With awareness that just a few months ago, sharpshooters were two blocks from my home carrying out their approved shoot of over a hundred deer, I was overjoyed to see this fawn in my neighborhood. We Love Animals - White tailed deer fawn, 2018

I live in a big city but also just a few blocks from Rock Creek National Park. This means I’ve been fortunate to see many species of local wildlife up close and personal, like this fawn whose portrait I took last week. Not everyone that lives in my area feels “fortunate”, because some of the wildlife include deer that like to browse (eat) nicely landscaped gardens and yards. For the most part, we’ve learned to peacefully coexist with the local wildlife by learning about their behavior and diets, which means learning what they don’t like to eat. Peaceful coexistence doesn’t mean we have no wildlife moving through our yard, rather, it means we’ve learned to manage the potential conflict between us and them. I wouldn’t have it any other way. The opportunity to see wildlife up close and personal is priceless, educational, inspirational, and something everyone should have a chance to experience.

 

The story of white-tailed deer in our neighborhood is not without controversy. Prompted by a decline in forest regeneration, Rock Creek Park officials initiated a public process to create a plan, finalized in 2012, for quickly reducing the density of deer in the park to support long-term protection and restoration of native plants and to promote a healthy and diverse forest (https://www.nps.gov/rocr/learn/management/white-tailed-deer-management.htm). As part of implementing the deer management plan, this past winter, parts of the park were closed off at night and sharpshooters entered to cull (shoot) the deer down to numbers the Park determined were feasible.

 

Wildlife management specialists recognize that shooting animals (“lethal control”) is one means of managing conflicts with them; others include fertility control; moving animals to other places where their numbers are lower (translocation); using repellants; and putting up fences, among others. All of these methods have various tradeoffs, risks, costs, and levels of effectiveness. Culling deer is not uncommon in the United States. Perhaps it’s a culture of hunting that makes it so common. There’s a group in Michigan that maintains a list of many areas in the U.S. that have resorted to lethal deer culling methods (https://www.wc4eb.org/what/herd-reduction/culling/).
 

As a wildlife professional, I recognize that wildlife management decisions often have to be made, and sometimes they’ll involve lethal methods that are very difficult to contemplate. For example, official documents describe the lethal methods that were used in Rock Creek Park as follows:

“Every effort will be made to conduct the shootings as humanely as possible. Deer injured during the operation will be euthanized as quickly as possible to minimize suffering…. Bait stations will likely be used to attract deer to safe removal locations, concentrate deer, improve removal success, and allow the maximum use of ground as a backstop (i.e., shooting will be directed downward toward the ground). ...In very limited locations, deer removal may be done using archery (bow and arrow). ...Deer will be captured with nets, traps, or chemical immobilization by dart gun and euthanized as humanely as possible. If trapped or netted, deer will be immobilized prior to any type of euthanasia being administered. Euthanasia methods would include those approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association and could include use of a penetrating captive bolt gun, chemical injection, or exsanguination [the action of draining a person, animal, or organ of blood]. Several methods of wildlife trapping could be used, including but not limited to drop nets and box traps. Most trapping methods involve using bait to attract deer to a specific area or trap." (https://www.nps.gov/rocr/learn/management/upload/ROCR-Deer-Management-Plan-ROD-May-1-2012.pdf)

 

We have to trust that the cull was carried out humanely and that difficult actions like this result in preserving opportunities for future generations to experience and benefit from the natural world.

What inspires me as a wildlife photographer is knowing that the animal in front of the lens is much more than just fur or feathers, but often a companion and healer. Wildlife rehabilitators, animal rescuers, and everyday pet owners and animal caretakers know the impact that an animal in need, or even a healthy, strong, and loving animal can have on our human hearts and spirits. Its powerful and its real. More and more, the human-animal bond is a recommended prescription for reducing stress, depression, and anxiety.

 

There’s science and very compelling personal accounts that show animals may provide unique elements to address Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  PTSD is a mental health problem that may develop after a person has been exposed to one or more traumatic events. Traumatic events that may cause PTSD include physical or sexual assault, war-related combat stress, terrorism, natural or man-made disasters, and other threats on a person’s life. Not everyone with PTSD has been through a dangerous event. Some experiences, like the sudden, unexpected death of a loved one, can also cause PTSD https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml). We often associate PTSD with war veterans, but it’s not isolated to them. PTSD is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.

 

It’s natural to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation. Nearly everyone will experience a range of reactions after trauma, yet most people recover from initial symptoms naturally. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they’re not in danger.

 

Animal assisted interventions (AAI) is a broad term that’s now commonly used to describe the use of various species of animals in diverse manners beneficial to humans. Animal assisted therapy, education, and activities are examples of types of animal assisted intervention. (https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/Animal-Assisted-Interventions-Definitions.aspx).

