Saving Orphaned Animals and Birds

"There's a baby owl/possum/fawn/skunk in my yard. What should I do? Can you come and get it?"

Patty Bleau, our office coordinator at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve, often receives calls like this during the spring. Since we used to host a raptor rehab organization on the property, it's not hard to figure out why people call us when they find a baby animal. That organization has been gone for many years, but Patty is always glad to give those callers the name and number of active rehabilitators in the area.

So, what should you do when you find a young animal? After all, we always want to save those cute little orphans. First, we must determine if the baby is actually an orphan or not. Brigette Williams runs Second Chances Wildlife Center in Oldham County, KY, specializing in mammals, and sums up all the factors in deciding whether the animal needs help or not. Around 50% of all animals rehabilitators receive are animals that did not need to be rescued. Many well-meaning people rescue an orphaned animal that does not need to be rescued. Animals make terrific mothers and their babies are always better kept with them versus humans.

DO NOT rescue wildlife and then KEEP (kidnap) the bird or animal for a possible pet. State and federal laws protect nearly all wild mammals and birds. It is against the law to possess the animal or bird or the nests, feathers, or eggs of a bird without special permits. High fines and possible jail time are often given. In addition, dietary needs of each species of animal are different and it is almost impossible to duplicate their needs in captivity without special training. Mother deer in particular, will hide their fawns in a safe place while they go to feed. Since fawns have NO ODOR, and their natural instinct is "freeze behavior" for the first two weeks of their lives, it is unlikely they will be found by dogs or coyotes (unless tripped over). Staying with her fawn would give away its hiding place. 

You are permitted to put an animal/bird in a box to keep it safe from cats and dogs while contacting a licensed rehabilitator. Keep the baby or injured animal WARM and CONTAINED and QUIET. Put tissues or towels in the box or bag to keep it warm, and cover it. Darkness makes the animal feel more secure. Loud noises are scary, so keep that in mind when selecting a spot for the box. Keep it out of drafts and away from air conditioners. The box can be placed half on and half off a heating pad set on low. If the animal gets too warm it can move to the other end of the box. A water bottle filled with warm water taped (to prevent rolling around) to the inside of the box will work just as well.

Birds on the ground are learning to fly. This is called fledging. Some bird species such as robins and blue jays remain on the ground for weeks. These birds look clumsy and injured. Unless you see a visible injury, please leave the fledglings to learn on their own. Mothers are often close by. Cats and dogs are the fledgling’s worry. Please keep your cat or dog indoors during this time. If you see a fledgling on the street, gently place it under a bush in a cat or dog free area. Birds that have fallen out of the nest can be placed back in. These birds will have little or no feathers. If the nest is destroyed, then make a nest from a Tupperware type bowl with paper towel inside and vent holes. Place the “nest” back in the tree. ALL ANIMALS will avoid coming to retrieve their babies if humans are around. Please watch for signs of mom without being too close or animals seeing you.

 

DO NOT FEED THE ANIMAL FOOD, WATER, OR MILK! Water and milk can go down into the animal’s lungs and kill it. Feeding an animal or bird the wrong food can cause severe diarrhea, dehydration, and even death. If an animal or bird has been caught by a cat or dog, please call Second Chances immediately. Even if wounds are not visible, the animal or bird needs to be given antibiotics. This young Turkey Vulture was "saved" by people who fed it hot dogs. It died of metabolic bone disease, after almost every bone in its body had broken. Raptors need to eat bones and fur, i.e., the whole mouse. How many of you keep mice and rats in the freezer? 

 

All animals "imprint" on their parents so they know how to behave like the animal they are. When their vision clears, the first big thing that feeds them in Mama. However, each species has a different period of time after birth when imprinting takes place. A human imprint animal has rough time if it is released. Raptors, for example, just can't figure out how to hunt for themselves, and when it's time to find a mate, they want a girl just like Mom, who was a human being. At Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky, Inc., birds in danger of imprinting are fed by volunteers wearing a camouflage suit, so the bird doesn't get imprinted.

OK, so who should I call when I find a baby that appears to need help? Here are some licensed local rehabbers and Animal Control. Please, please be patient, and leave a clear message with your name, address, phone number and the kind of animal that needs help. Most rehabbers specialize in birds or mammals. They all work with volunteers, and it may take a while for someone to contact you.

Second Chances Wildlife Rehab  (502) 228-6333
Oldham County Animal Control   (502) 222-7387
Raptor Rehab of Ky (502) 491-1939
Wingspan of Kentucky (502) 228-9034

 

Tulips Are TREES?

 

The tuliptree is one of the tallest eastern American hardwoods, and one of the tallest trees found in the nature preserve. It can often be identified from a distance because of its very straight, tapering, light-colored and evenly furrowed trunk which, on mature trees, is usually free of branches for a considerable distance from the ground. Common names include tuliptree, tulip poplar, yellow poplar, whitewood. Although it is commonly referred to as a tulip poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera is not closely related to the true poplars, nor is it related to the ornamental flowers we call tulips. It is a member of the Magnoliaceae family, along the many flowering trees of the genus Magnolia. The tulip tree is the state tree of Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Up close, it is even easier to recognize, with its distinctive leaf shape which would be hard to mistake for that of any other tree. The large, hairless, glossy, alternate, simple leaves of the tuliptree are four-pointed, with an indented summit that makes it look as if the tip has been cut off.

