May Nature Notes
This month brings nesting piping plovers and newborn calves to TNC preserves.
Newborn bison and nesting plovers are signs of spring, and both can be seen at The Nature Conservancy preserves in May.
Most bison calves are born in May and June. Pregnant cows first chase off their offspring from the previous spring: yearlings that stay with the herd but can no longer rely on their mother’s care once a newborn arrives. Shortly before giving birth, a cow will move to the edge of the herd or leave the group altogether. The process itself takes less than one hour, the calf can stand on its own another half-hour after birth and run with the herd within one to three hours. Newborn bison are reddish-orange, coloration they keep until about 10 weeks old when they transition to the chocolate brown coat typical of yearlings.
Piping plovers nest in North Dakota in May. These shorebirds return from their winter along the Gulf coast in April and lay their eggs by mid-May. The nesting habitat they like best is secluded beaches with little vegetation along lake shores, and they find those ideal conditions by the alkali lakes at TNC's John E. Williams Preserve. Piping plovers have declined throughout their range and TNC has been actively managing the birds at the preserve to increase their numbers. During May, June and July the beach areas at the preserve are closed to visitors to prevent disturbance to the nesting birds.
There are many other migrating birds returning to North Dakota in May to see. Avocets, willets and marbled godwits are all impressive shorebirds that nest in North Dakota. Bobolinks are conspicuous grassland birds that return from as far away as Argentina to nest. Western meadowlarks singing from the tops of shrubs or fence posts are another sign of spring that can be seen and heard across the state.