 

For military members and veterans, the National Institutes of Health has reported that the addition of trained service dogs to usual care may result in meaningful improvements in PTSD symptoms. In research, military members and veterans with service dogs, compared to those on a waitlist, had lower depression, higher quality of life, and higher social functioning. There was lower absenteeism among those with a service dog who were employed.

 

Other research has shown that the presence of an animal:

• Acts as a comforting reminder that danger is no longer present
• Acts as a secure base for mindful experiences in the present
• Elicits positive emotions and warmth, which may reduce the emotional numbing that individuals with PTSD often experience.
• Can be a social facilitator that connects people and reduces loneliness which may assist individuals with PTSD to break out of isolation and connect to the humans around them.
• Has been linked to secretion of oxytocin (often called the “love hormone”) and reductions in anxious arousal which may be a particularly important feature for individuals who have experienced trauma.

 

Species other than dogs are used in AAI, including horses, different bird species, and wolves. An exceptionally powerful account of the healing power of birds (parrots) with military veterans suffering from PTSD is written by Dr. Lorin Lindner (https://www.lorinlindnerphd.com/), and just released in May 2018. This magical book (“Birds of a Feather: The True Story of Hope and the Healing Power of Animals”) beautifully and clearly describes not only how the course of Dr. Lindner’s life was changed by rescuing abused and neglected parrots, but how her course then changed, and saved, the lives of in-need military veterans. The traumatized and neglected birds elicited compassion and understanding from the traumatized and neglected veterans that took them into their care. Dr. Lindner’s book describes not only how animals impacted and changed the trajectory of her life but how the birds and the veterans’ lives were changed and saved through the human-animal bond. Among many accomplishments, Dr. Lindner is president of the Lockwood Animal Rescue Center (https://lockwoodarc.org/).

 

In addition to its use with military members and veterans, AAI has been related to increased social interaction among children with autism spectrum disorder, increased social behaviors and reduced agitation and aggression among persons with dementia, reduction in symptoms among patients with depression, and increased emotional well-being.

 

As we make medical advances, it’s necessary to remain vigilant in knowing that healing often comes from unexpected places. What inspires me as a wildlife photographer is knowing that the animal in front of the lens is much more than just fur or feathers, but often a companion and healer.

That Face - Barred Owl

 

RESOURCES:

American Veterinary Medical Association: https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/Animal-Assisted-Interventions-Guidelines.aspx

Animals & Society Institute: http://www.animalsandsociety.org/   

US Veterans Affairs: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/treatment/cope/dogs_and_ptsd.asp

National Animal Service Registry: https://www.nsarco.com/ptsd-service-dog-tasks.html

 

RESEARCH:

National Institutes of Health:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4248608/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4528099/

 

Psychology Today :

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animals-and-us/201411/does-animal-assisted-therapy-really-work;

 

Mayo Clinic :

http://www.mayo.edu/research/centers-programs/integrative-medicine-health-research/research-studies/pet-therapy-animal-assisted-therapy-studies

 

 

I just returned from a week in Costa Rica. First things first…one week is not enough. I’ll be making a return trip… or three! 

 

Many have visited this gem in Central America.

 

Once you’ve made the trip, it’s easy to understand why. Costa Rica is beautiful. Costa Ricans are friendly, accommodating, bright, and happy to show you their country. And there’s so much more that makes Costa Rica the kind of place I’m eager to invest my travel dollars and time in.

 

Here’s just a few highlights of this really special place (key source: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/847271468190746362/pdf/97489-CSD-P149582-Box391476B-PUBLIC-From-Good-to-Better.pdf)

• Despite being anchored in a Central American region rife with political and social turmoil until the late 20th century, Costa Rica stands out as the longest working democracy in Latin America.

 

• Costa Rica is ahead of other Latin American countries in the region in “governance” or its ability to govern effectively (see the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators project http://info.worldbank.org/governance/WGI/#home)).

 

• Costa Rica has set aside 26 percent of its land area for protected areas, including national parks; making it a welcoming destination for tourists.

 

• Renewable sources provide nearly 100% of Costa Rica's energy needs. Most from hydroelectric (dams), and the remaining from wind, geothermal, solar, and biomass.

 

• Sometimes referred to as the “Switzerland of Latin America,” Costa Rica’s strategy has brought economic, social, and environmental dividends, with sustained growth, upward mobility for a large share of the population, important gains in social indicators, and major achievements in reforestation and conservation.
  • Poverty rates in Costa Rica are among the lowest in Latin America and the Caribbean.
  • The Costa Rican middle class has become the largest socioeconomic group of the country, comprising about 47 percent of the population.
  • Costa Rica has built a world-­renowned “Green Trademark” centered on conservation, reforestation, and national parks. It’s the only tropical country in the world that has reversed deforestation, increasing the area covered by forests from 26 percent in 1983 to 52 percent in 2015.
  • Costa Rica is the only country in Latin America that adopted the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2021. This is all about climate change. Carbon neutrality means, for example, that organizations, businesses and individuals remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they put in to it. The overall goal of carbon neutrality is to achieve a zero-carbon footprint.
• Costa Rica is an eco-tourism pioneer. The resident naturalists who work in eco-tourism are exceptional and among the very best.

