The babies are getting bigger! They are about 6 weeks old now and are just starting on solid foods: grapes, squirrel chow soaked in formula, cheerios...but they still love their formula best of all! I m hoping to get them all grown up and released by Thanksgiving. It is late in the year to plan a release, but I will provide a shelter for them and food so they can always come and go if they like. You can see that their tails are getting fluffy and they are becoming more active and playful. They've come a long way!

And what else has been going on at WTS???


The opossum teenagers have been visiting on some nights....

I sold my hair for $800!!!!

(see www.hairlesscrusader.com)


That's going to save a lot of animals!!

Including the little chipmunk who came in today after being caught by a cat- Wild Things' 90th patient!!

I attended the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council 2008 conference up at Niagara, NY. It was great! I always learn so much- from the talks and from talking with all the other rehabilitators. There are lots of inspiring stories and lots of people willing to help. A BIG thanks to all the wonderful members of the Squirrel Board who helped me look after the baby squirrels while I went to talks. I also received a scholarship from to attend the Rabies Vector Species course, which is a requirement for those wishing to work with raccoons, skunks & bats.

I also received a very special invitation at the conference. Does everyone remember Radar the blind fawn that came to WTS a few months ago?? He has found a wonderful home at an amazing deer sanctuary run by a deer rehabilitating guru! He is doing absolutely GREAT!!! See picture below. He runs and leaps around and has a girlfriend named Cookie Doe. Cookie was blind due to a vitamin deficiency, but her sight was restored with a proper diet. However, a car accident left her with a badly broken jaw. She arrived at the sanctuary a day before Radar, so they are the same age. Radar was neutered so they can be buddies and stay together always! You would never know that he was blind he runs around so well!

Oh! Who do you think made these little footprints on my back porch?! An opossum! And the one on the upper right may be a raccoon. Perhaps its The Bandit or her baby Raindrop (these are characters that I have yet to introduce)! What is really remarkable about finding these prints is that they appeared the day after I trapped the last feral cat that has been in the woods around my house. I found a place that works on rehabilitating feral cats, so I hope that they are being well looked after...I felt a bit badly trapping them, but it is so amazing that the very next day an opossum appeared- I saw him out at night, but didn't manage to get a photo- and suddenly there are several raccoon and opossum tracks. These species have been kept away all this time that the cats have been here. I had no idea that the cats were influencing the wildlife so much around my house. That is one of the reasons snow is so cool- because you can see just who is visiting!

And here is a photo of Little Miss Pileated Woodpecker at the la-de-da suet feeder. note the little Dark Eyed Junco at the feeder to the left, this gives you an idea of her size. Btw, I love juncos so much! They are always the first ones out when it snows.  That makes me kinda think that they are like me! :)

Test Question: There are 2 woodpeckers in this picture. Can you find them and what species are they??

And here is a picture of the little deer who seems to spend a large part of his time at my house now-a-days. Sometimes he just looks out into the woods and I wonder what he is thinking about. I wonder where the other young deer is that he used to be with. He seems lonely somehow, where is the rest of his herd? Surely at this age even males are with a herd?

And finally, news from Cornell. sadly, the red tailed hawk had to be put down. The vets x-rayed him again and found his wrist joint getting worse, the head of the ulna was in pieces. This means that he would not be able to fly very well, and in the wild he would probably slowly starve to death. As he was so wild he would not have been a good animal to keep in captivity. The weird thing is that the taloning he gave me is still a bit sore. This happens sometimes- a wound stays long after the animal is gone and somehow it's kind of weird, you know?

The screechies are all doing well, and Herodotus is having his eye surgery tomorrow. The eye has to come out as it is too far gone even though the infection is under control. Apparently he's been quite nippy the last few days. I suppose that is a good sign and shows that he is still wild and alert. I wonder how he will be with me tomorrow.