longest day of the year, and that momentous day will signal the official first day of summer.
Soon after that, we may see the first baby birds at our feeders or in the fields and forests around our homes.
I know that I have a female phoebe who has built a nest next to my front door. She has been sitting on a clutch of four eggs for about a week, which means that by the time you read this column she may have four tiny little chicks to take care of.
As an example of a nest of baby birds, I decided to share with you a photo of a nest of catbird chicks. These birds were photographed on June 19, 2011, which was just two days before the official start of summer.
Catbirds are known as an “altricial” species, because their chicks hatch out of their eggs with a lot of growing to do. Altricial chicks are blind, deaf, and quite helpless for about two weeks, but they grow quickly and can often fly only two weeks after hatching.
A different strategy is employed by ducks, geese, turkeys and grouse. These birds hatch out of their eggs with their eyes open and they are ready to walk around and follow their parents within an hour or so.
Called “precocial,” these species are generally much larger and cannot afford to stay in one place for the extended periods of time that they require until they can fly. I’ve already seen many families of Canada geese waddling along the roadside next to ponds.
So, just remember that when you are finally out of school, many of our local wildlife species will have their offspring finally getting out into the world and seeing what it’s all about.
Summer may be a time for you to rest and play, but for the wild animals around you, it is a very important time of exploration, discovery and growth into a big, beautiful world.
Bill Danielson has worked as a naturalist for 22 years. In that time, he has been a national park ranger, a wildlife biologist and a field researcher. He currently works as a high school physics and biology teacher. His Kids and Critters column for young readers appears the first Monday of every month. To contact Bill, or to learn more about his writing, visit www.speakingofnature.com.