 

• Costa Rica has a tradition of negotiation over confrontation, social development over military spending and tolerance over hostility. 

 

• Costa Rica abolished its military forces in 1949 and since then devoted substantial resources to investment in health and education. It prioritizes investment in public education, including the university system, as well as technical and vocational training. Since 1869, public education in Costa Rica is free and mandatory. 

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• Its literacy rate is 96% and life expectancy is 79.3 years.

 

• Costa Rica accounts for only 0.03 percent of the earth's surface, yet it contains nearly 6 percent of the world's biodiversity.

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This visit to Costa Rica was at the end of the dry season, which runs from December to April. Different regions of the country experience the dry season a little differently. If you visit during the dry season -- depending on where you travel -- you might see a lot of brown (similar to many parts of the US in fall and winter) or you might see some brown and some green. In any event, before your visit, do your research on the dry/wet season timing. Also, find a good, local, nature guide for the region you’re visiting. Trip Advisor can help a bit with that.

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Visit the “Landscape and Nature” and “More Wildlife” galleries to see my photographs of sloths, toucans, monkeys, red-eyed tree frogs, stunning sunsets and more. Hover over the images – those with Costa Rica in the title are from this outing.

 

Three-Toed Sloth, Costa Rica

Every March we rally up for “March Madness”. The annual men’s college basketball tournament where 68 college teams who’ve earned the right to play in the tournament get a chance to play for a national title or maybe just a chance to compete in the sweet 16, elite 8, or final four. Those who watch the Madness know that every year there are upsets…meaning, for example, the number 5 ranked team may get beat by the number 22 ranked team. If you’re a bracket player you have to plan for these kind of upsets, even though they’re essentially unpredictable. Madness-fans never know how things will turn out.  A history making example happened this year when the number one seeded team in the south region (University of Virginia) was defeated by the number 16 seeded team (University of Maryland-Baltimore County). Another stunning upset occurred when number 11 seeded Loyola-Chicago defeated a string of higher-seeded teams. Both of these upsets “busted” my bracket, but like many others who watch the Madness, I loved seeing the underdogs overcome the odds and create a new destiny for themselves.  A lot has been written about underdogs and there’s some science behind why we humans like to see an underdog overcome the odds. A key reason is that we see inequity in life and a winning underdog restores a sense of equity, fairness, and levels the playing field.  The routine, but necessary ranking of teams that precedes the Madness, explicitly engages a sense of inequity and sets the stage for underdog fans everywhere. We want to believe in a fair world and the winning underdog makes our dreams a reality.  

What does it take to be a winning underdog? Here’s some insight. (Source for some information provided: https://hutchcraft.com/blogs/ron-hutchcrafts-blogs/worth/four-things-all-successful-underdogs-have-in-common)

Underdogs shine when they let underestimation become their motivation. No one else may think you’re up to the task, but YOU do. Not because of some inflated ego, but because you have confidence from knowing you were born with the gifts it takes to succeed.  

Underdogs know that money, pedigree, and status don’t always decide success: heart, tenacity, and will to win do. Some of the biggest heroes in history were underdogs. The Bible’s King David (the guy that beat Goliath) was the short, young guy whose own dad didn’t think he had what it took to succeed. Abraham Lincoln was a tall, awkward, bad speaker that grew up in a log cabin and barely attended school. Only once in the last ten years has the MLB team with the highest payroll won the World Series. Even if you don’t have the most resources, you can ALWAYS choose to have the most “undefeatable” spirit. Peacemaker -  Jackson Wyoming

Underdogs succeed because they say no to fear. Underdogs choose faith over fear. Successful underdogs put aside fears of going up against the powerhouses and take one game at a time instead of worrying about who they’ll take on next. Don’t sit around worrying about whether you’re as equipped as the next person to “win”. “Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the disregard of it.” Successful underdogs become champions when they live that motto.

Successful underdogs respond well to adversity. The reason no one picks that perfect bracket is because sometimes the “experts”, the decision makers, are wrong in their assessments of strengths and weaknesses. Maybe a decision maker in your life has been wrong about you. So, what? You can decide to respond to being slighted in one of two ways: by saying “you’re probably right” and retreating to your corner or saying “I know I’m better than you think I am” and let being underestimated motivate you to being even better.

