The season of renewal and new life is upon us! The mountains are alive and abuzz with preparations for welcoming the next generation of wild souls. Foxes are running about on errands to feed the many mouths of their litter, birds are nesting, and elk will be calving soon and growing their herd numbers. But there is one neighbor with a different twist on those preparations: our moose.

Many animals bid farewell to their babies relatively early on in life. Fox kits are generally on their own within six or seven months. Fledglings are off on their own from a few months to eight or nine depending on the species, though I have observed many generations of eagles gathered together, representing a number of years of new introductions to the family. Herd and pack animals have the advantage of a more familial life, so the babies will live with many generations.

Moose take a different course, as offspring can stay with their mother for up to as long as two years (three on rare occasion), with typically one major determining factor: when mom is expecting again.

A female in her prime may become pregnant every year for a few years. This means that each year, not too long before she gives birth, she will be making way for the new baby by bidding adieu to the previous calf (or calves, as twins are quite common if there is an abundance of food).

Being very territorial animals as well as typically living solo, mama will need all her food resources to raise the new baby. She needs to create her own browsing territory in order to manufacture the milk the newborn will need. This means the offspring of previous years must not only leave her, but often leave the area to find their own territory to call home.

The territorial nature of these majestic animals is one of the main reasons we are seeing such a prolific spreading out of the species as their numbers grow. Being a very adaptable eating machine with no fear of humans, the only thing moose really require in terms of territory is ample food and water.

When yearlings get the boot from mama, they will wander until they find a suitable space, which, in the case of our area of the Peak to Peak region, typically means an easterly migration. Where not too long ago the moose were here only in the mountains, they are now beginning to boldly make their way out onto the plains.

Just last year I was spending an evening out at St. Vrain State Park east of Longmont, enjoying the newly arrived osprey, when I struck up a conversation with a CPW (Colorado Parks and Wildlife) ranger. We got on the subject of moose, as I had mentioned my living in Nederland, and he told me about one of their newer residents, a bull who has apparently decided to make the area his territory.

Since much of the acreage of the park, a wetlands area, is off-limits to humans, this bull has found a level of comfort that affords him a relatively peaceful life. Shocking to me considering the close proximity to I-25 and the constant noise of traffic, but he has water and lots of food, and that seems to be his biggest concern.

The ranger did note that, like clockwork, in the last few years he has made a public appearance on the 4th of July, much to the delight of the many visitors staying in the campground, after which he returns to his life of solitude away from the humans.

This time of year moose make their way toward the lower areas from their winter woodland retreats and tend to spend a lot of time in and around town. Brought by the temptation of fresh green shoots after a long winter of twigs and pine needles, slightly lower elevations provide just enough environmental difference to see new growth, which will not appear higher up for a few more weeks.

It is best to keep a watchful eye out for them, as while yearlings may be old enough to be on their own, they may still be with mama, who will likely still be very protective and potentially dangerous if she feels provoked (or encounters a dog). As everything from willows (their favorite food) to grassy lawns are sprouting fresh growth, the yearlings will often remain until the separation.

Mother-again-to-be will make her way back to her territorial comfort zone to give birth, and the newly separated yearlings will often be seen wandering forlornly for a month or so longer as individuals (or as pairs, with twins), nibbling on everything they can find until they finally head off to make their own way in the wide open world.

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