Wild Care January Duck Tales

JANUARY 2024

Looking Back at Wild Care in 2023, and

Celebrating Growth and Service in 2024!

Looking back on all of the wildlife patients that came through our doors in 2023, it’s easy to say that it was a very busy year! Spring and Summer months can be a frenzied pace with baby season, and the impact of the increased summer population here on the Cape, Fall migration, and Winter storms bring with them no shortage of storm weary birds. We cared for more than 1,770 animals including over 500 seabirds, raptors, turtles and their eggs, frogs, and nearly 1,000 orphaned animals including flying squirrels, shrews, opossums, and hundreds of songbirds. Avian Flu continued to add challenges and expenses bringing with it the need for testing, and extra time and care in the clinic. With funds from generous donors we added a designated quarantine space for our feathered friends. Your donations truly make a difference in the lives of these animals, and the care we can provide.

We are also beyond grateful for the hard work and support of our dedicated volunteers who donated hundreds of hours of their time in 2023.

2023 was an especially exciting year for Wild Care! We celebrated our 30th anniversary with some unique events including a Women of Wildlife champagne brunch, a fun wildlife baby shower, “Owl-o-Ween” costume party, and more than 40 educational outreach programs at local schools, libraries, senior centers and more! This fall we broke ground on a much needed expansion project. This new building will give us a dedicated intake area for animal patients, a place for the public to learn more about our local wildlife when they drop off an animal, and a well-functioning space for cleaning and sanitizing the many necessities used for patient care. This much needed expansion will free up room in our existing clinic and help our staff and volunteers work more efficiently to help wildlife.

Here's a look back at some of Wild Care's wonderful

success stories of 2023, made possible by your support.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

Stephanie Ellis,

Executive Director

Photo: Jennifer Taylor, Animal Care Coordinator with an Eastern Screech Owl. Photo by Kerry Reid.

Thank You Wild Care's 2024 Animal Ambassador Sponsors!

Wild Care's Educational Ambassadors play an important role in educational outreach in our community. They are all non-releasable animals that live year-round with us at the Wild Care clinic. Sponsors provide for the care, food, housing, and enrichment of their sponsored animal. We are incredibly thankful for the following sponsors for 2024:

Terry - an Eastern Painted Turtle

JANUARY 2023

This beautiful adult Eastern Screech Owl was rescued by Officer John Marsinelli of the Orleans Police Department after it was struck by a vehicle on a busy roadway suffering from head trauma. The owl was placed into oxygen and received supportive care, fluids and tube feedings. It responded well to treatment at Wild Care, and spent time being closely watched in our aviary to be sure it’s vision and wings looked good before it was released.

Watch Officer Marsinelli rescue the Eastern

Screech Owl

FEBRUARY 2023

This male Mallard Duck was brought to us by Cynthia Meisner. It was attacked by a fox on her property and had several wounds and respiratory distress. The bird was in our care for several months and was treated with antibiotics, pain management and eventually swim therapy. Our staff had to wait for the bird to molt out its damaged feathers, and grow feathers where there were once wounds. This beautiful duck made a full recovery spending the winter with us, and was released on Valentine's Day, back at Cynthia's home where she is keeping a watchful eye.

MARCH 2023

These Diamond-backed Terrapins were brought to us over the winter when they were found cold-stunned. Wild Care's Animal Care Staff did an amazing job with their rehabilitation. They are a threatened species in the state of MA due to vehicle strikes, loss of habitat, vessel strikes, climate change and off-road vehicles. We obtained permission to rehabilitate them from Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, and they were released in May. They are absolutely beautiful diamonds of the saltmarsh!

Read Animal Care Coordinator Jennifer Taylor’s strategies and determination to return this endangered turtle and others back to the wild.

APRIL 2023

This orphaned Southern Flying Squirrel was brought to us after it was found ice cold and lifeless on a trail in Brewster. The squirrel finally became stable after a week of several nutritional feedings per day. Southern Flying Squirrels are a non-native, species that is abundant on Cape Cod. They are nocturnal, so most people don't see them. They have giant eyes, and don't truly fly. They glide through the trees with a loose flap of skin called the patagium. Flying squirrels are omnivores, but eat more insect and animal matter than our other squirrel species. They visit bird feeders at night. and are delightful to watch if you are lucky enough to see them.

