The first of more than a dozen Red Fox kits have been released!

A total of four kits, three from one litter and a single orphan, were released into prime habitat on Tuesday, June 14.

The orphaned Great Blue Heron chicks are doing well. We’ve moved them to outdoor caging and are misting them with water on a regular basis to help them develop their waterproofing.

Here’s a narrated video of five of the larger chicks.  The four smaller chicks are in an adjoining section. You’ll hear the herons squawking on the video along with the juvenile crows from the Avian Nursery who are also in outdoor caging.

Spring is slowly creeping into Minnesota. Even with intermittent snowfall, migrants are making their way north; baby animals are being born; and others are staking out their breeding territories. It’s a busy time out there for wild animals!

And, sometimes all that activity can be frustrating for us humans, or lead to the demise of animals (such as window strikes).

Here are some helpful hints and contacts for this busy time of year:

Window strikes are preventable and most occur for two reasons 1) they’re migrants passing through and they’re not familiar yet with your yard layout  2) the birds are flushed by a predator and panic.  You can purchase clear clingforms for your windows that interact with UV rays (which are what birds see). You can find them online, or locally All Seasons Wild Bird Store carries them.

If a window strike has occurred, here is information on what to do.

Woodpeckers are drumming to mark their territories and soon will be looking for nesting sources. Cardinals also are aggressively defending their territories (as are robins) and this can result in them continually attacking their reflections in your windows. We recommend you contact the Bell Museum ((612) 624-7083) or All Seasons Wild Bird Store (952-473-4283) for help with these issues.

If you have animals nesting in your eaves or have an animal somewhere in your house that needs humane removal, we recommend contacting Sean at Falls Creek Animal Control ((651) 235-0829). He practices humane removal and relocation.

And yes, rabbits are notorious for choosing poor nest sites. It’s probably why they have as many as 3-4 litters in a season. If you do find a rabbit’s nest in your yard, there is information in our FAQ section on what to do.

As always, if you’ve found an injured animal you do not need to call the Center first, just bring it in. We do prefer you call first if it’s a young animal that you suspect is orphaned and isn’t showing any injuries.

Leslie’s post reminds us of why caring for injured wild animals is such a challenging endeavor.  Most of our patients view us as a predator or competitor to be avoided or challenged; none is willing to display any sense of vulnerability.

We often balance between the poles of success and sadness; triumph and tragedy. It’s rare for us to experience both ends of the spectrum in one case, as we did with swan 88F.

As medical professionals we strive to keep our emotions in check and our attachments limited.  But Trumpeter Swans are very charismatic birds.  We celebrate their beauty and cheer their recovery from the brink of extinction just a generation ago.  In the individual case of 88F, we also were moved by the hauntingly beautiful photo of his bloodied wing, impressed by the brave and difficult rescue organized by Mary Wicklund, delighted in his successful rehabilitation and release.  Reuniting with his mate several weeks later gave the story an almost mythical resolution.

So what do we make of this story?  It’s hard to separate our emotions from the science.  Readmitting a banded bird gave us a rare insight into a successful release and a return visit from a different injury.  We know the natural world is unforgiving and often brutal.  Nature is not a Disney movie.  On the other hand, both of 88F’s injuries were caused by people, first the gunshot wound and then the lead.  Our world and that of the animals we share it with is not tidy.

But nothing in my years here at WRC has been as emotionally trying as watching this released and reunited swan be rendered helpless by lead poisoning.  Even with the 8,500+ animals we admit every year, it’s hard not to feel a personal attachment to 88F; hard not anthropomorphize his seemingly senseless death, especially after his earlier close call.

We can’t do much about the lead that already exists in our lakes, ponds and rivers; it will continue to poison wildlife for years to come.  But we can make sure that we stop putting more into our waters.

At the same time, we can also, if just for a moment, suspend our urge to blame, or to understand or explain, and reflect on just how mysterious animal behavior is, how beautiful, and ultimately how unforgiving life in the wild can be.

Photo of Hudson swans taken by Bill Gausman, Mary Wicklund’s brother, dedicated in memory of Swan 88F.

I am bursting with excitement as I just heard that the Trumpeter swan (88F) we released a couple of weeks ago in Grantsburg, Wis who had been shot (see Nov.10th post below) was spotted in Hudson, Wis this morning with his mate!!! Because of the access to open water and food, hundreds of Trumpeter swans will overwinter there, including the happily reunited couple.

Here is a photo of the two taken this morning!

At WRC, we see many different species with different injuries and diseases.  In order to have a more complete picture of what is happening with the animal, we can look at blood under a microscope.

This photo, taken from our microscope shows Virginia Opossum blood.  Opossums and other mammals (like us) have round red blood cells, many of which can be seen in this photo.  The large cell in the middle is a neutrophil which is a white blood cell that helps rid the body of infection and is a “first responder” when some sort of traumatic injury has occurred.  Neutrophils are typically the most common white blood cell seen when counting cells.

