Baby Skunk
As we enter mid-June we find ourselves in one of the quieter times of the avian season as nearly all of our northbound migrants have found their way to their nesting grounds. A few birds may still be trickling through, but most of what we see now is breeding in our region. This seasonal bird post is being hijacked to deliver another message with a Sunday skunk! Isn’t it adorable? I saw this baby skunk earlier this week, and it reminded me to put out a brief message about the many miniature mammals we see emerging as we head into summer. While they are so very cute, we want to treat...
Read MoreKeep Pets Indoors!
It is currently the heart of the winter season. Despite that I am often left wondering why dogs are roaming the neighborhood or left in the yard all day long, and how cats can be locked outside all night to freeze in the snow and dangerously low temperatures. Please keep your pets indoors or supervised for the benefit of wildlife and themselves! Cats should never be permitted outside as they are astoundingly adept bird and small mammal killers that take the lives of billions of creatures in our country each year. Dogs will enjoy playing outdoors any time, like my boy here, eating the snow...
Read MoreSpiny Softshell Turtle young
At this time last year we were fortunate to be able to record some Spiny Softshell Turtles (Apalone spinifera) like these hatching despite the fact many nearby nests and eggs had been devoured by predators – raccoons and skunks primarily. Thus far this September we have yet to see any hatching or sign of additional breeding whatsoever after some nesting occurred earlier this year. We’ll be watching!
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