WindStar Wildlife Garden Weekly
Connecting People
To Nature Through
Education August 20,
2007
Official
Publication of WindStar Wildlife
Institute
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Feed Year-round!
IN MANY areas of the country,
this is the hottest time of the year. Most of us provide water
in some form for the birds, whether in a birdbath, pond or
other container. Should you also feed them in the hot
days of summer; don't they get enough seeds, fruit and insects
on their own?
The answer is "yes" says
a recent Duncraft newsletter. Birds are able to acquire enough
food for basic survival but they will flock to your feeders
for suet, fruit and other warm weather foods. Watching
the activities of bird families can be a real treat for you
and your family, especially when the young appear at your
birdbath or feeders with their parents for the first
time.
Tom Patrick
Founder &
President
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site
offers a wealth of information on birds, other wildlife and
backyard habitat issues." -Connie,
NC
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Beautiful
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"I am taking your online Wildlife Habitat Naturalist
Course and am enjoying the materials. It will help me with my
own "Wildlife Habitat" and help me in my job at a Nature
Center." --Vicki
Capps
"The Master
program has opened up a whole new dimension in my life which I
had never considered. I have been challenged to learn about
habitat planning, species food preferences, garden design and
ecology concepts. It has given me the resources and confidence
to be able to share what I have learned with both children and
adults. This outreach has been a source of personal
growth and inspiration for me." --Pat,
MD
"The
(course) far exceeded all expectations. An even greater
enjoyment has been sharing what I learned with others-my
neighbors and co-workers. It has been rewarding to help
individuals increase their appreciation of nature-starting in
their own backyards." --Paulette,
MD
"The WindStar course will
have a far-reaching and long-lasting influence on the way that
people look at wildlife and the ways that we can more
effectively share our mutual space. I'm proud to be part
of it." --Cathy, MD
"I want to
commend you on the Master Wildlife Habitat Naturalist program.
I particularly like your approach of training wildlife habitat
advocates and sending them back to their communities to be
messengers for the cause." --Joshua, MD
DNR
"The Master Wildlife
Habitat Naturalist program is generating a great deal of
interest from community decision makers in replacing wildlife
habitat lost to residential and commercial development.
We are glad to partner with WindStar Wildlife Institute in
this environmental education and outreach endeavor. You
can count on us to provide technical assistance, publications,
planning assistance and speakers for future
programs." --Michael, USDA Forest
Service
"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is pleased to be a
partner with WindStar Wildlife Institute in creating and
implementing the Master Wildlife Habitat Naturalist
program." --Kathleen, USFWS
This
remarkable image of eleven adult Eastern Bluebirds roosting at
night in a nesting log in order to keep warm by Michael Smith
has won several prestigious awards for its uniqueness and
beauty. It has also appeared in numerous publications and can
be seen on the cover of several
books.
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Cats Vs. Rare Bird in NJ Town
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By Wayne
Parry
CAPE MAY, NJ--Cats
are as much a part of this seaside town's genteel
culture as rainbow-colored Victorian
bed-and-breakfasts, trolley tours and cocktails on
the porch at sunset.
 They're also
suspect No. 1 in many deaths of the endangered
piping plover, a fist-sized, white-and-brown
fuzzball of a bird that has closed beaches and
stopped development projects in the interest of
protecting their
habitat.
With only 115 pairs
of piping plovers left in the state, the federal
government may intervene on the side of the birds,
which has set both fur and feather flying here.
Cat lovers fear the roaming felines will be
euthanized, while bird lovers are wary of a rare
species being wiped out.
"This is a very
emotional issue; this really is a cat town," said
resident Pat Peckham. "I think they should leave
the cats where they are. I'm a firm believer in
letting nature take its course."
A
cat's nature and its appetite for critters are...
Read
On
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Raccoons Look Like Bandits For
Reason
 By Gary Raham
WHAT WAS that masked creature
that bolted away from the trashcan? If it had gray to
brown fur, very hand-like black paws and a bushy, ringed
tail, it could well have been a
Raccoon.
If corn or other veggies go
missing from the garden, and strange noises escape from
the attic (and no thoughtless relatives are visiting at
the moment), this, too, could imply that a Raccoon is at
large in suburbia. Colorado Division of Wildlife warns
that while baby Raccoons may look cute, they grow up
into unmanageable adolescents that can be dangerous and
unpredictable. And, unlike the human variety of
hormone-spiked adolescent, Raccoons are illegal to own.
Though Raccoons are partial to
woodlands near a source of water where they can find
housing in old logs, dead trees and rock shelters, they
find that chimneys and attics provide a great
substitute. Water squirts regularly out of the ground
from nearby sprinklers, and they can get a discount on
fresh produce in the garden and some pretty good,
partially used stuff in trashcans that are not
"coon-proofed."
A female Raccoon looks
for... Read
On
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Mad Bluebird
Garden Flags
 Large
Flag
is 27" x 37"(h)... $19.95
Garden
Flag is 12" x 17"(h)...$9.95
ORDER FLAGS
OUR
GUARANTEE is unconditional and 100%
money back, if, for any reason, you are not
satisfied.
Find more
nature products in the Nature Shop
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Wildlife Photo of the
Week
Anna's Hummingbird by Steve
Baranoff
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Truth
About Common Wildlife Myths
THESE
popular myths have been around forever, passed
on from generation to generation. We are hoping that
educating the next generation will ultimately result in
a better co-existence between humans and wildlife."
Myth # 1: Feeding bread to
geese and ducks is a wonderful family
activity. (Spicebush
Swallowtail by Leisa's
Images)
Fact: Bread is bad for
birds because it offers no nutritional value
whatsoever. Severe health problems, including a
debilitating condition called "Angel Wing" is caused by
bread. Birds have actually starved to death on a diet of
bread. Hand-feeding leads to dependency because
ducklings and goslings won't learn how to find native
foods on their own, and some birds become aggressive
about being fed - all of which leads to a tragic
outcome.
Myth # 2: If you find a fawn
alone, it has been orphaned.
Fact: It is actually
very common to see fawns alonebecause the
mother will "park" her babies in one place and only
visit two to three times a day to avoid attracting
predators.Until the fawn is four weeks old, you will
rarely see the mother.
Instead, the fawn relies on
camouflage and... Read On
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Animals, Plants That Changed the
World
 By
Scott Shalaway
WHILE browsing through my
library, I noticed about a dozen books that explored how
specific plants and animals had changed the world. Some
even incorporated "changed the world" or similar
sentiments into rather extensive
subtitles.
While reading the most
recent addition to my collection, Robbing the Bees:
A Biography of Honey, the Sweet Liquid Gold that Seduced
the World by Holley Bishop (2005, Free Press), I
decided to recommend a list of such books. After
spending some time searching the Internet, I discovered
that there are scores of books that feature species that
changed the world, so this list is just a taste. (Wild
Quinine)
Here are six
books that highlight humanity's debt to nature. If you
can think of other species that qualify for the list, or
you know a favorite book I've overlooked--and I'm sure
there are many-- please let me know (send to wildlife@windstar.org and we will pass
them on to Scott)... Read
On
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NOW
AVAILABLE
NEW!
WindStar
National
Master Naturalist
Course
PLUS...
WindStar Wildlife Habitat
Naturalist Course
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 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!Tom Patrick
President
(Bald Eagle feeds chick)
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10072 Vista
Ct.
Myersville, MD
21773
301-293-3351
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