Wild Care 's September E-News

SEPTEMBER 2026

It's Fall! Friends and family are heading back home after enjoying the sun and surf of another Cape Cod summer. As you take in the quiet time and cooler temperatures remember that now is the time to prevent a different type of houseguest from spending the winter with you. A little preventative work now will go a long way towards stopping animals from making your home their winter nesting place. Go around the foundation of your home and seal up any large spaces, fill in smaller spots with steel wool, and eliminate food sources that may attract rodents. I can’t stress enough the harmful impact rodenticides have on our wildlife . There are alternative methods.

Go to the Wild Care website to check out our web resource page of Humane Rodent Control Solutions. The key to reducing rodent populations long term includes exclusion, deterrents and eliminating the attractants. A little effort up front will provide a whole lot of effectiveness long term.

Thank you for caring about all of our wild creatures.

Stephanie Ellis

Executive Director

White-footed Mouse Photo by Kerry Reid

READ "Poison is Never the Answer"

Beautiful Tribute in Memory of Jane Murphy and her Love of Osprey

Wild Care is deeply honored to have received a generous donation from Tim Morey, in loving memory of his partner Jane Murphy. We were so touched to learn of Jane’s love for Osprey, and that these magnificent birds held such a special place in both their lives as their spirit animal. Her memory will now live on through the wildlife this gift will help us rescue, rehabilitate, and return to the wild — including Osprey she loved so dearly. We are profoundly grateful to be entrusted with such a meaningful tribute.

May every osprey soaring overhead bring a beautiful reminder of Jane and the love you both shared.

Fish Crow Flies Again

An adult Fish Crow found in Brewster unable to fly was brought to Wild Care in July. Staff Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator Kerry Reid specializes in corvids, and housed it at her in-home aviary for corvids. “I wasn’t sure if he was an American or Fish Crow, but after he was placed in the aviary he started calling and was definitely a Fish Crow” said Kerry.

A family group of Fish Crows would come to the Aviary every day and interact with him. He was released on Aug 30th near where he was found in Brewster. Fly free beautiful bird!

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Fish Crows with Calls

Black Racer Snake Entangled in Garden Netting Recovered and Released

We received a call about this gorgeous Black Racer caught in garden netting in a yard in Eastham. Kerry Reid rescued the snake. Chelsea Peck (staff rehabilitators') assessed the snake and carefully removed it from the netting. The snake suffered some loss of scales and was covered in fly eggs. It was also missing the tip of its tail - believed to be an old injury. Clearly it had been struggling in the netting for some time and we are grateful the homeowner found it. This snake made a wonderful recovery and was recently released.

SAFER WILDLIFE GARDENS: The #1 reason we receive Black Racer snakes Wild Care is due to entanglement in netting. If you must use garden or pond netting, be sure to get material that is finely meshed, so that critters cannot get stuck in it. Or, use rigid mesh. Also, do not allow excess netting to bunch up at the bottom. Netting should be taut, and fastened at the bottom, with no excess. Otherwise, prey animals and insects use the excess as a hiding space, and snakes go after them and become hopelessly entangled.

LEARN more about

Black Racer Snakes

Orleans / Eastham Elks Lodge Donate Fresh Fish for Wild Care Patients

Thank you to Barbara the Food and Beverage Manager at the Orleans / Eastham Elks Lodge #2572 for donating cod scraps for our patients on Friday mornings. WOW. This is such a thoughtful way to repurpose fish trimmings from their weekly Friday Fish Fry!

Additionally, the Elks Lodge recently made a donation to Wild Care in support of our work. Thank you Eastham Elks Lodge for the services you provide to this community!

RESPECT FOR PIGIONS! Rock Pigeons Have Long History Dating Back More Than 5,000 Years

This sweet little Rock Pigeon found orphaned under a pier in Provincetown looks like he could be from prehistoric times! These highly intelligent birds are thought to have been domesticated more than 5,000 years ago and are depicted on ancient Mesopotamian tablets and Egyptian hieroglyphics. They have amazing navigational skills, and can find their way back home from hundreds of miles away by sensing the earth’s magnetic field and using the sun.

