Another good time at Salvation Army! We talked with the kids about what we do at EWRC and about wildlife, and about what to do if you find an injured or “orphaned” wild bird or mammal. The kids had experiences of their own to share, and it seems all understand the gist of the program and now know what to do the next time. We appreciate the pictures and letters that came afterward!
After a storm in Falcon, Josh found a tiny duckling outside near the side of his house. Josh was able to warm the duckling up and situate him safely and comfortably before calling EWRC to bring the duckling to rehab, as the nearest body of water was a mile or so away and the weather was cold and wet. Happy to say, the duckling improved and is now with others of about the same age with George, a wildlife rehabilitator who is outstanding in caring for water birds. Thank you, Josh, for doing exactly the right thing!
Been trying to purchase this book for 3 years with no success! If you have this book, A Flying Chance, by Nancy Eilertsen and would like to sell it, please contact us via the web site or phone. Thank You!!
Volunteer Linda S. brought us this book about an “orphaned” fawn (applicable to birds and other mammals as well) and it is a beautiflly photographed, pertinent, and entertaining book. The book is a short story titled, “Lost in the Woods” by Carl R. Sams II & Jean Stoick. You might be able to check it out from your library or purchase the book from your book store. This book is available on DVD, too. I found it at Amazon.
Did you know that Ellicott is home to burrowing owls and loggerhead shrike? Burrowing owls are very small migratory owls that share burrows in prairie dog colonies. Being such a small bird, they have a very unique defense mechanism-they can make a sound just like a rattlesnake! Chances are if you have prairie dogs on your property you have burrowing owls, too. You can see them sitting on mounds around the holes, and also sitting up on fence posts. Once you know how they look and where to look, you’ll probably see them, too.
We also have a good population of loggerhead shrike here in Ellicott, too. These birds are also known as “butcher birds” because they have a unique way of caching their food-they will oftentimes hang or impale their food (birds, rodents, bugs) on barbs on barbed wire fence, and also on spikes of tree branches, to come back for later on. Bird banders like to visit Ellicott to band shrike for statistical data.
The last one was such a success we’ve decided to repeat it, this time at Diana’s house in Colorado Springs, near Grant Elementary school. Again we’re looking for donations of gently-used items in good condition, and will be happy to issue you a receipt. Donations can be dropped off here in Ellicott or in Colorado Springs. Proceeds from the yard sale will again be used to help care for wildlife in rehab here at EWRC.
Handsome is keeping busy feeding a new young kestrel. This youngster came from Cathy , who is a very experienced and knowledgeable wildlife rehabilitator. She knows exactly what to do in a situation like this (put the baby BACK!) but unfortunately the baby and his sibling were placed back in the nest and the mother never came back. The sibling was taken by a cat (PLEASE keep your cat in for a few days if there are babies in your yard!)so this baby needed to be brought in.
After examining the baby and providing care, Cathy sent the baby here where Handsome can help feed him, teach him, and keep him wild.
In addition to keeping wildlife safer, bringing in your cat helps keep your cat safe, too. Safe from predators (just about everyone’s feeding babies this time of year-even mammals and BIG birds,) safe from car hits, safe from disease, safe from reproducing and creating unwanted cats-seen how full the shelter is lately? Your cat might be mad at you for a while if you have to bring him in but he will eventually get over it, and you’ll know where he is, and that he’s safe!
The young cottontails that came from Anita, a rehabilitator in Colorado Springs, are doing just great. We’ll let them grow a bit more before releasing them here in Ellicott. Anita did a fine job caring for these youngsters, which is very tricky and difficult indeed. Baby cottontails are extremely difficult to raise, which is the reason so few rehabilitators will even try. So hats off to Anita and the excellent care she gave these guys!
We would like to thank Madelynn in Elizabeth for helping Handsome by sponsoring him via our “Adopt A Critter” wildlife sponsorship program. Madelynn met Handsome at an educational program in Kiowa last week and has decided to help feed him. Madelynn must be a very kind girl with a big heart, as she is donating from her own piggy bank!
And Swainson’s hawk release went great yesterday!
Tomorrow we look forward to releasing an adult Swainson’s hawk that was found lying on Highway 94, in front of the phone company. We suspect he’s half of a pair that spends their summer in that area and we are quite accustomed to seeing them when passing by the phone company. A volunteer on his way into town early one morning found the bird lying on the highway and stopped. The bird was found to be soaking wet and hypothermic. We had had quite a storm the night before and wonder if he’d been hit by hail. After an exam at the vet it was determined he had no fractures or other apparent injuries. Anyway, he’s recovered and is looking healthy, flying and landing well, and seems anxious to go!
If anyone you know has a working Power Point projector they’d like to donate, please let us know. We have a nice Power Point presentation for educational programs but no projector to show it on. The feedback we get on our programs is very positive; however, all state they would like a slide show presentation of the animals we work with and the kind of work we do at EWRC. So please, keep us in mind if you or someone you knows come across one of these. Thanks!
