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Keep our Wildlife Safe this Halloween
It's that time of year for carving Jack-O’-Lanterns and spooky decorations for Halloween. You can have fun, and help keep our pets and wildlife safe while decorating for the season. Carved pumpkins rot quickly and can grow toxic fungi. If you notice your Jack-O'-Lanterns getting moldy, it’s time to take them off your porch. Mold, candle-wax, painted or bleached pumpkins can be toxic to animals if ingested and should be disposed of safely.
If your pumpkins are clean and fleshy, add them to your compost pile and “pump” up your soil. Cut your pumpkin in half, and turn it into a bird feeder filled with birdseed. Many bird species, squirrels, and other animals also enjoy pumpkin seeds. Just rinse the seeds and lay them out to dry.
Fake spider webs are another potentially dangerous Halloween decoration. Birds can become entangled in them when stretched on bushes and trees so it's best to use them as indoor decorations only.
Have a fun and safe Halloween!
Stephanie Ellis
Executive Director
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Wild Care's "CareCrow" Welcomes Wildlife
Dating back to ancient Egypt, scarecrows have traditionally been used by farmers and gardeners to scare crows and other birds away from damaging their crops. This fall Wild Care has put more care and less scare into the tradition. Seated outside our clinic window through Halloween is a wildlife friendly CareCrow. We are asking Wild Care Friends to bring gifts you can gather in nature such as acorns, chestnuts, pinecones and walnuts for birds and other wild creatures. We will share video of animals that come by for a nibble. (Pesticide free, please!)
DROP OFF ITEMS for the CARECROW
Please drop off items for the CareCrow at Wild Care any day from 9am til 5pm at 10 Smith Lane, Eastham, MA.
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What do you call a Group of Crows? The Name Might Give you Chills!
There are many strange and interesting collective nouns for birds, but none quite as macabre as a murder of crows. So why such a sinister name? Superstitions and folklore around crows being associated with death could be the cause. In reality crows are extremely social and intelligent birds known for their loud “caw”. So if you see a group of crows, chances are they are not plotting a murder, but communicating with each other. Not to be confused with a conspiracy of Ravens, but that’s another story.
For decades the city of Lawrence, Massachusetts has been home to an incredible annual winter crow roost which starts as a swarm of approximately 2,500 in October, and grows to an impressive 15,000 crows in late January and early February! Watch this four minute documentary which shares beautiful footage of the flight and sound of American and Fish Crows in their annual gathering in Lawrence.
WATCH the Lawrence, MA Winter Crow Roost
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Love Chocolate?
Thank a Bat!
Halloween and chocolate go together like a hand in a glove. Halloween is also the time of year for all things spooky, but bats and chocolate? Yup, if you enjoy a good chocolate bar, and who doesn't, you can thank a bat for that! Bats are significant pollinators of cocoa. So even though some people only think of bats as spooky, they are very beneficial animals, and we wouldn't have our favorite chocolate treats without them!
Wild Care has put together some fun facts about these amazing creatures. Some may surprise you!
CLICK HERE for Fun Facts About Bats
READ more about these unexpected pollinators
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Dracula, the Great Horned Owl
from Amazing Animal Ambassadors
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Meet Dracula, a Great Horned Owl and Other Animals at Wild Care's Halloween Party!
Tickets Available Now
Wild Care's charming Eastern Box Turtle Garv and his friends are having a family-fun wildlife themed Halloween party at Wild Care on Saturday, October 25th from 5:30 til 7:30pm. This not at all scary fall celebration will feature a Great Horned Owl named Dracula, a stunning Raven named Dova, a sweet little Striped Skunk named Flower, a visit from Garv, the Eastern Box Turtle and other turtles. Costumes are optional. Come dressed as your favorite wild creature for a chance to win a private meet and greet with Garv himself! There will be children’s games, crafts, goodies and more.
Bring the whole family, and join Garv and his friends for some Halloween fun, and help support Cape Cod’s wildlife and Wild Care!
