Curtis Warrenfeltz sent several photos of a pileated woodpecker feeding its babies in a tree hole at Stumpy Lake. Steve Daniel sent photos of the woodpecker, too.
Randa Gustard in Kempsville sent photos of a little male pine warbler feeding on mealworms from her hand. See it on my blog. See also Jonathan Snyder’s photo of an eastern kingbird perched among the pink-red berries of a serviceberry tree at Stumpy Lake and read Harvey Seargeant’s tale of freeing a squirrel in Portsmouth from a collar it had round its neck.
Carolyn Osmond sent a photo of a small bright red and black wheel bug nymph in her Windsor Woods yard. Wheel bugs are also called assassin bugs. Both the little nymph and its parents can pack a mean bite. On the other hand, wheel bugs are beneficial insects and are good for the garden. They won’t jump on you to bite, but don’t handle them.
Pam Monahan sent a very cute photo of a young rabbit standing straight up, almost as if on tiptoes, to reach a tasty leaf in Monahan’s West Neck yard. “I have always been curious about how those cute, adorable eastern cottontails can wreak havoc in the garden,” Monahan said. “I now know!”
Lorinda Vincent sent a close-up photo of two pretty yellow goldfinches at her feeder in her yard in the Stumpy Lake area.
Rose Hipple in Kempsville photographed a great crested flycatcher with an insect in its mouth. The territorial bird has been attacking his image in her window, thinking that he is fending off intruding males!
Mack Barefield sent several photos of bluebird parents feeding and coaxing their young from the birdhouse. “It is absolutely miraculous how all this new life unfolds in such a short time,” Barefield said.
Denise Maples in Kempsville also sent a stunning photo of a male hummer, its throat shimmering with color.
Steve Daniel photographed a diamondback terrapin at the water’s edge on the Chesapeake Bay beach 100 yards from the Lynnhaven Inlet. These critters occasionally roam from their river salt marsh habitat.
Wendy Romine photographed what she thinks is a muskrat. It has been going back and forth across their cove in the early morning and evenings and “drags greenery” along, most probably to build its den.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
London has about eight million trees across the capital, backed up by countless young saplings. The trees provide food and shelter for wildlife, including woodland specialists such as great spotted woodpeckers, now raising their young in nest holes high above the ground.
The recently-hatched chicks are calling to their parents in high-pitched peeps and squeals, and fattening up on a diet of insects and larvae. The chicks will fledge and leave the nest after about three weeks — some will go with mum, others with dad — to explore our woods, parks and gardens.
ES Views: Lack of police has also led to soldiers on out streets
Great spotted woodpeckers are perhaps best known for their loud “drumming”, in which they strike dead trees and branches with their bills in short, rapid bursts. The noise advertises ownership of territories and keeps couples in touch. Some have even learnt to hammer on old rooftop TV aerials, sending out a noisy signal to their woodpecker neighbours.
They can chisel 10cm deep into trees in search of larvae but enjoy a wide diet that includes beetles, ants and spiders, pine-cone seeds, berries and nuts. They may raid the nest holes of smaller birds for eggs and chicks, and will visit bird feeders for peanuts and suet. Blackbird-sized but rather more resplendent, they sport a dashing coat of black and white, with white shoulder patches and Superman-style red “underwear” beneath the tail. Males also boast a red patch behind their head.
Lesser spotted woodpeckers are similarly attired but smaller, about the size of a house sparrow. While the great spotted is increasing in numbers the lesser spotted is seldom seen in the capital, although it was once more commonplace. To enjoy the sight of woodpeckers and woodland wildlife, check out London Tree Week, starting tomorrow.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Two downy woodpeckers and a barred owl were among the 94animals admitted to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida last week.
Other admissions include a black-crowned night-heron, a snowy egret, a black skimmer, a black racer and a marsh rabbit.
Getting the downy woodpeckers the help they needed required information, communication and skill. A homeowner on Marco Island cut down a row of trees on his property. As he was looking through the brush he noticed three woodpeckers on the ground. Not knowing what to do or how to contact the hospital, he left the babies on the ground. Twenty-four hours later hospital staff received a message about the situation. The homeowner was contacted; unfortunately he hadn’t checked on the babies for over 10 hours and he wasn’t home so he couldn’t go out to check if the babies were still alive.
A volunteer from Marco Island went to the site and searched for the babies. He found a yard full of woodpecker activity.
Our volunteer found two live baby downy woodpeckers still in the brush pile where they had been hiding since the tree was cut down. Amazingly, the adult downy woodpeckers were still tending to the babies on the ground. Our volunteer was concerned about the amount of time the babies had been on the ground so he brought them to the wildlife hospital for a check-up.
The health check on the two downy woodpeckers showed they were in good condition. Hospital staff knew the parents were around so we planned to re-nest. An old branch that contained a downy woodpecker nest cavity that was at the hospital from a previous admission was used as the “new” nest for the two babies. The branch containing the baby woodpeckers was attached to a bit of tree trunk that hadn’t been cut down.
Hospital staff didn’t need to wait and watch to verify if the adult woodpeckers would continue to care for their babies in the “new” nest cavity – the mother downy woodpecker was literally waiting with a bug in her mouth while staff secured the branch in place. As soon as our worker stepped away the mother went to the hole to feed her babies!
