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

Trilliums in Spring

 

Large Flowered Trillium (grandiflora)

 If asked what my favorite spring wildflower is, I think I would have to say the trillium. According to Wildflowers of Tennessee the Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians, (hereafter called Tavia's field guide, since she is the co-author of it), there are about 30 trillium species found in the eastern U.S. Trillium species are divided into 2 major groups. Toadshades, also called sessile trilliums (or should it be trillii for the plural?) have a stalkless flower attached directly above a whorl of 3 mottled leaves. Wakerobins, also called pedicellate trilliums, have the flower on a stalk that rises from a whorl of 3 solid green leaves.

 

Large Flowered Trillium

Nothing is more beautiful than a hillside blanketed in these large showy flowers. You can always remember the name since everything on them comes in threes (tri for three); three leaves, three green sepals beneath three petals. They are mostly white, maroon or red, and yellow. The pink ones are usually the white grandiflora which as already been pollinated. We says that they blush after being pollinated.

Sweet White Trillium (simile)

Be sure to have the field guide along when you go looking for them, because it can be a trick to distinguish sometimes. Here are some things to look for when trying to tell them apart.

1. What color is the center of the flower and the reproductive parts.
2. Are the petals smooth or kind of wavy?
3. Do the petals curve back over themselves (recurved)?
4. Does the flower have a stem that raises it above the leaves? Does the stem bend over so the flowers hangs below the leaves?

Bent Trillium (flexipes)

Trillium is one of many plants whose seeds are spread by ants. At maturity, the base and core of the trillium ovary turns soft and spongy. Trillium seeds have a fleshy organ called an elaiosome that attracts ants. The ants extract the seeds from the decaying ovary and take them to their nest, where they eat the elaiosomes and put the seeds in their garbage, where they germinate in a rich growing medium.

Sessile Trillium (sessile)

Though trillium flowers are very attractive and inviting, they should never be picked, as the 3 leaves below the flower are the plant's only source of food, and the trillium is likely to die or take many years to recover. It is illegal to pick them in some jurisdictions and in all national parks. After germination, a trillium first produces only one leaf and requires another 6-7 years before it flowers for the first time!

Red Trillium (erectum)

Trilliums have some unusual common names. For example, this one (Trillium erectum) is also known as Stinking Benjamin or Stinking Willie, referring to the pungent odor of the flowers, which have been described as smelling like a wet dog. Other less commonly used names are American True-Love, Bumblebee Root, Indian Shamrock and Threeleaf Nightshade. Although I normally try to avoid Latin names (I can't pronounce most of them!) it is very useful to know the scientific names to keep these trillium straight in your mind since each one has so many different common names.

Yellow Trillium (luteum)

The Woodland Garden at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve hosts a fine collection of trillium on the hillsides. Yellow trilliums have a lemony or sweet citrus aroma if you bend down to sniff it. They range in color from yellow to various shades of green or chartreuse. The sessile trillium commonly found in the woods along Little Huckleberry Creek has an aroma resembling raw beef or carrion, which help to attract flies and beetles which pollinate the plant.

Painted Trillium (undulatum)

While in the Smokey Mountain National Park last week I asked everyone where the painted trilliums were, since I'd never seen one before. The field guide notes that they are infrequent, and you better believe it!  The only one sighted were up the 2.2 mile Porter Trail. The rain continued, but slacked off a bit, so off we went. When we finally found them, about 15 flowers grew on a moss covered boulder, but they were only about 3-4 inches tall! Tavia assures me they are normally the size of all the others. These are the only species with bi-colored petals.

Remember that trilliums have 3 of everything? Well, there is an exception to every rule. This 9 leaved trillium can be found at Cherokee Park in Louisville. Have fun finding trilliums!

Naturally yours,

~denapple

Spring Weed Flowers

Common Chickweed

What is a weed? The simple definition says "A wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants."

 

Yellow Corydalis

The term weed is a subjective one, without any classification value, since a plant that is a weed in one context is not a weed when growing where it belongs or is wanted. Indeed, a number of plants that many consider "weeds", are often intentionally grown by people in gardens or other cultivated-plant settings. Therefore, a weed is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance. The word commonly is applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More vaguely, "weed" is applied to any plants that grow and reproduce aggressively and invasively.

Dandelions

Weeds can be native or non-native, invasive or non invasive, and noxious or not noxious. Legally, a noxious weed is any plant designated by a Federal, State or county government as injurious to public health, agriculture, recreation, wildlife or property.