Both parents take turns incubating their eggs, and providing highly nutritious crop milk for their hatchlings. * Crop milk is a sloughing of the cells lining the crop. The crop is a widening of the esophagus that allows most species of birds to hold food and water so they can fly off and then begin the digestion process. Some crops are bigger than others and the pigeon and parrot families win the largest crop category!

Lights Out for Migrating Birds - What You Can Do to Help

Each year billions of birds head south in the fall flying at night. Bright lights can confuse birds and throw off their migration paths. Learn more about the simple things you can do to help provide safe passage for night-migrating birds. PHOTO Carl Jacobs

National Audubon Society - Lights Out Program

Bird Migration Forecast Map

WATCH a baby Diamondback Terrapin Turtle hatch at Wild Care!

LEARN about turtles native to MA

Baby Turtles are Hatching Now

It is turtle hatching season! Be on the lookout for these little hatchlings emerging and making their way towards their new habitats. If you find a hatchling turtle, don't move it, and don't place it in water! Place it under leaf litter in the location where it was found.

If you spot an adult or hatchling turtle in the road and it is safe to do so, pick it up and carry it to the side of the road in the direction it is heading. Please do not place them in water, and never relocate or take a turtle home with you.

All of the snapping turtle hatchlings that Wild Care had incubated from eggs have been released, and Diamondback Terrapins are continuing to hatch. The terrapin pictured in the hand of rehabber Chelsea Peck hatched last week. All of our adult terrapins that were cold stunned from the beginning of the year were also released.

Photo Chelsea Peck

WILD CARE IN THE COMMUNITY

Wild Care Joins Eastham’s Windmill Weekend Celebration on the Green

Wild Care took part in Eastham’s Windmill Weekend celebration. For the past 49 years, this beloved event has been a way to celebrate the conclusion of the summer season, and to welcome back a slower pace of life. Thank you to Kerry Reid, and volunteers Lynn Adams, and Linda Reed for coming out to help with Wild Care’s booth on the Green.

Garv Visits the Annual

Rubber Duck Regatta

Wild Care shared some fun facts about ducks, and made some awesome crafts with guests at Dennis Conservation Land Trust’s annual Rubber Duck Regatta at the West Dennis Yacht Club. Garv, Wild Care's Educational Eastern Box Turtle chamed guests of all ages. Thank you to volunteers Lynn Adams and Kim Yeager for helping out!

Check out Wild Care’s

Fun Facts About Ducks

Archive photo

UPCOMING EVENTS

Snow Library Features Discussion of New Book About the World of Honeybees

Join Wild Care’s Director Stephanie Ellis and Author/Beekeeper Laura Kelley for a discussion about Laura’s new book, The Brilliance of Honeybees. Topics include the remarkable world of honeybees, the connection of all living creatures, and what we can do to help protect the pollinators and ecosystems we depend on.

Snow Library

67 Main Street, Orleans

Wednesday, September 30th

6:00 PM

No RSVP required

INFO

Vinegrass Music Festival

Sun., Oct 4th

Truro Vineyards

11 Shore Road

(Route 6A) North Truro

Get Your Tickets to the Vinegrass Music Festival for an awesome day of live music. Stop by Wild Care's booth for some great wildlife info & fun merchandise!

We are always looking for friendly faces to volunteer with us at local events.

Contact us if you would like to help Wild Care, and enjoy connecting with people of all ages in the community, talking about wildlife and Wild Care and helping plan fun events around Cape Cod.

LEARN MORE HERE

DONATE TO WILD CARE

Check out our Amazon and Chewy WISH LISTS and donate much

needed supplies to help the animals being cared for at Wild Care.

10 Smith Lane, Eastham, MA 02642

Email Us I. WildCareCapeCod.org

When in Doubt Please Call Us

508-240-2255

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