Just a reminder. Uninjured baby birds go back to the nests, or build a replacement nest, hang in a tree, shaded. Go back inside and watch; the mother won’t come if she sees you. Injured baby birds (and mammals) need to see the vet before coming to rehab. There are vets in Colorado Springs (and other areas all over the US) that will accept these animals without charge to you, and some are open on weekends, holidays, and evenings. We need to be very considerate of their time and we need to be patient; paying customers always come first. If you’re able please leave a donation that will go with that animal to the rehabber to help with its care. The law says the animal then goes directly to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, and this time of year we are all swamped, so there is the chance you might not find out the status of that bird after leaving at the vet; you have 1 bird, we have 100 or so. Fledgling birds look like adults; short or no tails, usually found hopping on the ground. Leave them alone; they will not accept food from people at this point and are still being fed by the adults. Bring the cat or dog in for a few days.
REMEMBER-The mother bird cannot smell your hands and will not reject the baby based on scent. She WILL reject a damaged baby and this happens with overhandling and stress.
This is a good time to offer water dishes and bird baths for wild birds and critters. It’s been so dry, and now they’re working very hard feeding their young. Please keep the feeders, baths, and water dishes full and very clean. And if you’re in bear, skunk, or raccoon territory remember to bring all feeders and pet dishes inside at night as well as keeping trash containers tightly covered in the garage or shed. You can also help by landscaping with wildlife in mind; provide native landscaping, and wild bird and animal habitat. Xeriscaping is a good option, too. Also remember to fertilize with earth-friendly products and keep earth-friendly pesticides in mind as an alternative to chemicals that poison the environment as well as the pests. We do get plenty of calls regarding poisoned birds after an area has been sprayed with pesticides, and oftentimes we can’t save that life. A cheap and efficient alterntive to poison for rodent control is the wooden spring rodent trap; it’s usually very fast, more humane than slow demise from chemicals, and doesn’t poison the environment. Killing the rodent is one thing; it’s another thing when the dog or cat, or in our case, bird of prey or mammal, eats that poisoned rodent. Not pretty at all. You can also help by buying eco-friendly coolant/antifreeze for your vehicle.
You can also help by donating time, funds, or supplies to your local wildlife rehabilitator. Most are self-funded and do appreciate the help this time of year when there are SO many critters in rehab! At Ellicott Wildlife Rehabilitation Center you may adopt an animal, and your donation will be used to cover costs associated with caring for the animal. Don’t worry-”adopt” does not mean the animal goes home with you!!
Do you know what this bird is? A fledgling robin!
This is the time of year when people call us regarding what they believe are orphaned fawns, usually lying in the grass. Because the doe has a scent that would attract potential predators, she doesn’t stay right with the baby all day (same as cottontails and jack rabbits.) She is usually close by, though, watching. The baby has no scent. People typically find fawns lying in the tall grass, sometimes even in their own yards. We urge you to keep the best interest of the fawn in mind and leave him alone. In just a few days he will be able to follow his mother to another place. A fawn in distress will be walking around bleating, looking for its mother. Remenber that is against the law for you to interfere, to let your dogs harass, or pick the fawn up. Fines can be pretty stiff. Also keep in mind that due to chronic wasting disease in our state, deer rehabbers are very region-specific and deer cannot be moved from point A to point B outside of recognized game units. What that means is, if you bring a fawn home, try to raise him and don’t succeed, then try to find a licensed person to take him, he may very well be euthanized simply because of the game unit he came from without licensed deer rehabbers in that area. If you find a dead or injured adult deer and suspect fawns might be close by, or if the fawn is right there, please call Colorado Divison of Wildlife during normal business hours at 719-227-5200, or outside normal business hours call State Patrol. Visit http://www.ellicottwildlife.com/ for more options.
Monday and Tuesday were spent in Elbert, Simla, Elizabeth, and Kiowa in educational programs. We had lots of fun and the outdoor program in Simla was a real treat. The turnout was good, and the kids were great, with good questions and wildlife stories of their own! We talked about what to do if you find a baby bird or mammal, what wildlife rehabilitators do, and some basic raptor information. It seems ‘most everyone has picked up a wild critter at some point and didn’t know exactly what to do with it, and we hope we gave some good information and resources for the next time you find a wild critter!
Busy season is here, and here’s a quick update on what’s going on around here. Fox are doing great, and Kris’ critical care fox from Parker is coming along, slowy but surely, don’t know what chewed her up. Cottontails are doing great, almost ready for soft release, Apache got his cast off, Woodsy is looking more and more mature, ducklings and gosling coming, and LOTS of baby bird calls. Please note we are unable to take baby songbirds at this time, due to our work schedules. Please visit ellicottwildlife.com and click the HELP button for information.
