On May 6 of this year, I was approaching a most gorgeous run and riffle on Gordon Creek with thoughts of trout dancing in my head when a flapping dervish burst out from the bank. A hen wood duck was doing her best "Oh I'm wounded! Chase me, fiendish predator! And leave my babies alone" routine. On she flapped through the riffle, the run, and the nice section upstream for good measure. Is she crazy, I thought, it's way too early for wood ducklings to have hatched. Someone had not explained the calendar to the 6 or 7 tiny ducklings that stuck their heads out of the bank. I left the water to her and the babes and retreated downstream. Goose Pond's Mark Martin confirmed this is indeed an early hatching of wood ducks.
Wood duck and duckling photo by Kelly Colgan Azar
This encounter happens more frequently in summer as more ducklings appear. The sight of the hen produces a heartfelt groan from the angler who often doesn't have the option of going back downstream. He or she knows they have to get out of the stream and then dash well upstream of the hen. Properly executed, the hen returns to her young and fishing can continue. But if you don't get far enough upstream the hen keeps terrifying every trout in earshot as she moves just ahead of you, persisting in her routine. While this not be much of a challenge for my younger fishing friends, if you're 65, are eating too much bacon at breakfast, and have two titanium hips, outpacing the hen becomes the toughest task of the trip.
This happy house wren takes up residence in a bluebird nest box (a common and perfectly great occurance). Photo by Mick Thompson
It's Mother's Day as I write this so I'm looking back at the fearless hen with respect and affection. (She's probably lucky the eagle that had flown overhead 10 minutes earlier had not witnessed any of this.) We're going to have lots more encounters with wild moms over the next few weeks. Wrens are nesting at our house (hooray, keep eating those ticks) and the queen bumblebees have appeared. Mark reports 3 hooded merganser broods on a Columbia County wetland. The kids next door were delighted to find a nest of 4 baby cottontails.
Their dad provides the educational theme for this piece. He taught the kids to leave the nest alone and that the mother rabbit was nearby and taking care of them. Probably most Madison Audubon members know that lesson. If you see a wildlife baby, in almost every case, please leave it alone. The mother is very likely nearby and will care for the young ones.
Do you actually have a dinosaur? Cartoon by birdandmoon.com
If however you reasonably believe the youngster is injured or the mother is deceased or will not return, the best option is to contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In normal times, we would suggest you call the Madison Audubon office for guidance, but with staff working remotely, it’s best to contact the Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) Wildlife Center directly. They have a full explanation of how to and how not respond to injured wildlife. They also offer comprehensive and very kind rehab services to all types of injured wildlife.
Last summer, Sally, Annie (our granddaughter), and I hiked at Goose Pond and were heading to the Norske Nook in DeForest to reward ourselves with pie. We found a painted turtle that had been hit by a car but was still alive. We called the Wildlife Center and they urged us to bring the turtle in. Annie agreed this was way more important than pie so off we went. I learned two lessons that day:
How connected our youth are. By the time we arrived at the Center, Annie had conferred with her friends in her home of Philadelphia. All had agreed the turtle should be named Bertram and all were hoping his recovery.
How wonderful the Wildlife Center is. Bertram was being evaluated and whisked away to care within 2 or 3 minutes.
Over the next two days we received email reports on Bertram. I'm sorry to report he didn't make it, but Annie was comforted that we had given him a chance. He received excellent care.
We also learned that turtles are hardy and can survive serious injury. To return to the topic of motherhood, many turtles are injured as they move to nesting areas. If the injured turtles are brought to the Wildlife Center, often their eggs can be saved and hatched. The Center hatched and released dozens of such turtles last year.
All clear? Photo by USFWS Midwest Region
The advocacy pitch is to please continue your support of Madison Audubon as we try to educate folks about young wildlife and please consider supporting the DCHS Wildlife Center in their treatment of injured wildlife.
This has been a tough Mother's Day for too many. Some have their moms in hospitals or nursing homes and cannot visit them. Some moms have children in hospitals and can't be with them. All sorts of traditional visits or routines could not occur this year. Please take care and stay safe. Perhaps we can take some comfort in the burst of life we encounter in the spring. We'll persist and endure and better times lie ahead.
Written by Topf Wells, Madison Audubon board members and advocacy committee chair
