Welcome to the latest issue of the MLWC newsletter.
Our very own Covey! On June 4 we were presented by the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Department with nine newly-hatched California Quail (above photo.) They had fallen through the openings in a grate, into a storm drain. The parents watched from the bushes but vanished when K9 officer Maverick arrived. The Sheriff's office kept them overnight till we could be reached and then posted the story on their Facebook page. The quail were first kept in a plastic tub with a heating lamp and pad so they'd be warm and protected, and were later moved into a larger tub. As they got older, when we performed daily maintenance the youngsters would fly up frantically and were in danger of harming themselves on the roof and getting out. They needed more room!
On July 7 they were moved outdoors to a tent
with netting on the upper sides, which gave them light and a soft surface to hit in case they bolted. They were clearly calmer and happier after the move. The above photo is inside the tent two weeks before they were released. Their release was a little early, July 20, as a fox had been marking around the tent, and tents aren't totally predator-proof. They were released on MLWC property for several reasons: to catch all nine and transport them elsewhere would cause them a huge amount of stress, the habitat here is the appropriate one, and there are a large number of outdoor cats where they were found. After their release they moved into the grape arbor and under the propane tank there and tended to come out, eat, and scurry back in. We enjoyed having them there for a few weeks as they broadened their territory and moved out into the neighborhood.
Born under a lucky star! This little Oak Titmouse must not have felt at all lucky when it found itself stuck on a gluey fly trap, spread out so that almost all its feathers were affected. Fortunately, it was soon found by a neighbor of MLWC and quickly brought to us for care. Measures were taken to carefully free it from the fly trap and clean it. The second photo shows its pitiful state at that point, with many feathers gone and others pretty much wrecked. Drying it was a slow and delicate process. This entire ordeal is very high-stress for the bird and must be undertaken with the bird's temperature in mind to avoid its going into shock. In just over a month it had regrown its feathers, and they were fine, so the neighbor came to collect the bird and take it home to be released September 10. Luck won out in the end!
Not all birds or bats caught on gluey bug traps are so fortunate. If the traps are surrounded by hardware cloth, the bugs can reach them but not the other creatures. We've discussed this before, notably in the Summer 2016 newsletter. Please, if you do use such traps, make them safe for the birds and bats.
Farewell to a lovely being. On August 5 a Ring-Tail came into our care, the first one ever. She was from Columbia College and had been caught by the neck by something that shook her. She had puncture wounds on her throat along with spinal trauma and nerve damage on her left side, as well as severe dehydration, pneumonia, and was underweight. She was given fluids, food, and antibiotics, and she gained a little weight and made other improvements. It was a treat to have such an unusual creature with us. Alas, sometimes all our efforts aren't enough, and she passed during the night six days after coming in. It was an especially difficult loss.
Ring-Tails are relatives of raccoons but have been called Ring-Tailed Cats or Miner's Cats by some people since the Gold Rush days, when they were valued for their ability to catch mice and other "vermin." They are nocturnal, solitary, and shy and are very agile climbers. Their long tails help them balance on narrow ledges or branches and even allow them to reverse directions by performing a cartwheel! We were most fortunate to be able to share a little time with one.
Rapturous Ravens! Regular newsletter readers have followed the story of ravens Archie, Bishop, and Natty (Autumn 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018.) They've been part of our lives since May of last year. We did lose Archie in January, and then Natty needed to remain in care till her damaged feathers grew in again, and the overly tame Bishop needed to detach from humans some. We finally felt they were ready for release September 15 and opened the door here at the main MLWC location, where they'd made friends with two local ravens. They took an entire day to exit the cage! Food has been put out for them sometimes as they make the transition to the wild, but they have not taken advantage of that. They've been wonderful to get to know a little and are special and charming creatures ~ funny, inquisitive, determined, and very bright.
We hope to provide interesting articles and fun features, a look into the world of the creatures around us and the efforts required to help them when needed. Your comments regarding what you like and what you might like to see in the future are welcome. This is for your interest and enjoyment.
Denise Deatsch has been a real gift to MLWC. She's volunteered with us since our beginning and worked with our director when both were at Rose Wolf Wildlife, for a total of about ten years working with wildlife. Her love has always been songbirds, especially the "teenagers" and older ~ so lovely to see and hear, so varied, such charming personalities. She has an eight-foot flight cage for the MLWC birds in her care. Denise and her husband are birdwatchers and go on little trips to spot and enjoy these delightful creatures.
She can't choose a favorite species; she does note that some have more energy and spirit. Jays are lively; Robbins are calm and easy to take care of, as are Grosbeaks. "All are beautiful in their own way." Denise has about two dozen Zebra Finches of her own in her personal aviary. This summer they had five babies, a fairly large number; last year it was just two. She also has two lovebirds and a canary named Johnny Mathis. Songbirds have enriched her life in so many ways. She's glad MLWC has had more volunteers to help out this year, especially with feeding baby birds. This summer we had four-hour shifts from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM (though the latest shifts and most weekend shifts were covered by the director) for feeding baby birds at our main location, and it worked out very well. Denise took a weekly shift and really liked the new plan. Perhaps next year you'd like to take a shift and have the experience of feeding baby birds; it's like nothing else! We greatly appreciate all that Denise has shared of herself in the service of caring for songbirds.
Director’s Docket: Another baby season has passed. Animal intakes have slowed and the phones are quieter. This gives us time to take a breath, and reflect on the year and all that we are grateful for. We've handled over 230 animals to date with the most for one species being Western Screech Owls, 19 of them! They really need to learn how to avoid cars. Now our time shifts to clean up, organization, building and maintaining cages, all in preparation for next year. We couldn't do any of this without you. You care enough when you find an animal in need to get help for that animal. Thank you! When possible, your willingness to drive the animal to us saves us time and money. Thank you! Your generous donations of paper towels, kleenex, t-shirts, towels and sheets, means we are prepared and have lots on hand when needed. Thank you! Because of your generosity, we have money in the bank to buy what we need to do this job to the best of our ability. Thank You! -Laura Murphy
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Credits
Most of this newsletter was written by Helen Engledow and edited by her and Laura Murphy. Denise Deatsch provided her photo, and Helen Engledow, Laura Murphy (and Bernard Murphy) provided the remaining photos, except for the Yosemite Fall photo below which came from Pixabay.
“Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer. Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature's darlings. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed, but nature's sources never fail.”
John Muir, Our National Parks
Wish List
Reliable Volunteers - if you like working with your hands, we are currently building and maintaining cages Baby Songbird feeders for next year
4 hour shifts May thru September
Clorox or Lysol wipes
Paper Towels and Kleenex
Astroturf - long or short leaf
Heavy Duty Rubbermaid shelf liner
Gift cards - Lowe's, OSH, Amazon
- Gas Cards
old ice chests (we use these to transport donated frozen mice)
Mealworm Wranglers! We raise mealworms to feed some of the animals. We will train any Wrangler how to care for them. We will provide the plastic trays, the bran medium and carrots for food/moisture. Wranglers would maintain the colonies, sort when necessary, and keep the volunteers supplied with different sized mealworms. Interested?
Call 677-7249 for more information.
Currently in Care
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk Western Screech Owl
Band-tailed Pigeon
2 Western Gray Squirrels and just when we think we are in for a quiet winter since releasing Bishop and Natty, we get in (2) new different Common Ravens
