Baby turtles are not cared for by their parents so it's ok if you see one all alone. It's best to leave it right where it is. If it's on its back, gently turn it over. If it's in danger of getting hit by a car, guide it to the other side of the road (where it was heading). If you think it might be out of place or injured, call a local wildlife center and describe the situation before taking it out of its habitat and stressing it out. And NEVER toss it into the water, because if it's a tortoise it cannot swim! Sunday, February 21, 2010
Baby Box Turtle
The nature center often receives baby turtles and tortoises. This is a baby box turtle that came to us after it was found in someone's kitchen! The homeowner thought maybe her dog brought it in, and was surprised to see the cute little guy! As we do with almost all of the baby turtles we get, we returned this little one to the wild. He was very happy to be on his way and free! 
Baby turtles are not cared for by their parents so it's ok if you see one all alone. It's best to leave it right where it is. If it's on its back, gently turn it over. If it's in danger of getting hit by a car, guide it to the other side of the road (where it was heading). If you think it might be out of place or injured, call a local wildlife center and describe the situation before taking it out of its habitat and stressing it out. And NEVER toss it into the water, because if it's a tortoise it cannot swim!
Baby turtles are not cared for by their parents so it's ok if you see one all alone. It's best to leave it right where it is. If it's on its back, gently turn it over. If it's in danger of getting hit by a car, guide it to the other side of the road (where it was heading). If you think it might be out of place or injured, call a local wildlife center and describe the situation before taking it out of its habitat and stressing it out. And NEVER toss it into the water, because if it's a tortoise it cannot swim! 
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Osprey visitor
Lately, we've had an osprey hanging around the pond behind the nature center. Today he was right out back, snacking on a fish!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Foster Squirrels update
This past week there's been a feeling that something's missing at the nature center. Unfortunately, Duey, one of our foster squirrels (see post from November 18) has passed away. We learned how to trim his bottom teeth, but saw no sign of the top teeth. Then he began to sound a little congested so we took him into the vet. 
The vet x-rayed his mouth and found that the top teeth were not aligned properly and decided surgery was best to correct the problem. As you can imagine, anesthesia and bleeding are not easy on a squirrel, and Duey died during the operation. Although we miss our tough little guy terribly, at least we know he will not suffer and we did everything we could for him.
The vet x-rayed his mouth and found that the top teeth were not aligned properly and decided surgery was best to correct the problem. As you can imagine, anesthesia and bleeding are not easy on a squirrel, and Duey died during the operation. Although we miss our tough little guy terribly, at least we know he will not suffer and we did everything we could for him. On a happier note, we still have Cocoa - who we call Coconut because he is really nutty, even for a squirrel! He enjoys wrestling with the sticks in his cage. He recently moved to a larger transition cage so he can be outdoors and get accustomed to his new surroundings before we release him, which will be in a couple more weeks.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Adventures of a new intern
Meet Catie, our spring intern at the nature center! She's a student at The College at Brockport - State University of New York. After being a little unsure about handling a snake, she's now a big fan of Harley, our eastern kingsnake. He is a lovable guy!
On her first full day at the nature center, Catie was already assisting with an animal rescue. This loon was found on the beach. I showed her how to carefully scoop him up - which means stay well away from the bill! I could feel it's bite even through the thick Kevlar gloves. We're not completely sure what happened to this poor bird...possibly a shark bite? It's doing well at BEAKS, though, and we expect a full recovery and release!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
"Sea" otter?
Yesterday beachgoers at Amelia Island Plantation saw this ball of fur on the beach. Someone's fur coat??
Nope, this river otter! We'd gotten a report of him, but just had to check it out ourselves, as otters are not usually found on the beach. Sure enough, as soon as I approached the furball...up pops his head...and his teeth for that matter. Taking the hint, I backed away, but then he just curled back up to sleep! It had no injury, so the best we can imagine he'd gotten a little sidetracked while looking for food and ventured a little too far away from his normal stomping grounds, which is ponds, rivers, or the marsh. After getting worn out trying to swim in the surf, who wouldn't stop to take a nap?
A few hours later we checked on him again and he was gone, hopefully on his way back home!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Great Backyard Bird Count
2010 GBBC News Release:
Join the Great Backyard Bird Count
February 12-15, 2010
January 26, 2010—Bird watchers coast to coast are invited to take part in the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15, 2010. Participants in the free event will join tens of thousands of volunteers counting birds in their own backyards, local parks or wildlife refuges.
Each checklist submitted by these "citizen scientists" helps researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology,the National Audubon Society , and Bird Studies Canada learn more about how the birds are doing—and how to protect them. Last year, participants turned in more than 93,600 checklists online, creating the continent's largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded.
“Taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to get outside with family and friends, have fun, and help birds—all at the same time," said Audubon Education Vice President, Judy Braus. "Even if you can only identify a few species you can provide important information that enables scientists to learn more about how the environment is changing and how that affects our conservation priorities.”
Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from novice bird watchers to experts. Participants count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the event and report their sightings online at http://www.birdcount.org/. One 2009 participant said, “Thank you for the opportunity to participate in citizen science. I have had my eyes opened to a whole new interest and I love it!”“The GBBC is a perfect first step towards the sort of intensive monitoring needed to discover how birds are responding to environmental change,” said Janis Dickinson, the director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab. “Winter is such a vulnerable period for birds, so winter bird distributions are likely to be very sensitive to change. There is only one way—citizen science—to gather data on private lands where people live and GBBC has been doing this across the continent for many years.