A typically re-nesting isn’t always so obviously and instantly successful; sometimes it takes a few minutes or hours to verify the adults have returned to care for their young.
Successes such as this reinforce the need for people to put in the time and any effort it might take to reunite wild animal babies with their parents – it is amazing to witness.
Interestingly, there was another cut tree in the same yard that contained an active red-bellied woodpecker nest. The homeowner had noticed this nest and attached the portion of the cut tree containing the nest cavity and baby red-bellied woodpeckers to a nearby stump. The adult red-bellied woodpeckers were not deterred and adjusted to the new location of their nest as well and were caring for their babies.
Please check any trees for active nests before doing any trimming or removal. If you find an active nest avoid performing any work until the nest is no longer active. If you accidentally cut down a nest, bring the babies to the hospital for care. Injured babies must receive professional medical care. Depending on the situation, healthy babies may be re-nested so they can grow up in the wild, learning skills from their parents needed to survive on their own.
The barred owl was admitted after being found stuck in the mud in a roadside ditch in south Lee County. The owl was hypothermic but alert. Our first priority was to raise the owl’s body temperature. The bird was given subcutaneous electrolytes and placed in an animal intensive care unit which has controlled temperature and humidity. After several hours of warmth, the owl was given a bath to rinse some of the mud from its feathers. Pain medication and electrolytes were administered and the owl was returned to the intensive care unit for the night.
An exam the following morning showed the owl was slightly more responsive but was tachycardic and had harsh lung sounds on inspiration. An antibiotic, as well as Chinese herbs, were added to the owl’s treatment plan.
The owl received a second bath and within another 24 hours was eating on its own. After several days of treatment, the owl no longer required the intensive care unit. The owl was moved to an indoor cage and continues to gain strength as it recovers in the bird room at the wildlife hospital.
Recent Releases
A Florida brown snake, an eastern screech owl, three downy woodpeckers, four common grackles, three northern mockingbirds, four blue jays, a mourning dove, six eastern cottontails, a Swainson’s thrush, a painted bunting, three brown thrashers, three mottled ducks, four Virginia opossums, a yellow-bellied slider and a broad-winged hawk were released this past week.
Opportunities to Help
Please join us in celebrating the Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s annual Wildlife Hospital Baby Shower on Saturday, June 3rd. Visit the Conservancy website at www.conservancy.org/babyshower for details on how to get involved and help us continue to provide quality care to the hundreds of baby animals we will care for this season. All donations are truly vital in helping us continue our work to protect Southwest Florida’s wildlife.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Vancouver authorities stumbled upon a sobering indicator of the city’s opioid problem this week.
Vancouver Police Department Superintendent Michelle Davey tweeted a photo showing a pigeon nest made of opioid needles.
“Pigeons spotted making a nest out of #needles in a #DTES SRO room,” she said. “Sad reality of the #opioidcrisis #fentanyl #frontline #notstaged.”
Staff Sgt. Randy Fincham said the photo was taken in the British Columbia city’s Downtown Eastside neighborhood by a homeless outreach coordinator. The officer, according to the Vancouver Courrier, saw pigeons fly out of the room before snapping the shot of a rundown dirty sink filled needles and three white eggs.
Vancouver has become a hot spot for drugs such as heroin coming in from the Pacific Ocean, reports PRI. Many of the drugs, PRI wrote, stay in the Downtown Eastside neighborhood.
The VPD said the photo was shared, “to show the reality of drug use in the Downtown Eastside,” and to start, “a conversation about the harm reduction efforts of first responders, and the need for treatment options for substance users.”
In the U.S., heroin use has increased in both men and women and across income levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bolstered by huge increases in cases involving heroin, Americans are dying from drug overdoses at more than double the rate they did in 1999.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
NAMPA, Idaho (AP) — Too many pigeons in downtown Nampa have been causing problems for the area’s buildings and patrons.
The urban renewal agency recently approved a plan to allow a city resident to live-trap the pigeons for free, the Idaho Press-Tribune reported.
The birds’ poop is the main concern, said Randy Haverfield, chairman of the agency.
“It’s something to be concerned about,” Haverfield said. “We just need to get (them) under control.”
The poop damages rooftops’ paint and exterior surfaces, said Brian Foster, city facilities management superintendent. The amount is also a health risk to employees performing maintenance on the roofs, he said.
Air is filtered into the city’s library, but the massive amounts of poop on its roof could contain hazardous bacteria.
About 30 pigeons currently occupy the library’s roof. Foster said he has seen that number increase to 60 pigeons.
The resident who will be trapping the birds, Tim Ault, used to trap them in the 1980s when they were a problem downtown. Nampa Mayor Bob Henry vouched for his expertise.
“We’ve got a real problem, and he’s very successful with what he does,” Henry said.
Ault would use the pigeons he traps for dog training, Henry said.
The city has looked into netting to guard the building from the birds, but officials said that could block maintenance work to the structure and would cost about $10,000.
In previous years, the city put spike strips on the parking garage, which is another choice spot for pigeons.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
