Thank you again to everyone who came out today to help work on that water bird enclosure. The support beam is up now and the dirt is moved in, and that was a BIG JOB! Phil’s back thanks you! Next we’re going to build the doors and put those on, finish the plywood and lattice, and then the real fun begins-the ponds and pools for inside. Thank you all for your time, energy, gas, hard work, and great ideas!
Help wildlife by shopping at Whole Foods Market Colorado Springs on Tuesday, May 9th, for Whole Foods Market CommUnity event, where 5% of your register receipt before taxes will be donated to EWRC to help cover costs of caring for wildlife in rehab. Join us from 9 to 5, and meet Handsome, our educational falcon. We will have a couple of chilren’s activities as well. We will have a drawing at 5 for a lovely gift, donated by the Wild Bird Center. Enjoy an overall great shopping experience at our favorite market . See you there!
Today was a good day to watch while Pueblo Raptor Center released a beautiful golden eagle. She was ready to go and it was a perfect release.
We’d like to thank Su, Linda, Debbie, Cheryl, Gina, Corinne, and Chuck for all the time and help doing Earth Day today. It was the kind of day where being outside would be fantastic, but these folks spent the day inside at Palmer HS handling EWRC Earth Day booth, and we really appreciate it alot. Thank you for organizing, managing, putting everything together, doing the running around, and being there today!
And join us next Saturday at Manitou Lake for Migratory Bird Days!
Well, it looks like Jo-Jo cottontail is about ready to go. If the weather cooperates, it looks like Saturday morning, back to the place she came from. Jo-Jo is a cottontail who apparently crawled up into the warm motor of a truck one cold day and didn’t get out of the way fast enough when the vehicle was started. She sustained a very deep laceration to the fold between her leg and body. Sutures didn’t help; she just tore right through those, making the cut longer, deeper, and wider. So we had to maintain her in somewhat confined quarters long enough for that wound to heal, to prevent her from making it worse, and a couple months later she’s restless and eager to go. She’s been out running and jumping and playing, and seems to have healed quite nicely; again, with pretty conservative measures and no drugs. Amazing what good food, R&R, and time can accomplish! We’ll miss Jo-Jo and wish her the best.
Time to put up the hummingbird feeders. Remember-No red dye or food coloring in the hummingbird feeders! This can cause a fungal infection in the bird that can rot the beak, ultimately resulting in the death of the bird. These days there are lots of feeders availabe that have red on them and that’s enough to attract hummers.
NECTAR RECIPE
1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Boil for 3 minutes. Cool before filling your feeder. Change every 48 hours, as it may ferment in hot weather.
Do not use sugar substitutes such as Splenda or Sweet & Low. Do not use honey or brown sugar.
Enjoy those hummingbirds!
04/19/2006: Aiken Audubon Program on Hummingbird Banding. Free and open to the public. Refreshments at 6:30pm and program at 7:00pm. DOW building, use back door
Our phone is ringing several times a day now with people that picked up baby squirrels and have kept them several hours or days. These callers are asking us what they should feed these babies. We need to remind you that keeping wildlife is against the law and if you find an orphaned or injured mammal or bird and cannot place the baby back in the nest, that tanimal needs to go to a licensed rehabilitator. All you need to do is take the baby to a veterinarian that accepts wildlife to transfer to a rehabber-there are several in Colorado Springs, and other areas. There will be no charge to the finder of the animal. Unfortunately, what usually happens is that the feeding and care of the animal gets old pretty quickly, and after several feedings of improper food (milk, eggs, oatmeal, bread, worms, etc.) the damage is already done and alot of times is not reversible and the animal must be put down. It is also our job to let the DOW know if an unlicensed person refuses to turn their wildlife over to a licensed rehabilitator or vet, and the DOW will confiscate that animal, sometimes resulting in a fine. In the best interest of the animal, we ask you to put the baby back in the nest and if that’s not possible, get him to a licensed rehabilitator or veterinarian right away.
Owliver was a young male great horned owl when he came to EWRC a few years ago, sick with West Nile Virus. He wasn’t expected to survive and it was rough going for a while. He was starved, dehydrated, blind and paralyzed when he came. He slowly recovered, after almost 2 years here in rehab, and was released a couple miles away. Well, he’s here and appears to have found a mate, and we see him in the evenings when it’s still just a little bit light out. Rehabilitated birds cannot be banded due to federal law, and we always wonder what happens when we release a bird; how far they go, how long they live, and we wonder if they contribute to the breeding population. Owliver is just one of many birds we’ve released close to the facility and it’s great to see that he’s done very well, is “making a living,” out in nature, and has what appears to be a mate. Now of course we’re wondering, could he have owlets this year, too?
