Be Watchful During Spring Clean-up

It's spring (I think!) and if you're like me you're anxious to get outside and clean up the yard, maybe start digging in the dirt and planting things. There are a few things you should be aware of before you start raking up those piles of old leaves that you didn't quite get to last fall.

Rabbits, mice and sometimes squirrels find those piles of old leaves perfect places for making nests. Please check these piles before you remove them. You may be removing someone's home. Old woodpiles are also great places for wild mothers to hide their young. Depending on where you live, you may even find that a red fox has decided to have her family there.

The grass is finally starting to grow, even time to mow in some places. Be on the lookout for rabbit nests in the grass. The nest isn't usually very deep and can easily be mown over if you aren't careful. If this should happen and the nest isn't completely destroyed, you can put it back together and place the babies back in the nest--as long as they aren't injured. Also, watch for any ground-nesting birds.

If you have red squirrels in your neighborhood and you have stored things like golf bags in your garage, you may want to check them before taking them to the golf course for the first time. The little red squirrels can be very destructive and often will find your golf bag, duffel bag, etc. very attractive when it comes time to look for a good nesting area.

Before you do any trimming or pruning of bushes and trees, make sure you aren't trimming away someone's nest. Birds are very busy right now building their nests and preparing for this year's family. Squirrels will also build nests in trees. Usually using lots and lots of leaves and twigs. They will also use the cavities of dead trees as nest sites, as will a variety of cavity dwelling birds. The little squirrels in the picture above were rescued when the tree their nest was in was cut down. I was told that the mother was frantically running back and forth along the downed tree, unsure of how to help her babies.

So before you begin your spring clean-up, take a look around your backyard. You may be surprised at who you're sharing it with.

Duck, Duck, Goose

In light of recent discussions involving the waterfowl at Canyon Lake, I feel like I need to voice a concern about a part of the issue that has received very little attention. And that is the releasing of domestic ducks and geese at the lake.

Every year about this time we start receiving calls from concerned citizens regarding ducklings at the lake. Many of these calls involve domestic ducklings that have been released there. Sometimes it's the family dog that discovers a lone duckling and presents it to the caller. Sometimes it's about a duckling that has obviously been someone's pet and is following the caller all over the park. These ducklings are frequently purchased at farm supply stores. Sometimes they are meant to be Easter presents. Sometimes they are purchased with the full intent of raising them to a certain age and then releasing them at the lake so the family can go visit them there. And sometimes they are purchased on a whim with little or no thought given to how they will be cared for and what will be done with them when they are no longer cute and only 3 inches tall. People quickly learn that all they do is eat and poop and it doesn't take most folks long to grow tired of cleaning up after them. So, they are released at Canyon Lake where they just add to the ever-growing population of waterfowl.

It seems to me that you can't really discuss the whole feeding of the waterfowl issue without also discussing the release of domestic waterfowl at the lake. If people are going to be fined for feeding the ducks and geese then I think people need to also be fined for releasing ducks and geese. It's difficult to find homes for these guys which is another reason that I think people choose to let them go at Canyon Lake. Fortunately, the three domestic ducklings we have received from the lake so far this year have gone to a wonderful new home. The duckling shown above is one of those lucky ducks.

I do understand how tempting it is to purchase these little guys. Is there anything cuter than a baby chick or a duckling? Before you buy, think about it. Think about the fact that these guys require constant clean-up. They grow quickly. Do you have proper facilities to keep them in? Are you going to be able to care for them once they reach adulthood? And remember this. Just because they are ducks does not mean they will all get along. Ducks and geese can be very brutal and will often kill young ducklings that are not their own. They will often be very aggressive toward adult newcomers as well. So before you dispose of those ducklings at Canyon Lake, those ducklings that just don't seem to be as cute as they used to be, please give it some thought. Better yet, don't purchase them in the first place if you don't intend to keep them and care for them properly.

It's Bunny Season!

Bunny season has arrived. I have received five baby bunnies in the last three days. Last year I was bombarded with baby bunnies and I hope this year the rabbits are a little bit less prolific.

Please remember that not all bunnies need rescuing. If they are about 4 inches long (about fist-sized), ears standing up, eyes open, hopping around, they most likely don't need rescuing. Bunnies are out on their own at a very early age. It is normal for them to stay still and motionless when they are frightened so often times if you approach one it will stay in place. Many times people think this means they need to intervene and "rescue" the bunny.

Also, mother rabbits are not like mother cats or dogs. They do not stay in the nest with their young for very long. They visit the nest to feed their babies once or twice a day. So if you find a nest of bunnies but you don't see the mother, it does not mean that they have been abandoned. The absolute best thing you can do is to leave the nest alone and watch for the mother to return to feed her babies. If that is not possible, you can check the nest the next day to see if the young appear to have been fed.

The bunnies pictured above were from one nest. There were 10 of them. The mother had been killed. These little ones didn't have their eyes open yet so they were less than 10 days old. In this case human intervention was required if these little ones were to survive. Please remember that the best thing for these babies is that they be raised by their mother. It is impossible to duplicate what wild mothers do for their young and they don't always survive under our care. No matter how hard we try.

Turtle vs. ????

Today we received the first turtle of the year from the Humane Society. As you can see in the photo, he has a pretty significant injury to his shell. There is also an injury on his left side. These guys are amazingly resilient and though it will probably take several months, we expect a full recovery.

Each year we receive a number of injured turtles. Many times the injuries are so severe that they do not recover. Turtles are frequently run over by automobiles as they are crossing the road. They are also often mauled by dogs who view them as play objects. And still others are injured by other predators.

This guy is one of the lucky ones. But he is not out of the woods. Even though he is very active and energetic, we need to prevent infection and continue daily care of the wounds. He also must eat, something that wild creatures are often hesitant to do in captivity. But we are hopeful and will continue to do what we can for him. Check back for updates on his progress.

Update On Chance

Today I unwrapped Chance's wing. The wound has healed, new feathers are growing in and the broken bone is healing nicely. As soon as the weather warms up (and it stops snowing) I will move him into a small cage outside so he can exercise his wing a little bit. After a couple of weeks of that I'll move him into the big cage for a couple of weeks and then I'll release him. He is a fiesty guy and slaps my hand with his good wing every time I reach in to clean his carrier or give him food. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! Yes, he does that, too.

So, Chance will join the ranks of other pigeons and songbirds that have been released in my backyard. He will most likely fly up into the big maple tree without hesitation, without a glance back at the big cage, without so much as a "thank you". And that's okay. That's the way it should be. It will be a good release.