Red Dead Nettle

Are invasive plants the same as noxious weeds? Not necessarily, although many noxious weeds are invasive. Invasive plants include not only noxious weeds, but also other plants that are not native to this country or to the area where they are growing. The Bureau of Land Management considers plants invasive if they have been introduced into an environment where they did not evolve. As a result, they usually have no natural enemies to limit their reproduction and spread. Some invasive plants can produce significant changes to vegetation, composition, structure, or ecosystem function. 

Red Dead Nettle Fills a Field

Henbit

 All that being said, sometimes weeds have beautiful delicate little flowers. You have to get down on your knees to see them closely. Compare the pagoda structure of Red Dead Nettle leaves with the whorled uplifted leaves of Henbit. The leaves, stem, and flowers of Henbit are edible and are faintly reminiscent of spinach.

Japanese Honeysuckle

Weeds are troublesome in many ways. They reduce crop yield by robbing water, light, space, and soil nutrients. Weeds can produce allelopathic substances that are toxic to crop plants. Weeds often serve as hosts for crop diseases; they also may provide shelter for insects and diseases to overwinter. But you must admit, their flowers are often beautiful.

Don't Delay, Come Today

Rue Anemone with phone for size comparison

We waited for weeks and weeks for Spring to bring warm weather and it's finally here! It's amazing how fast the flowers have burst into bloom. Blood root, for example, is ephemeral, and each blossom lasts only a day or two, so they are finished blooming for the most part. I walked around the Nature Preserve last week, just hoping to see some blossoms,and today, the hillside along Little Huckleberry Creek is full of blooms.

Wild Ginger in Woodland Garden

Our Spring Wildflower Walk is April 20, two whole weeks from now, and we hope lots of you will come. Executive Director Tavia Cathcart Brown will be leading walks in both the Woodland Garden and along Huckleberry Creek. It's always a treat to attend one of her walks and hear the stories about the plants and their uses.

 

However, I would encourage any one  who likes wildflowers to come NOW! Don't put off your own hike until April 20, because many plants will be finished blooming by then. For example, this toothwort plant was just budding last week...

...and now they are in full bloom all over the hillsides.

Last week, the twinleaf was barely out of the ground...

...and this week, the leaves and blossoms are fully opened.

Fortunately, some plants have a longer blooming period, and you should be able to see more gorgeous blossoms at the hike.

But why miss the thrill of seeing each species in full bloom? Every year I ask why I continue taking photos of the same plants I already have, but I just can't stop myself. You never know when you will find something extraordinary! It's like saying, "This is the best Christmas ever!"

Never Say Never in Nature

One of the first things you learn about nature, and birding in particular, is never to say never, as in "You will never see a Western Grebe in Kentucky." You see, birds don't read the field guide on which people rely for knowledge. We humans tend to assume the correctness of an authority in any field, but the birds do not. When I saw the posting on the Kentucky Bird List about a rare Western Grebe sighting on the Ohio River in Jeffersonville, I immediately jumped in the car!

 

A large, elegant, black-and-white grebe, (yes, the adult has red eyes) the Western Grebe breeds in lakes and ponds across the American West and winters primarily off the Pacific Coast, but we rarely see it in Kentucky. The Jeffersonville Overlook, just across the river from downtown Louisville, seems to be a magnet for lost birds. Last month a White-winged Scoter (from the Atlantic coast) was sighted there. When storms rage in the normal territory of a bird, it may be blown far away. Just imagine them saying "I don't think we're in Oregon anymore, Toto."



Western Grebes are most famed for their elegant pas de deux courtship dance. We will have to do some traveling to see this live, but it would be exciting. Alert and covered with blackish or silvery down when hatched, the chicks leave the nest and ride on the back of the parent after hatching.

The Horned Grebe passes through Kentucky during migration, and this one was found on a lake near Elizabethtown, KY. The field guide displays large pictures of the male birds in their vibrant breeding plumage, and if that's what you look for, you are sure to be disappointed many times. This Horned Grebe, for example, breeds in Canada, so we only see it in the more drab winter plumage as it migrates.

The small Pied-billed Grebe is the one you usually see in Kentucky. When danger approaches it dives underwater and quickly swims away. It's a wonderful defense - just ask any birder trying to watch one! Observing nature is always the best way to learn about it, with some hints from the field guide. How exciting it is to discover some behavior NOT mentioned in the guide! You can have just as much fun watching birds from your kitchen window as you would be traveling afar. Give it a try!

Naturally yours,

~denapple