A mother black bear and her yearling cubs visit a Middlebury yard in early March last year. After having little to eat during their winter dormancy, they search for food with their exceptional sense of smell. Finding food near our homes is a recipe for danger to them and from them. (Janine Sullivan-Wiley photo)
By JANINE SULLIVAN–WILEY
March is when we have (finally!) the first day of spring. It also is when we need to be more cautious about coyotes and bears. Both become much more active this month.
In Connecticut, coyote breeding season runs from January to March, with five to seven pups born about two months later. During the breeding season, males will be seeking a mate, or if they already have one (they are a monogamous species), zealously guarding their territory against any rivals.
Once the pups are born, the couple will also fiercely guard their young, as would any devoted parents. This is of major importance to your beloved dog: an unleashed dog that wanders into a male coyote’s territory will be treated as a potential rival and a threat. The same thing is true if a dog unwittingly wanders near a den after the pups are born. Mom and dad can and will attack to safeguard their young.
This time of year also means we may be treated to even more coyote vocalizations as males warn others away and connect with their mates. Here I must counter a common misconception: when we hear a riot of coyote yips, yelps and howls, they are not celebrating a kill. It is more akin to a raucous family reunion as they greet one another. It is also noteworthy that they are masters at sounding like a bigger group than they are; two or three can sound like a huge pack due to the way their modulate their voices.
Coyotes eat primarily small mammals, turkeys, and deer, and in summer some fruits. However, they also will eat garbage or pet food, or even small pets left outdoors unattended.
The other large mammal that increases its activity this time of year is the black bear. These have become quite plentiful in Middlebury. By now, most of us have seen them in our yards or heard about them being in a neighbor’s yard. They are big animals, from 150 to even 550 pounds for a large male. Bears have an impressive sense of smell – much more acute than that of coyotes or our dogs, and will find food by scent very readily.
They are omnivorous and will eat just about anything from vegetation (skunk cabbage in spring, and I was happy to see one munching on the invasive garlic mustard weed in my yard) to nuts, small mammals and carrion. They may prey on fawns; while the scent of a hidden fawn is not noticeable to dogs, apparently bears can smell them. They also may prey on unsecured livestock. And they are attracted by foods left out by humans, including unsecured garbage or bird seed.
The latter two bring us to the difference between good chance encounters with wildlife (to be appreciated) and problematic encounters (to be avoided). For both coyotes and bears, the danger is “habituation” – the situation where a wild animal becomes accustomed to humans, losing its natural caution and fear. Any wild animal that comes to associate humans with good and easy food is habituated and therefore potentially dangerous.
No one wants a bear or coyote that will approach a person or home seeking food, but they will do this if they have been taught to do so, even if that teaching was not on purpose. Bird feeders are perhaps the worst offenders, as bird seed is a very calorie-dense food for bears and thus highly attractive. Fallen seed also attracts small rodents, a food source for coyotes.
If you must feed birds, the heavily treated Fiery Feast bird foods are the safest (though not foolproof) option. Birds are unaffected by the capsaicin in them, but it causes burning and discomfort for all mammals. They can be purchased at Wild Birds Unlimited in Watertown. We can safely enjoy all the wildlife Middlebury has to offer only if we make our homes and yards inhospitable to them.
For questions or comments, contact this writer at jswspotlight@gmail.com. You can visit the Middlebury Land Trust on Facebook or the website at middleburylandtrust.org to find plenty of great outdoor spaces to explore and information about upcoming events. Happy hiking!
You must be logged in to post a comment.