This isn’t meant to be an X-rated or even R-rated set of thoughts, but parental guidance is always wise. It is because the critters out there are busy making babies at this time of the year.
They don’t seem to see a need to keep it private and unlike people, they consider it pretty normal and just ignore it when other critters are so engaged.
Well, for the most part, except for a carnivore who may see it as a chance to catch and eat two for the effort of one, like a white seabass gulping spawning squid.
Mostly, this is an enjoyable time for us people because birds sing louder and with more gusto than at any other time of year. Mammals act a little love-struck, and in some cases become downright showy.
Fish make a full-on production event out of it, like swimming hundreds of miles, making nests and in some cases dying from it (thinking of salmon).
I feel for critters with challenges. One example is an owl that spends early mornings in a tree near my house. I heard it calling incessantly to attract a mate.
Then one morning I heard a second owl, some distance away begin calling in between my local owl’s calls. My local owl paused to listen to a few iterations of the distant owl’s calls, then returned to its own carefully cadenced calls.
Both birds were males, so the local bird stepped up his calling game because now he had to compete.
So now I lie in bed each morning and listen to two owls trying to outdo each other’s mating calls. It is amusing but I feel for both of them. I’m cheering for the local owl I guess just because we’re neighbors.
Now begins a period when parent critters start hunting for two, or three, or half a dozen because they have hungry little mouths to feed. Being a parent isn’t easy for any of us biological units.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