GBBC has enormous potential both as an early warning system and in capturing and engaging people in more intensive sampling of birds across the landscape.”Bird populations are always shifting and changing. For example, 2009 GBBC data highlighted a huge southern invasion of Pine Siskins across much of the eastern United States. Participants counted 279,469 Pine Siskins on 18,528 checklists, as compared to the previous high of 38,977 birds on 4,069 checklists in 2005. Failure of seed crops farther north caused the siskins to move south to find their favorite food.On the http://www.birdcount.org/ website, participants can explore real-time maps and charts that show what others are reporting during the count. The site has tips to help identify birds and special materials for educators. Participants may also enter the GBBC photo contest by uploading images taken during the count. Many images will be featured in the GBBC website’s photo gallery.
All participants are entered in a drawing for prizes that include bird feeders, binoculars, books, CDs, and many other great birding products.
In 2010, Bird Studies Canada (BSC) joins the GBBC as the program's Canadian partner. "Bird Studies Canada is delighted to be the Canadian partner for this extremely valuable program," said George Finney, President of BSC. "Participating in the GBBC is an excellent way for Canadians to reconnect with their love of nature and birds."For more information about the GBBC, visit the website at http://www.birdcount.org/. Or contact the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at (800) 843-2473, gbbc@cornell.edu, or Audubon at (202) 861-2242 ext 3050, mailto:citizenscience@audubon.org In Canada, participants may contact Bird Studies Canada at 1- (888)- 448-2473 ext. 134 or mailto:gbbc@birdscanada.org The Great Backyard Bird Count is made possible, in part, by generous support from Wild Birds Unlimited.
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Images by 2009 GBBC participants: Black-capped Chickadee by Rodney Smith, WA; Bird watcher at window by Terie Rawn, NY; Pine Siskins by Steve Gillespie, WV.
February 12-15, 2010
January 26, 2010—Bird watchers coast to coast are invited to take part in the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15, 2010. Participants in the free event will join tens of thousands of volunteers counting birds in their own backyards, local parks or wildlife refuges.
Each checklist submitted by these "citizen scientists" helps researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology,the National Audubon Society , and Bird Studies Canada learn more about how the birds are doing—and how to protect them. Last year, participants turned in more than 93,600 checklists online, creating the continent's largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded.
“Taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to get outside with family and friends, have fun, and help birds—all at the same time," said Audubon Education Vice President, Judy Braus. "Even if you can only identify a few species you can provide important information that enables scientists to learn more about how the environment is changing and how that affects our conservation priorities.”
Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from novice bird watchers to experts. Participants count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the event and report their sightings online at http://www.birdcount.org/. One 2009 participant said, “Thank you for the opportunity to participate in citizen science. I have had my eyes opened to a whole new interest and I love it!”“The GBBC is a perfect first step towards the sort of intensive monitoring needed to discover how birds are responding to environmental change,” said Janis Dickinson, the director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab. “Winter is such a vulnerable period for birds, so winter bird distributions are likely to be very sensitive to change. There is only one way—citizen science—to gather data on private lands where people live and GBBC has been doing this across the continent for many years.
GBBC has enormous potential both as an early warning system and in capturing and engaging people in more intensive sampling of birds across the landscape.”Bird populations are always shifting and changing. For example, 2009 GBBC data highlighted a huge southern invasion of Pine Siskins across much of the eastern United States. Participants counted 279,469 Pine Siskins on 18,528 checklists, as compared to the previous high of 38,977 birds on 4,069 checklists in 2005. Failure of seed crops farther north caused the siskins to move south to find their favorite food.On the http://www.birdcount.org/ website, participants can explore real-time maps and charts that show what others are reporting during the count. The site has tips to help identify birds and special materials for educators. Participants may also enter the GBBC photo contest by uploading images taken during the count. Many images will be featured in the GBBC website’s photo gallery.
All participants are entered in a drawing for prizes that include bird feeders, binoculars, books, CDs, and many other great birding products.In 2010, Bird Studies Canada (BSC) joins the GBBC as the program's Canadian partner. "Bird Studies Canada is delighted to be the Canadian partner for this extremely valuable program," said George Finney, President of BSC. "Participating in the GBBC is an excellent way for Canadians to reconnect with their love of nature and birds."For more information about the GBBC, visit the website at http://www.birdcount.org/. Or contact the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at (800) 843-2473, gbbc@cornell.edu, or Audubon at (202) 861-2242 ext 3050, mailto:citizenscience@audubon.org In Canada, participants may contact Bird Studies Canada at 1- (888)- 448-2473 ext. 134 or mailto:gbbc@birdscanada.org The Great Backyard Bird Count is made possible, in part, by generous support from Wild Birds Unlimited.
#
Images by 2009 GBBC participants: Black-capped Chickadee by Rodney Smith, WA; Bird watcher at window by Terie Rawn, NY; Pine Siskins by Steve Gillespie, WV.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
An Alien Invader...
Last week this alien invader was found on one of our golf courses...not from a different planet, but from a different island...Cuba! This Cuban Tree Frog was named Lou because they are sometimes found in people's toilets! Yuck!The Cuban Tree Frog is an invasive species in Florida...meaning it is non-native (or alien) and
it's introduction causes economic or environmental harm. They eat native animals, including worms, insects, snakes, lizards, small mammals and even other frogs - including the native Squirrel and Green Tree Frogs. Their skin secretes a toxic mucus that can burn the eyes and trigger an allergic reaction. They can live 5-10years.
Lou was found nearly frozen after the unusually chilly weather we've been having. He died a day later. Please educate yourself about invasive animals and plants in your area so that you can correctly identify them and prevent their spread. http://www.fws.gov/invasives/ is a great place to start.
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