The pink cell in this photo is an example of an eosinophil from a Western Painted Turtle.  A high number of eosinophils can indicate that the animal has a large number of parasites.  Notice the other cells in the photo, they are red blood cells.  In birds and reptiles the rbc’s have a  dark purple nucleus and are generally larger than mammal red blood cells.

This last photo shows a heterophil from a bird.  Heterophils in birds have the same function as neutrophils in mammals.  There are five types of white blood cells that are counted when we look at blood and each cell has a different function.  Each of the 170 or so species we see may have slightly different looking blood cells so the three photos shown are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to blood cell evaluation.  Seeing the difference between the cells can be tricky business but the information that these blood counts can yield is very valuable to our veterinarians… and our patients!

As we start to see signs of spring, snow melting away, birds on the move, and of course, our first baby squirrel admit, the WRC staff prepares for the influx of thousands of animals.  Right now, we are making improvements to our flight rooms, which are used to house hundreds of migratory and resident adult songbirds, as well as orphaned songbirds that are raised in our avian nursery. 

Flight rooms are, for most of our wild bird patients, the last stage of rehabilitation.  Once the birds recover from illness or injury, or have learned to fly, they are placed in flight cages to gain the strength and endurance needed to survive in the wild.  In these cages we provide various forms of enrichment and food sources to prepare the birds for release.  Natural perching, various types of bird feeders, as well as natural food sources, such as mealworms and fruits, encourage foraging behaviors.

After many years of use, our current flight cages need to be rebuilt.  With the help of long-time volunteer Steve K., we have found a plan that will provide us with two additional flight areas taking us from 4 flight cages to 6 flight cages.  This may seem like a small increase to most, but for us it’s huge.  A lot of little songbirds will fit into these two additional cages.  We are finalizing plans and beginning to look at the materials we will need and hope to begin construction soon.  

Support our baby or adult wild birds!

On a cold day last November, a baby eastern garter snake was brought into WRC.

It was found hibernating in an Arden Hills basement. This tiny snake was smaller than a pencil when it was brought in.

Females do not lay eggs like a lot of snakes do, they give birth to live young. The young are small, defenseless and have many predators. This baby found what it thought was a good hibernation spot. Usually these snakes hibernate in large groups under rocks or the abandoned dens of other animals. They emerge in early spring and make useful yard-mates because they eat slugs, and other pest insects. They are not venomous but will bite if you handle them improperly. The baby garter snake at WRC is fed grubs, minnows and crickets while it is in the hospital. It is doing very well and sheds its skin as it grows. It weighed 4 grams when it arrived and now weighs 8.6 grams. It will be released early this spring into a good habitat where it can find plenty of cover. Eastern garter snakes can live to be around 10 years old. 

 Late last October, a hatchling common snapping turtle presented to WRC very weak and non alert. The turtle was found on a path heading away from the lake it had no doubt hatched near. The baby snapping turtle we have been rehabilitating may live to be near 100 years old if everything goes well for it. The common snapping turtle is a really interesting animal. The tiny quarter size hatchling’s are mostly eaten by predators.

During the summer months many large adult snapping turtles present to WRC due to being hit by cars while trying to get to their preferred breeding or hibernating spots. Many are released after a couple months of cage rest, pain medication, and anti-biotic treatment for the large wounds in their carapaces. It is important to release snapping turtles near the water where they are found because they will travel to get to a preferred location and risk crossing roads to get there. A snapping turtle will not begin to reproduce until it is around 10 years old. The death of one large, older turtle could make a sizable loss in population for that area because they are so slow to reach reproductive age.

Through donations, dozens of people entered our drawings at the Open House.  The winners are:

Smokey Joe Gold:  Molly Maloney
Jane Jenni Gift Bag: Margaret Ritter
Wii Tech Console:  Jerry Fischer
and… the opportunity to release a rehabbed animal:  Karen Ritter

Congratulations, everyone!  We’ll be in touch in the next couple days with all the details.

Our vets are examining hundreds of animals today.  Stuffed animals that is.  Today’s our annual Open House and more than 500 people have visited with the vets, peered into microscopes at creepy crawlies, and even had a chance to visit with KARE11 Meteorologist and Simply Science Host Sven Sundgaard.

It’s so fun to watch people – adults and young kids alike – go through the building holding their bandaged stuffed animals. Our med staff has been amazing with everyone; answering questions, explaining why we bandage things the way we do, pointing out cool things to see under the microscope.  All in all, it’s been a fun (but tiring!) day.

Many thanks to everyone who took time to come by and visit today!  (and to all our volunteers who helped us prepare for, and worked during, the Open House)