Lyme Disease Sign
Here is a terrific educational notice that I enjoyed seeing on the wall during a recent veterinarian visit with my dog. Using artwork created by children to help teach the public educates both the visitors and the children who are creating it. We use the same outreach techniques in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds with signs drawn by hundreds of school children which we then laminate and post on beaches and offshore islands to let beachgoers and boaters know there are endangered birds nesting in the area. We certainly see less damage to them than other more generic, bland and...
Read MoreNo Vandalism
This…no one needs this! This was not an accident, and the “NO DOGS” sign on many of Connecticut’s beaches are often vandalized. This was the remains of one that had been split at Bluff Point State Park in Groton. For the most part dogs are not allowed on state and municipal beaches as a public health and safety hazard – in other words, it has nothing to do with birds. However, these signs are posted by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to remind people who are otherwise disobeying the law that unleashed and even leashed dogs are...
Read MoreLyme Disease
I have Lyme disease. Thankfully most people have now heard of Lyme disease, but for those who have not, Lyme borreliosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the Borrelia type and transmitted to humans (or pets!) by a black-legged/deer tick bite and subsequent feeding by the parasite. It typically takes 24 or maybe 36-48 hours of feeding for the disease to be transmitted if the tick is a carrier, though this is not a guarantee either direction. Lyme disease can cause flu-like symptoms nearly immediately, and if untreated they can be followed by severe headaches, joint and muscle...
Read MoreBobcat Signs
Can you spot the mammal here? No? Well…yes, you cannot find it because it is not there, but it has left its mark…literally. What do you see? This is a Bobcat scratching post and resting area, the bark stripped away by sharp claws. You can see the lines that have been carved into the wood. It is conveniently located over a pool of water, making it harder for anything to sneak up on the bobcat when it is at rest. It almost seemed similar to a place one of our pet cats would like to enjoy a snooze on! Nearby we found this pile of scat, also Bobcat. If you have a cat at home that may help you...
Read MorePileated Woodpecker Holes
These are some extra fresh Pileated Woodpecker holes! That wood looks like it has been cut very recently, and it certainly looks like a professional job. Whenever you see a dead or dying tree in your yard please try to leave it there if possible – if it is not infected with something such as Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, or a particularly dangerous falling hazard to people. It will end up serving a host of species that depend on these decaying plants for food, shelter and nesting. Cutting even these trees down solely for aesthetic purposes is robbing the environment of a vital component....
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