On Monday July 18th, we admitted a nestling Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax). The bird was brought in by a National Zoo employee who also volunteers at City Wildlife, after the nestling fell from its nest into one of the crane enclosures at the National Zoo. The nestling is covered in down, but it has not fledged yet, meaning it [Read More …]
Plan to Plant Native: Build A Pollinator Garden
BUILDING a pollinator garden is one of the best ways to help support local wildlife (and humans!). Pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, are essential to a healthy ecosystem. Close to 75% of all flowering plants rely on pollinators for seed and fruit production. Those plants are responsible for providing much of the air we breath and the [Read More …]
Raptors In Our City
Catching sight of a Cooper’s Hawk is usually just a matter of being attentive. Until a few decades ago, they were considered relatively rare in urban and suburban areas. Today, Cooper’s Hawks are notorious for stalking bird feeders where they can pick off unsuspecting birds for an easy meal. Some studies show that their numbers are actually higher [Read More …]
Odyssey of an Urban Box Turtle
Whether it was in the wild or in captivity, most of us have seen a box turtle at least once in our lives. At the time, we may not have given this small reptile much consideration. They move slowly, lumbering along on their short legs and seldom seem interested in interacting with the curious humans who cross their path. They generally retreat at [Read More …]
Pesticide Use Impacts Gardens And Wildlife
Whether you garden on a large or small scale, what you do has consequences. Sometimes there is something obvious like baby birds drowning in a backyard pond after mosquito spraying, but usually the effects are slow and largely invisible unless we know what to look for. The truth is that any action we take, whether it is planting native or [Read More …]
How You Can Help Baby Birds This Spring
Leave Fledglings Alone. During the spring and summer you will probably see quite a few baby birds hopping around on the ground. These are most likely young birds who are learning to fly, also known as fledglings. Fledglings get their name because they are at the stage where their feathers and wing muscles are developed enough for them to begin [Read More …]
Profile Of An Eastern Screech Owl
A Trill Sounds In The Night Chances are you’ve never seen an Eastern Screech Owl but you have probably heard one. This tiny owl has a voice of a bird many times its size. Their haunting trill sounds at dusk and continues through the night and into the very early morning. Like most owls, Eastern Screech Owls are nocturnal. They hunker down in [Read More …]
The Truth About Opossums
Virginia Opossums Get a Bad Rap People often blame them for things they didn’t do such as tipping garbage cans or killing chickens. A lot of the time the only major complaint people have about them is simply that they are there. Opossums usually don’t tip the trash cans or dig up gardens but they often stop to clean up the mess left by another [Read More …]