In mid- to late May or early June, after its leaves are developed, the tuliptree blooms, with prominent, colorful tulip-like flowers, from which the tree gets its fanciful name. The flowers have 6 yellowish-green and orange petals and three large sepals at their base. They produce a good amount of nectar and are pollinated by bees. The fruit, in the form of a narrow winged seed (samara) 1-2 inches long, is clustered in 2-3 inch cone-shaped structures which persist on the branches through the summer and into the fall. They are dispersed by wind.

 

I like the appearance of eyebrows or a moustache remaining in the bark where young branches have been grown over as the tree matures.   

The tuliptree is a particularly valuable tree for lumber because of its tall, straight trunk and wood that is soft, lightweight, straight-grained, resistant to splitting, and easily worked. Native Americans and early pioneers frequently hollowed out a single log to make a long dugout canoe, giving it the common name "canoe tree" in some regions. Sold commercially as "yellow poplar," it is used for furniture, musical instruments, interior finishes, shingles, boats, plywood, fuel, and various small objects. Tulip poplars are weather resistant, and termite resistant. Pioneers preferred these logs to other logs for homes.  In fact they were exported to Europe because they were recognized as a superior log. 
The root of the tuliptree can be used as a lemon-like flavoring agent in spruce beer. The bark contains 'tulipiferine,' which is said to have powerful effects on the heart and nervous system.

Tea made from the bark has historically been used to make an aromatic stimulant tonic, which is said to be beneficial in the treatment of rheumatism, chronic gastric and intestinal diseases, dysentery, coughs, and hysteria. Externally, the tea is used as a wash and a poultice on wounds and boils. The raw green bark can be chewed for its purported aphrodisiac effects, and the root bark and seeds have been used to expel worms from the body.

I Wish You Bluebirds in the Spring

This is such a busy time of year for our Bluebirds. Fortunately, Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve has over 20 nest boxes on the property which are favorite nesting sites for Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, as well as House Sparrows and House Wrens. We don't mind sharing with the first birds on the list, but House Sparrows and House Wrens are bullies, and will kill other chicks in the nest, so any time we see them building in a Bluebird box, we pull that nest out. After 5 or 6 attempts, they will give up and go someplace else.

 

Bluebirds are wonderful parents. I think the same pair return to the same nest box year after year, although I admit, it is hard to tell them apart! In this photo, notice the male bringing a nice worm for the chicks, while the female removes a fecal sac. A fecal sac is a clean, tough mucous/gelatinous membrane/film containing the excrement of nestling birds. Yes, baby birds poop in diapers! Nestlings usually excrete one sac after each feeding, especially as they get older. The parent grasps the sac by the middle with their beak. They may take out 60-70 bundles a day! Usually both parents help with this task. For hatchlings and very young nestlings (e.g., up to 4-5 days old), the parents may eat the sacs, as the baby's digestive tracts are not very efficient and the sacs may still contain nutrition. Otherwise, they drop them outside of the box, usually some distance away to avoid leading predators back to the nest.

If you are interested in learning more about Bluebirds, Sialis.org is the source of all knowledge relating to them. The safe way to observe eggs and chicks is to use a mirror, for example. The nests have a deep cup, and it's hard to see the inside sometimes. The mirror ensures that you don't accidentally break an egg while exploring with a fingertip.

Not all cavity nesters are as tolerant as Bluebirds, who will wait patiently on a nearby branch while you visit their youngsters. Just be careful not to take too long. After all, those babies are growing fast and always hungry! Only 3 weeks after hatching, they will be ready to "fledge," or fly out of the nest. We see pictures of eagles and other birds flapping their wings in preparation for fledging. But cavity nesters don't have room for this. Remember, there may be 5-6 chicks crammed inside that box, but when it's time to fly, they jump out of the hole and never look back.

Both parents will feed the nestlings. What bluebirds eat depends in part on what is available. On average over the seasons, 68% of a Bluebirds' diet is made up of insects: grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, spiders, and caterpillars (usually spied from a perch and then caught on the ground.) They also eat ants, wasps and bees, flies, angleworms, snails, sow bugs, moths, weevils and termites. Bluebirds love mealworms, and you can put them out in a dish to attract nearby Bluebirds. Occasionally they catch insects in flight, especially when its warmer and flying insects are abundant. The proportion of insects in the food bluebirds collect during nesting season is probably significantly higher than 68%. That is because their growing young need lots of protein. The rest is mostly small fruit - e.g., flowering dogwood, holly, mulberry, wild grape, Virginia creeper, pokeweed, and Viburnum, gleaned from plants or foraged on the ground. In winter, I have watched them eating mistletoe berries and poison ivy berries, since Kentucky Bluebirds usually spend the winter here instead of migrating.

As the saying goes, "May all your blues be birds." Hope to see you at Bluebird Day, May 18, from 10 - 2.

Naturally yours,

~denapple