Limited VIP tickets available online only include a photo op with an owl at 4:30 PM.
VIP tickets must be purchased in advance.
*All event tickets purchased in advance will be entered to win a prize!
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THANK YOU EVENT SPONSORS:
Dan and Judy Katz, Michael Brown and Lisa Holt!
| | Good advice from the Catskill Native Nursery | | |
It's that time of year again - Please consider raking your leaves into a corner of your property, putting them in a compost area or using them as a blanket for your flower beds until spring. Wildlife such as turtles, toads, songbirds, mammals and invertebrates rely on leaf litter for food, shelter and nesting material. Many moth and butterfly caterpillars overwinter in fallen leaves before emerging in spring. Rotting leaves are the food that feed our forests and their decomposition is an important part of our environment. Avoid gas powered leaf blowers as the blasts are strong enough to kill the smallest creatures who use leaves as shelter; plus, raking is good exercise.
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Young Turkey Vulture Nicknamed “Poe” Rescued at Nickerson State Park
Campers at Nickerson State Park noticed a young Turkey Vulture sitting on a fence for many hours and called Wild Care. The bird which the campers nicknamed “Poe”, was very thin and likely separated from its parents. Wild Care staff was concerned about lead poisoning which is unfortunately common in scavenging birds who can ingest lead shot in carcasses. Blood tests came out with low lead levels. After supportive care, nutrition, and flight time, the young birds was released back at Nickerson State Park under guidance from State Ornithologist Drew Vitz.
Photo on intake: Russell Campbell
Photo of matured bird: Kerry Reid
About Turkey Voltures
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Green Herons Released at Boat Meadow Beach
Jessica Jorge of Raptor Tales Rescue in Shrewsbury received a call from Worcester Animal Control regarding three young birds on the ground. After searching Elm Park where the birds were last seen for three days they finally located the young Green Herons that appeared too young to have fledged. The young birds were brought to Tufts Wildlife Clinic, and then transferred to Wild Care for further treatment.
They birds were examined by Wild Care staff and were determined to be healthy orphans. Once placed in our outdoor aviary they were very high strung and secretive - natural behaviors. Staff provided them lots of enrichment to hide in, and gave them tubs of live fish to help with hunting skills. Because they utilize fresh water and brackish water habitats, we released them right from their aviary which is directly adjacent to the Boat Meadow Marsh in Eastham.
About Green Herons
Photo: Jessica Jorge,
Raptor Tales Rescue
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Northern Flicker Recovers From Vehicle Strike
is Released
This beautiful Northern Flicker was hit by a car on Rt. 39 in Chatham. It was stunned and required supportive care. It made a full recovery and was released back near where it was found. If you watch to the end, you can see it fly off into the bushes. Most certainly happy to be home again.
Release and video: Leah Myrbeck,
Wildlife Rehabilitator
READ more about
Northern Flickers
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Van Rensselear's Hosts Dinner for Wild Care
An October Nor'easter didn’t stop guests from enjoying a deliciously wonderful evening at Van Rensselaer's Wild Care Night. Thank you to everyone that came out to support Wild Care! It was a beautiful evening of great food, Van Rensselaer regulars, Wild Care Friends and foodies. A great big THANK YOU to Diane Elizabeth Hall and Peter Hall, owners of VR’s, two of the most kind and generous people you will ever meet for their generous donation from the evening’s sales!
Pictured above - Diane and Peter Hall
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Wild Care Staff Enjoys
the Harvest Moon Over Pochet Island
Wild Care staff enjoyed an incredible afternoon of nature, hiking, history, food and friendship on a staff outing to Pochet Island. The night was capped off with a magical Harvest Moon over sparkling Pleasant Bay and The Atlantic Ocean. Thank you to Lynn and Kevin O’Connell for your hospitality and sharing this beautiful treasure with us!
Pictured from left: Jennifer, Kerry, Leah, Stephanie, Chelsea, and Eva
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Check out our Amazon and Chewy WISH LISTS and donate much
needed supplies to help the animals being cared for at Wild Care.
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