Venomous shrew slaughtered by cat
The following is a photo of the head and upper body of what appears to be a Northern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda). Where did I find this deceased and otherwise tough to spot and secretive mammal? In its natural habitat, of course – the floor of a closed garage! The half of the body you cannot see has been devoured by a cat who does not leave a locked garage and the connected basement and is never permitted to even see an open door, let alone venture outside it. It would seem this shrew decided to come inside…looking for a snack? After taking a wrong turn with its poor...
Read MoreCool mornings, warm bodies
Here’s an adult female deer tick that I photographed yesterday on this ruler (inches). They are actually rather large compared to young ticks, or nymphs. I pulled another one off my dog this morning. If you live near or frequent an area or habitat prone to ticks be aware that at this time of year the cool autumn mornings can lead these parasites to find any warm body they can, leaping on to mammals quickly. Thankfully you should be able to spot them if you check carefully.
Read MoreKeep cats indoors
The State of the Birds Report 2014 tells us that 2.4 billion birds are killed by cats annually in America with 196 million more slaughtered in Canada. That is not even beginning to mention how many small mammals they kill. How do we solve this? Keep cats, an invasive non-native species introduced by humans, indoors. That’s it. I know we have feral cats and that complex problem is very difficult to solve. I have had cats my entire life and have rescued plenty of strays, dealt with colonies, seen many suffer horribly because they live outside and others perish due in grotesque fashion....
Read MoreCoyote advisement in Connecticut
I thought this coyote “warning” (really a press release that should be called a notification or information) released by the police department in my hometown of Stratford, Connecticut and the State of Connecticut DEEP Wildlife Division was interesting, both in content and approach. It contains a lot of helpful facts and tips so that everyone can enjoy the outdoors and know what to do if they see a coyote. The more we develop our world and make it favorable to certain species, taking away their habitat in the process, the more we will encounter them and have to adapt ourselves....
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