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By James Orr, VA Wildlife Rehabilitator ONE OF THE hardest things we have to do as wildlife rehabilitators is to decide when it is more human to euthanize a seriously injured animal than it is to see it suffer. The decision is never easy. Sometimes it is much more difficult than others. As rescuers, we naturally like to do everything we can to help an animal survive. Human intervention will generally extend an injured animal's life. However, that is not good if the poor creature is suffering and will likely die soon anyway. Euthanasia can prevent days, even weeks of suffering by allowing the animal to painlessly go to sleep with an injection from a veterinarian. I recently had a Raccoon that must have had a guardian angel watching out for him by managing to postpone the euthanasia journey several times. He is a full grown adult found barely conscious at... Read On | ||||
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By Pam Owen THE SINGLE greatest threat to our native wildlife is habitat loss. While some native species can adapt more readily to changes in habitat, others depend on particular plants, geology, and climatic conditions to survive. With increasing development of land, habitat that is necessary to the very survival of some species is rapidly disappearing. (One of the most endangered habitats in Virginia is forest edge-that space between field and forest that that has a mix of grasses, shrubs, and saplings.) The good news is that a growing number of private property owners recognize the value of native habitat and are restoring and protecting it on their land. In Rappahannock County we're fortunate to have a strong conservation ethic. Many individual property owners have taken on the challenging task of restoring land that was once used for farming to native habitat, and farmers are increasingly using sustainable practices that integrate native habitat with crops and pasture, to provide for wildlife as well as humans. Want to go wild in your backyard but don't... Read On | ||
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ARE YOU thinking of cutting that dead or dying tree down around your house because of the danger it presents? Before you remove all existence of a tree that plays an important role in wildlife ecology, consider having a "wildlife tree" because of the value to birds and other creatures. Your backyard can create a forest ecosystem. In our mountains dead trees have always provided food, safe nesting sites and shelter to many forms of life. With our area rapidly expanding these habitats are and will be decreasing but our encroachment can be minimized. When a tree is injured insects and fungi appear and wildlife species are attracted. All of the species help carry on the long process of decomposition. This becomes part of the cycle of life dependent on one another as we all are. Over 85 species of North American birds use tree cavities. These cavities are... Read On | ||
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Nature's Beauty This Pileated Woodpecker is the same size as a crow, reaching about 15 inches long. Its body is black and white, and it has a large red crest on its head. It lives in open forests, usually where there are a lot of pine trees. They usually create holes in already- hollow trees. These trees are usually weakened by fungus. They will make up to 16 holes in each tree to allow escape routes should a predator enter the tree. Pileated Woodpeckers often live in groups and share up to 30 trees with cavities (holes). Photo by Paul Evans For more nature photographs, see the Gallery on WindStar's web site and Nature's Best Photographs Album in the American Wildlife Blog. | ||
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Mad Bluebird Memo Pads Usually he's the "Bluebird of Happiness" but here he appears ruffled and disgusted with the onset of colder weather in this reproduction of the photograph by Michael L. Smith. This is one of the most famous nature photographs ever created and originally was seen in a National Geographic Society birding book. The Mad Bluebird Memo Pad is 3-1/2" x 8" and comes in a set of 2 for $9.95 Find more nature products in the | ||
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Winter Feeders Draw A Crowd IT’S 13 DEGREES and earlier this week we had our first “measurable” snow of the season, says Barbara Jones of Tabernacle, NJ. "The difference in my yard is startling. When I looked out the window this morning, the ground looked like it was moving. It was crawling with Dark- eyed Juncos, easily two dozen under the feeding station in my side yard. But they were also at the feeders, which they usually ignore in favor of their preferred ground feeding method. They were competing with White-throated Sparrows for space at the feeding ports of my tube feeder. Even more out of character was the little flock of Chipping Sparrows that joined them for a while. Chippies seldom come to the feeders, though they often..." Read On | ||
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That's it for this week. Be sure and sign up for the American Wildlife Blog for the latest commentary and please feel free to add comments of your own. Have An EXCELLENT Day in your WILDLIFE HABITAT! (Bighorn Sheep kid by Brandy Chloe)
 Tom Patrick Email: wildlife@windstar.org
Phone: 301-293-3351
Web &
Blog: http://www.windstar.org |
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