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.

The 3 Red Fox kits that came in a few weeks ago (see March 27th post) are growing by leaps and bounds (no pun intended)! They’ve already tripled their weight, and their eyes and ears are open. Tiny, sharp teeth are growing in, and they’re starting to explore solid foods.  These babies are estimated to be approximately 3 weeks old now. They will be with us until they are completely weaned off formula, and have been eating solid foods for several weeks.

Sunday we got our first baby squirrel of the season in!  He’s a healthy 52 grams with a small puncture wound on his abdomen–otherwise he’s doing great!