Moose give birth in late May or early June in the San Juans, so I have been keeping an eye out for pregnant cows and checking areas where I knew moose have previously given birth. I was out on my bike with my camera looking for moose or other wildlife when I got a message from a friend in town. She said her husband had spotted a newborn moose calf and told me to call her if I was interested to learn more. Of course, I called immediately. I arranged to meet them, and we drove to the location to find this new baby moose. We spotted the mother right away, but the calf was laying down hidden from sight. It wasn’t far off the road and several people stopped to see the moose, not realizing that there was a newborn calf with her. We hung around for a while and were about ready to leave when the calf got up and wandered over to mom. Unfortunately, the sun was behind them creating a backlit scene that doesn’t work well for photography. I took several photos, but they both bedded down shortly obscured by the willows, so we left.
I went back early the next morning. It was just light enough to see, but I wasn’t able to spot the mother. I drove further up the road to a good pullout and continued to search. Suddenly I spotted them much closer than where I had been searching. The previous day they had been on the far side of the creek, but overnight they must have crossed the creek and moved closer to the road. This meant that the calf, which couldn’t have been more than a few days old, had managed crossed the creek. While it wasn’t too deep at that spot, it still must have been a formidable current for such a tiny moose. They were both bedded down and it was still fairly dark, so I sat back and waited. After about 45 minutes, the mother got up and then the calf got up and went over to nurse. My view was partially obscured, but I was able to see the calf. They were both aware of my presence as I was only about 100 feet away, but the mother didn’t seem concerned or agitated. I managed to move to a better vantage point, although I was still in my car on the side of the road. After a short time, the young calf lay back down in the cover of the willows while her mother continued to feed for a while before bedding down herself.
I figured they would stay bedded down for a while as the mother chewed her cud, so I went to check out a nearby Pika colony. I was also hoping the sun would hit where they were laying so that I might have better light when they became active again. After a couple of hours bedded down the mother got up to feed. Dora got up soon after and started wandering around exploring the area. This time Dora was up and active for a significant period of time. In addition to exploring the area and tasting new things, she was running and jumping around. It is amazing how a moose calf that is only a few days old can run and jump. She looked a bit unsteady at times but was mobile enough that several times her mother had to run and chase after her. Her mother kept a close eye on her, never letting her wander too far, although I was a bit surprised how unconcerned she was about my presence. There was a bit of a drop from the road creating a natural barrier, but the mother never appeared agitated or upset with me.
I ended up spending almost 4 ½ hours with the moose and her newborn calf that morning. It was amazing to watch them interact as well as see the tiny calf exploring its new world. Although I'm not certain, I believe this calf is a female, so we decided to name her Dora after the animated children’s television show “Dora the Explorer”. When I showed a photo of Dora and her mother to a friend’s 5-year-old daughter, she declared that she liked the name Dora and that the mother should be called Rose. I hope that I can track and photograph Rose and Dora as she grows up this summer, but regardless I hope they both stay healthy and safe and that someday Dora will contribute to the growing San Juan moose population.