Read this interesting article about Flying Squirrels

MAY 2023

A nest of Short-tailed Shrews was accidentally raked up by a homeowner doing some spring-time gardening. There is always a good chance that the mom will return for the babies if they are kept warm in the area where they were found, but after trying just that for three hours unfortunately Mom did not return. Short-tailed Shrews eat a lot, and need to consume more than 90% of their body weight in calories every day just to sustain themselves. It was an intense first few days nursing them every two hours with each feeding taking sixty minutes. It took a small team, and lots of care, but they thrived in our care nearly doubling in size in a short time. We returned them back to the place where they started their journey and watched as they wiggled and dug in the dirt.

Get some interesting facts about Short-tailed Shrews

JUNE 2023

We received two separate clutches of Osprey eggs that were removed from chimney nests in Falmouth and Osterville. The eggs were incubated at Wild Care's Director Stephanie’s home where both clutches hatched 2 chicks! The entire process was exhilarating and stressful, to say the very least. Susie Kasielke, Consulting Avian Biologist, provided consult every step of the way. The chicks were placed into wild foster nests in Harwich at Bud's Go-Karts, and Brewster at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History when they were between 1-2 weeks old.

Watch as Wild Care’s

Director Stephanie Ellis

feeds the chicks and

talks about their care

JULY 2023

Wild Care staff received a 3-day old Piping Plover chick that was found washed over by the surf, laying in the sand. Jennifer Taylor our Animal Care Coordinator, stabilized the chick over night, and was thrilled to see that the next morning the chick was bright and alert! With explicit permission from USFWS, we transported the chick to a Cape Cod National Seashore Lead Biological Science Technician. Due to intense monitoring of Piping Plovers on the Seashore, they knew exactly where the chick's family was located at Newcomb Hollow Beach. We re-introduced the plover to its parents and 3 siblings, and it was accepted immediately. We watched with teary eyes as the mother approached the chick and brooded it. A very moving experience to watch!

Learn more about

Piping Plovers

AUGUST 2023

The Eastham Police Department rounded up these little ducklings on Route 6 after their mom was struck and killed by a car. Sadly we lost two of the smallest ducklings overnight. The others did well eating duck food and mealworms. After being tested for Avian Flu they were moved into our Clinic with Mallory our resident foster mom Mallard Duck and eventually released.

Watch as the little ducklings enjoy a meal

SEPTEMBER 2023

Wild Care received a call regarding a cormorant with a Quahog stuck on its bill at Tonset Landing, Orleans. The bird was struggling and exhausted. Wild Care Volunteer Margaret Emslie and Director Stephanie retrieved the bird from waist deep water after it made efforts to swim away. The bird was brought to Wild Care where we removed the clam and allowed the bird some rest and recovery time. The clam was released the same evening, and the cormorant was released the following afternoon.

Double-crested Cormorants eat fish, crustaceans and small mollusks. This bird got more than it bargained for, or had its bill in the wrong place at the wrong time. We are grateful that the Quahog and the cormorant get to live another day thanks to kind observers.

Check out the WBZ News article for video of the

rescue and release of

these two lucky ones.

OCTOBER 2023

This beautiful female American Redstart was brought to us after it struck a window. The bird was in shock and suffered head trauma. It was placed in oxygen and received pain management and supportive care. It recovered and spent time in our songbird flight aviary before being released.

This gorgeous long-distance migrant was making its way south to Central and South America. We are grateful we could help it along the way after its window mishap. This bird was a lucky one.

American Redstarts are part of the Warbler Family. They enjoy eating a diet of mostly insects, and will also eat small berries and fruit during summer months.

There are many simple steps you can take to prevent window strikes at home

NOVEMBER 2023

Glue traps are inhumane, they trap the unintended and are ineffective and cruel for all creatures involved. At Wild Care, we believe that glue traps should be banned for consumer purchase. Period. Our friend Steve Burke was on a job when he found this glue trap in a garage in Truro. Unfortunately, the rodent and cricket had already perished, but the garter snake was still alive, barely. Steve's wife Ellie transported the snake to us and our staff successfully removed it from the glue trap. After hydration, rest and a day of observation, it was released in a nearby glue trap-free location.

Learn more about humane rodent solutions

DECEMBER 2023

This stunning Great Egret took two attempts by Wild Care, and Kimberly Wordell Robbins before it was rescued. The bird was weak, neurologic and spent several weeks in our care before returning to good health. We were thrilled to get this beauty back into the wild.