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 March
Weather In April
The weather always varies in the spring
but this year it is even more dramatic. One day
the temperature was a hot 83 and the next day it was in
the 30s with 40 mph gusts. There was some damage from
freezing last night (20s) but it is too early to be
definitive. We are preparing to expand the wildflower
meadow in the demonstration wildlife habitat but it is
difficult to get in the mood when snow flurries are
swirling around you and your feet are cold. But, the
weatherman says warm temperatures are on the way.
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Call Experts If You Find A Wildlife Baby
In Your
Yard
Diane
Cook holds two four-week-old Raccoons
By Lana
Berkowitz
STRANDED dolphins
make headlines, but these days you are more likely to
find a tiny rabbit or squirrel in your
backyard.
The annual wild-baby boom often
spills into our streets, attics and garages, and that
prompts concerned humans to call wildlife experts to
care for the babies they find.
"We're knee-deep in squirrels right
now," said Roslyn Even, director of the Texas Wildlife
Rehabilitation Coalition in Houston. Orphaned squirrels
often are found after a storm blows through or trees
come down.
The organization also is caring
for little opossums, rabbits and raccoons. Frogs and
turtles come and go. The influx of baby birds is
expected soon.
It is best to call the experts
before you... More
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Bluebird'
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Photos also available in 8X10, 11x14,
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Usually he's the
"Bluebird of Happiness" but here he appears ruffled and
disgusted with the onset of colder weather in this
photograph by Michael L. Smith. This is one of the most
famous nature photographs ever created and originally
was seen in a National Geographic Society birding book.
Each print is hand signed by the photographer.
OUR GUARANTEE is unconditional and 100%
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Find more nature products in the Nature Shop
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Gloriosa Daisy
(Rudbeckia hirta) is found in every state.
Photo
taken at
WindStar demonstration habitat byTom
Patrick
By Judy
O'Rourke SANTA CLARITA,
CA--The city has long sought to encircle Santa
Clarita with a greenbelt, but a local environmentalist
wants to embroider it with a big green patchwork
quilt.
Nature lover Barbara
Wampole backs a voluntary plan in which folks plant
wildlife-friendly habitats in their yards. Over time,
the hundreds of gardens could roughly enjoin, creating a
blanket of mottled green.
"People
are looking for ways to make a difference as individuals
at a time when they think there are serious
environmental issues," Wampole said. "Oftentimes they
feel they can't do anything as an individual. This gives
them the opportunity to do something meaningful and
joyful at the same time."
Wampole's garden
is among tens of thousands that have been certified as
wildlife habitats across the country. Participants agree
to provide natural amenities for birds, animals and
beneficial insects.
Wampole's
rented Castaic home sits on a sprawling ranch that
attracts three varieties of owls, migratory birds,
foxes, coyotes and bobcats... More
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Wildlife Photo of the Week
White-eyed Vireo by Arlene Ripley appears to
be posing for his portrait in
Jug Bay
Wetlands Sanctuary
in Anne Arundel
County, Maryland
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Ten
More Easy Bird Songs You
Know
Eastern
Kingbird sings away. Taken by Arlene Ripley during
volunteering for a fall migration study at Jug Bay
Wetlands Sanctuary.
By Scott
Shalaway
THE KEY to learning bird
songs is to build confidence by learning the easy songs
first.
Last week I reviewed 10
common species that everyone who reads this column
surely recognizes, even if they don't realize it. This
week I'll describe the songs of 10 more birds that are
easy to learn. It's just a matter of knowing how to
listen.
The American Robin is
probably the most easily recognized bird in North
America thanks, in large part, to its habit of hunting
for worms in
backyards.
Despite its familiarity, many people have
never connected the bird to its... More |
Florida Couple Creates Nature
Room
The Jeffersons attract many
butterflies to their wildlife habitat by planting native
plants. This Tiger Swallowtail is typical. Photo by
Leisa's Images.
By Steven D. Barnes
DELTONA, FL--
Driving through Christy and Dennis Jefferson's Twin
Lakes subdivision, it's clear that few if any of the
large oaks and pines remain.
The couple said that, as with many such
neighborhoods, nearly all of the original vegetation was
removed to make room for the tidy, middle-class homes
set off from the street by large swaths of thirsty St.
Augustine grass.
The front of the
Jefferson house looks much like other homes in the
neighborhood except for a colorful flower bed that is
expanding slowly toward the street. It's not likely to
get much bigger, though, because homeowner-association
rules require a uniform look anchored by the ubiquitous
manicured lawn.
But out back, it's
a different story... More
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 NOW
AVAILABLE
NEW!
WindStar National Master
Naturalist Course
More
Info Register
PLUS! WindStar Wildlife Habitat Naturalist
Course
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Be sure and sign up for the American
Wildlife Blog for the latest commentary and please feel
free to add comments of your own.
Have An EXCELLENT Day in your WILDLIFE
HABITAT!
Tom Patrick
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 WindStar Wildlife Institute
10072 Vista Ct.
Myersville, MD
21773
301-293-3351
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