Paws 'N Claws
News from All Things Wild Rehabilitation, Inc.
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What's in this issue:
Holiday Greetings
Mordecai the Marvelous Mimic
Our 2022 Calendar
Why You Need an Owl House
Who Needs Feet?
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Best wishes for a Happy Holiday
from Ozzie and All Things Wild!
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Mordecai the Marvelous Mimic
Winter brings a slowdown in rehabilitation activities with no babies being born and orphaned, so this is a good time to tell you about our ambassador blue jay Mordecai.
Mordecai came to us as an orphaned fledging last spring. He was missing one eye, probably from birth. Since surviving in the wild with one eye would make him highly susceptible to predation, we decided to keep him as an ambassador.
Mordecai lives in our rehabilitation center. During the night, he sleeps in a large cage, but once daylight comes and the staff arrives, he is free to fly about the 2,400 square-foot building. And fly he does from ceiling beam to ceiling beam, occasionally landing nearby to satisfy his curiosity about something we are doing or flying close to our heads in a game.
You probably don’t know that blue jays, who are related to crows, are great mimics. Mordecai is no exception. During a normal day at the center, we can hear him imitate the power-washer, the microwave, screech owls, and chips from another bird we haven't identified yet. He does wolf calls and parts of songs he has heard repeatedly. He also says his name, but not on demand. The staff and volunteers join in with the fun repeating whistles to Mordecai and teaching him new sounds.
Scientists have done numerous studies on crows and know that they recognize human faces. In other words, they can tell us apart. We are pretty sure Mordecai recognizes our faces because he gets quiet and will retreat to his cage if a stranger is present.
You have heard blue jays imitating hawk calls in your backyard and probably didn’t know it. They sit in a tree near a bird feeder imitating a hawk, often a red-shouldered hawk, and when all the little birds fly away fearing the “hawk,” the blue jays take over the feeder.
For more information on blue jays, click HERE.
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Happy New Year 2022!
To start the New Year off right, get a 2022 calendar from All Things Wild. The calendar features our ambassador animals including Ozzie, the squirrel; Penelope, the opossum; Teddy, the skunk; Ginger, the screech owl; and Artemis, the barred owl. All the proceeds from the calendars go to help the wild animals.
Calendars are $15 each plus tax. Order your calendar on our website or pick them up at the center 512-897-0806.
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Why You Need an Owl House
Sam, our ambassador screech owl, models a screech owl house.
Eastern screech owls, those little guys, will begin nesting in January and February. Screech owls take readily to nest boxes and now is the time to put up a nest box for them. The owls would normally nest in cavities in trees, but so many trees have been cut down to make way for development that the little owls depend more and more on boxes provided by humans.
The female will lay two to six eggs on woods shavings that you put in the bottom of the nest box. The male will bring the food. The eggs are incubated for about 4 weeks followed by another 3-4 weeks of taking care of the nestlings. Once the youngsters have fledged from the nest, both parents continue feeding them for another 8-10 weeks.
All Things Wild has a limited number of screech owl boxes on sale for $60+tax each. Each house comes with a compete set of instructions. The houses are purposely unfinished, and there are ventilation holes because the nest with mom and chicks can get uncomfortably warm without adequate ventilation.
The resident owls often sit in the nest box opening.
To get a screech owl box to hang in your yard, please call the All Things Wild Rehabilitation Center at 512-897-0806 for information on picking up your box. Not only will a screech owl nest box make an interesting and unusual holiday gift, but you will also help perpetuate the species by giving the little owls a place to raise a family.
For more information on eastern screech owls, click HERE!
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Who Needs feet?
This muscovy duck has adapted to life without feet.
During this past year, we have received several birds, mostly doves, missing their digits or toes from frostbite incurred during last February’s freeze. Usually, they arrive in rehabilitation for other reasons, for example, car strikes or dog attacks, which tells us that they have adapted to life without toes.
Last spring, our rehabilitator in Taylor got a call from Animal Services saying that there was a muscovy duck at Murphy Park Lake walking funny. The duck was picked up and taken to a rehabilitator who specializes in ducks and geese.
A few days ago, we were dropping off a rescued goose when we got to see the muscovy duck. Apparently, at some point last spring, the duck’s frost-bitten feet fell off leaving her with only stumps. But she has overcome her disability and gets around well on the stumps. This just goes to show how resilient wildlife can be with a little TLC from people.
For more information on muscovy ducks, click HERE!
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