After their rough start, the 5 baby fox kits rescued from their den are doing well so far. See pix soon at ellicottwildlife.com They have each other for company, and good care at the facilities. Kris had the hard work of retrieving them from their den, requiring a few trips and lots of luck, then the work of immediate care with warmth, rehydration, and nutritional care. Kris isn’t getting much sleep these days but that’s just how it goes with wildlife rehab ………
Well, 4 out of the 5 are out, and 1 is eating already.
Thank you to everyone who came and helped this weekend with putting the roof on the waterbird enclosure. Special thanks to Gail and Ray, who came out and barbecued lunch for everyone, and to the Wild Bird Center for donating a beautiful owl mug for a drawing on the work day. A lot was accomplished, and we’re making progress!
More young fox kits, a few very young pups still in the den,. Fortunately, the observant people that found the deceased mother noticed she was lactating, searched for and located the den with the youngsters inside. They’re not in the best condition, we’ll keep you posted. Another turtle out of hibernation, and more bird calls……
Well, it’s “official.” Busy season has begun, from a very quiet time a week ago to oh, my gosh-what happened?? in the space of a week. The weather is unpredictable, people and pets are picking up baby critters, and just how many of them need to be picked up, anyway? Information is available at www.ellicottwildlife.com but simply put, if you can find the nest or a safe place close to where you found that animal, it is probably best to put the uninjured baby in a safe place and leave. If the baby is injured, then he will perhaps need veterinary care, if nothing else, until a licensed rehabber can be located to pick that animal up. Understand that we rehabbers work regular jobs, have chores outside to do, might be feeding animals, and usually can’t make it to the phone when you call. It’s important that you leave a message including your name, number, wildlife situation, and phone number as we all check our messages frequently and will call you back as soon as we can. Also realize that wildlife rehabbers are not funded or paid by anyone and rely on donations to provide services. When you bring an animal to a rehabber or a veterinarian, consider leaving a tax-deductible donation to the rehabber and/or organization she belongs to, to help cover the costs of feeding and caring for your animal. If you’re short on funds, we get pretty excited about a roll of paper towels, a bag of bird seed, clean old towels, and such items you may bring with your animals.
It looks like Romeo made it through hibernation. Thanks to the new burrowing animal enclosure that Adam and Scout Troop 101 built last summer, the turtles had several feet of space for deep digging so they could hibernate. The soil was topped with a couple feet of leaves and we would moisten them with water on warmer days to add some moisture, as we had another dry winter. We start looking for the turtles to dig out in late March, and sure enough, this morning when we checked, there was Romeo, sunning himself. We know that he needs to hydrate himself very well right now, so he’s been soaking in a shallow bath and sitting in the sun. We’ll be looking for the other turtles to surface soon……..
Easter is coming, and I think we can all agree there’s nothing cuter than a downy chick or a fluffy little bunny. These critters can be found just about everywhere this time of year and it’s hard to resist the appeal of one of these babies, so people often pick them up as an impulse Easter gift. However, in our experience, after several hours or days the reality sets in that these animals require lots of care and aren’t as interactive as many other types of animals can be. Chicks and ducklings have special heat and food, not to mention socialization needs. A rabbit confined in a hutch for the rest of its life is very sad. Bunnies need space to run, jump, and play. They’re inquisitive, interactive creatures that make wonderful pets, given the time, space, and supervision they need, as rabbits have a need to chew constantly to keep their teeth trimmed and healthy. This is the time of year when our phone rings with calls from people that no longer wish to keep these animals. We don’t keep them, either. Ours is a wildlife care facility. Oftentimes these animals will be dumped in a park somewhere or euthanized, once the initial appeal wears off. So we ask you, please REALLY stop and think before bringing one of these guys home, and consider a plush bunny instead.
I just saw one overhead while doing chores outside, here in Ellicott. This is the first one I’ve seen so far this spring. He was gliding overhead and landed on a utility pole on the property; don’t know if it’s one we released here or not, and I’m happy the bird made migration!.
This is a good time to prepare for baby season. Many of our calls regard bad situations that could have been prevented. Capping the chimney prevents birds and mammals from nesting in there. Same with window wells and outside dryer vents. If you need to prune shrubs and trees, either now or after baby season is best. Check for holes in foundations and plug them up. Fence underneath decks. It’s easier to prevent these problems now rather than try to resolve them later!