Through my twenty-six years of rehabbing critters, I have found two helpers to be my best assistants, time and patience. I was reminded of that recently when dealing with three owls who did not want to eat on their own. I had just taken in two of them. The third was my rehab helper, a […]
Because of our weather, bats have not yet hibernated. They like 35 degree temperatures. If you find one shaking, it is not due to the temperature but the bat getting its blood flowing. These wonderful but spooky critters can easily be transported to a different location. Place an ice cream bucket over the bat, slide […]
With the unusually warm weather we have been having the last two months, heated bird baths have not been as necessary as normal. A caller mentioned the other day that he’d better check his because he had had to chip ice in it. A brief power outage can shut them down, and you don’t know […]
When many people come across injured wildlife, their first instinct is to pick it up, and they will go to great lengths to do that, including chasing the critter. Please resist that impulse. The critter is already scared, and, if it is hurt, your chasing it potentially makes both those situations worse. While your […]
This is the time of year that young birds of prey get into trouble diving for food and interacting with vehicles because their focus is on the prey, not anything else. Thank you to those who attended the CVLR class Thursday and gave the critters donations. I appreciate you greatly. This has been a slow […]
I am continually amazed at the actions some people think are helpful for wildlife. While their intention is to assist wildlife, they do not consider the wildlife’s perspective. A recent example of that was a lady who called me about a turtle a few weeks ago. “How long have you had it?” I asked. “Just […]
We released Cheech and Chong back into the wild recently. Cheech was excited to fly off immediately while Chong hung back, uncertain. Through the years of worrying about wildlife that is reticent to return to the wild, I have learned patience. “Stand back and wait,” I advise everyone. “The creature will exit the carrier when […]
My main suggestion to everyone who calls me about injured wildlife is to put it in a box, secure the box so the critter cannot get out, and set the box someplace safe where the critter will not be disturbed. Give the critter enough room to move, but not too much so it could injure […]
If you have to chase a bird on the ground, maybe you shouldn’t. Fledglings spend three to five days on the ground after leaving the nest. They learn to use their legs before they exercise their wings. When they hit the ground, they look around, “Huh! What am I doing here?” The parents, especially robin […]
Yesterday I had a call from a person seeking help about a bird that had been spooked and left her nest. The person quoted the Internet as stating, “If a bird does not return in a half hour, the bird has abandoned her nest.” I say this a lot on the phone, in person, and […]