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Lots of wildlife dads never see their offspring. But not all wildlife dads are deadbeat; some do some pretty amazing things!
Life in the lake is full of big, hungry fish. Most male fish spawn with the females then get out of the neighborhood, leaving moms to tend the eggs. (Although in some species, even the females desert the eggs.) But some fish possess admirable parenting instincts, like the bowfin that provides day care for 100 little ones.
Recently, when a cry of excitement came over my neighbor’s fence, I went to the lake’s edge to peer in. “Tadpoles!” the children screamed with glee. A teeming mass of black, squirming, inch-long bodies hovered in the water, not tadpoles, but bowfin babies, schooling around dad who was guiding them. Female bowfins take no part in rearing their offspring.
Bowfins are elongated fish with a long rippling dorsal fin. The males guard their nest until after the eggs hatch. At about nine days old, the young have an insatiable urge to swim in schools and follow dad around the lake.
The neighbors and I scooped a few in a bucket to admire their sleek black bodies, but kept them only a few minutes. If a young bowfin gets separated from its parent, it will swim in circles until dad reappears to rescue it from confusion.
Help in the Kitchen
Raptor dads are even more domestic and assist with the “groceries,” carting home fresh-killed supper for ravenous nestlings. But turkey vulture dads go one step further and actually help with the cooking, so to speak. Who needs a food processor?
I once discovered a pair of two-week-old turkey vultures huddled against the wall in a loft of an old wooden barn. In early spring, a female vulture laid two eggs on the floor of the haymow. No nest trimmings; no mud or sticks. When the young first hatched, the parents alternated baby-sitting and food-fetching chores. After a couple of weeks, the nestlings were hungry all the time, so both mom and dad went out searching for morsels for the flightless young.
Turkey vultures feed on road kill and other dead creatures. Rather than haul back the whole decomposing body, which might fall apart on the trip, mom and dad eat their fill and return to the nest. When the young beg for food, mom and dad regurgitate the glop. The little vultures gobble the partially digested entrée.
Build It and They Will Come
Some bird dads go beyond the macho “hear-me-sing-and-stay-out-of-my-territory” tactics. Construction-crazy house wrens build nests in every imaginable cavity until his mate finally selects one.
Family Activity
Below are some ideas for a fun outdoor experience with a cool dad or granddad in your family.
Take Dad on a picnic in a park.
Pack a lunch, and spread out on a picnic table. After eating, take a stroll on a wooded park trail to see what you discover. Bring a compass and have Dad keep everyone informed of what direction you are hiking!
Go fishing!
In Indiana, the first weekend in June is Free Fishing Weekend. In Michigan, it’s the second weekend. (Adults don’t need a license.) And kids under 18 in Indiana and under 17 in Michigan never need a license. Try area parks for easy shoreline fishing around ponds and shallow rivers.
Build a bird house or bird feeder.
Most home improvement stores and bird feeding stores sell kits that are easy to assemble.
Go Geocaching.
Grab a hand-held GPS unit and log onto www.geocaching.com to start your search for hidden treasures. Geocaching uses latitude and longitude to pin point secret caches hidden by fellow geocachers. There are hundreds hidden in our region.
Go rafting!
If you are up for an adventure, head to South Bend to take Dad whitewater rafting on the East Race. You must be at least 54 inches tall to participate. For hours and fees visit: www.sbpark.org/parks/erace.htm
