On the outskirts of a bustling campus lies Binghamton University’s own Nature Preserve. To the untrained observer, this patch of land rests in tranquility. The changing seasons, however, usher in a new age. Peace and quiet are the last words to describe this wild battlefield. Doing “it” like “an animal” has never been a more accurate statement. With remarkable tenacity, local fauna are putting all of their strength into the mating season.
These are not the fluffy, kind creatures in Bambi’s forest: mate selection is a serious process. For most species, the females dominate mate selection. To impress the ladies, the males sing, croak, dance and, most importantly, claim territory. Ladies love a beau with abundant territory. As the peaks of different species’ mating seasons pass, the sounds emanating from the preserve manifest a protracted, variable song all through the summer. The bridge crossing the wetland has transformed into the front row of an interminable orchestra.
Like the wind section initiating a symphony, the wood frogs are one of the first species to perform in the wetland love bed. These tiny frogs have evolved to hasten their reproductive window. The critters bury themselves in the ground and hibernate in the winter. Springtime arrives, their bodies thaw and they are among the first species to copulate. The congressional in the wetland is essentially an amphibious orgy. Their croak, a quacking moan, sounds as desperate as their mission. Acting with rashness, wood frogs have evolved to lay their eggs in ephemeral pools. Thus, the frogs aspire to fertilize and lay their eggs in the water as quickly as possible in fear that the wetlands will dry up. The urgency often results in females being bombarded by their combusting counterparts.
The term “horny toad” is rooted in biological observation. The toads, quite similarly, will grab on to anything that remotely resembles another toad. A toad will not hesitate to ingratiate itself with an empty Coke bottle.
Painted turtles and snapping turtles will soon begin their brawl as well. Those turtles who display the most resilient genetics are promising mates because tumult is essential for any little turtle baby. The eggs are laid quite a distance from the wetlands in areas hidden from foxes and raccoons. The hatchlings, only quarter-sized, must make their way back to the motherland only to continue on with the life cycle. Proper mate selection is imperative to the species’ survival.
The amphibian scuffle contrasts to the courtship and commitment displayed by some more genteel birds. In the case of Canada Geese, the males will court females with a wing-flapping, head-bobbing performance. Thereafter, the couple will spend their lives monogamously raising batches of chicks each season. This time of the year, the geese have already laid their eggs. As the females protect the nest, the males chase other geese out of the territory. The bond between the pair can be so strong that there have been cases in which the two geese die beside one another.
The red-wing black birds are currently riding the peak of their mating season. True to the name, the males are black with bright red patches at the base of their wings. The males puff up, flaunt their colors and flap about to impress females. The female coloring pattern appears quite drab to the human eye, as if to camouflage into the environment and better protect the nests. Bird eyes, however, have evolved to interpret light beyond the visible spectrum. Their sense of these rays makes even the dullest colors appear vibrant and alluring.
The most mellifluous species in the Nature Preserve is the Brown Thrasher. Capable of mastering a broad range of sounds, the Thrasher mimics other birds’ calls and characteristically exhibit a double-call. These birds don’t serenading females as much as they laying the grounds of their territory. It is proof of the protection they can offer a mother and her eggs.
“Everyone thinks that birds songs sound so pretty,” said Dylan Horvath, the steward of natural areas. “What people don’t know it that it’s actually all drama out there.”
Singing, feeding and dancing direct fauna behavior to court the ideal candidate. It all amounts to a fraction of a second: the amount of time it takes birds to fertilize eggs. In the Nature Preserve, the genetically sound offspring can perpetuate this wild ritual and the ever-bustling circle of life.