Underdogs have other people that believe in them. One of the greatest and true, underdog stories about the racehorse Seabiscuit demonstrates that the support, compassion, faith and belief of others is critical. YouTube has a short trailer from the 2003 academy award nominated movie about the horse Seabiscuit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv6RnFTlu4I). Seabiscuit was sired by the legendary Man o’ War racehorse (https://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/man-o-war) but in his early years didn’t produce the racing wins of his father; he ran funny; was temperamental; mistreated by his caretakers; and run into the ground on a grueling race circuit. He was rehabilitated by a new owner and trainer who changed his diet, got him a companion horse, let him get adequate rest, and created for this animal the right conditions to win. Under new owners, trainers, and a jockey that believed in him and treated him with compassion and intelligence, Seabiscuit went on to beat American horse racing records and odds of all types. Once an underdog, now a legend.

Back to Madness... the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers is made up of young men that believe in and support each other, led by a Coach (Porter Moser) and a 98-year old team chaplain (Sister Jean Delores Schmidt, AKA “Sister Jean”) that also believe in them and set their stage for success.

There are so many inspiring underdog stories that show what happens when others’ underestimation of us is turned into motivation for success.

 

In honor of women’s history month (http://www.nwhp.org/2018-theme-honorees/), I’m excited to write about two women pioneers who devoted themselves to environmental and wildlife conservation -- Rosalie Edge and Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

 

We can agree that there are more than a few women environmental pioneers. These two women are stand outs because they were tenacious and bold at a time and place when women were encouraged to be neither. There was simply no one who had done what they were striving for. They listened to their hearts and went against the grain when it was unpopular. They withstood criticism, the loss of friends and family, at times isolation and alienation, and attempts by others to publicly humiliate and embarrass them. These women paved the way for other women and men. They lit a path for others, and ultimately became leaders in creating protections for some of our nation’s most valued and cherished natural resources.

 

I first learned about Rosalie Edge from the book “Rosalie Edge, Hawk of Mercy: The Activist Who Saved Nature from the Conservationists”, by Dyana Z. Furmansky. As one of the earliest environmental pioneers, in 1934, Rosalie Edge founded the world's first preserve for birds of prey — Hawk Mountain Sanctuary near Kempton, Pennsylvania. Hawk Mountain's web site describes how Rosalie Edge leased the land for the sanctuary, having been spurred by photographs showing massive hawk kills by hunters during hawk migration periods (http://www.hawkmountain.org/who-we-are/history/page.aspx?id=387). Rosalie Edge, who had an early life of privilege and wealth, accomplished other impressive feats for the environment and conservation, including tackling the Audubon society which in its early days was not a shining example of a conservation group. She testified before Congress in her lifetime and was a powerful voice and advocate for conservation.

 

In the forward to the book I cite above, Bill McKibben (http://www.billmckibben.com/) writes:

 “Edge had the same patrician access that defined conservation for most of the twentieth century, but thank heaven she didn’t play by the same rules. She wrote new ones, most importantly with her willingness to forgo politeness and accommodation when necessary. She spoke and wrote with vehemence and urgency, and hence was a thorn in the side to the more staid environmentalists of her day. These kinds of battles are still underway of course, and she is an inspiration to those of us who must sometimes fight almost as hard to move the establishment “green groups” that dominate Washington discourse as we do the Congress or White House.”

 

Marjory Stoneman Douglas was best known for her staunch defense of the Florida Everglades against efforts to drain it and reclaim land for development. Like Rosalie Edge, she was a fighter.  

She wrote the 1947 bestseller “The Everglades: River of Grass”, which changed forever the way Americans look at wetlands,” according to her New York Times obituary. The book transformed popular views of the Everglades from a worthless swamp to a treasured river. “There would most likely be no Everglades wilderness without her,” the Times noted.

 

According to a profile of Douglas on the National Park Service website: 

“In the 1950s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rose to the top of her list of enemies. In a major construction program, a complex system of canals, levees, dams, and pump stations was built to provide protection from seasonal flooding to former marsh land—now being used for agriculture and real estate development. Long before scientists became alarmed about the effects on the natural ecosystems of south Florida, Mrs. Douglas was railing at officials for destroying wetlands, eliminating sheetflow of water, and upsetting the natural cycles upon which the entire system depends.”

 

Some close readers may recognize that the recent and tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida was at the high school named after Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Of the many commentaries I’ve read since that heartbreaking day, one struck me. It noted that Marjory Stoneman Douglas would likely have been incredibly proud of the student activists at the school that bears her name who have stood up in the face of this tragedy and are now effectively using their voices to bring about change, just as she did.

 

Douglas once said:

“Be a nuisance where it counts. Do your part to inform and stimulate the public to join your action."

 

Young Lesser Black-backed Gull

 

I just returned from a perfect-weather week in beautiful Southwest Florida. I’ve visited this area a few times. One of my favorite places for photography in Southwest Florida is the Big Cypress National Preserve area (https://www.nps.gov/bicy/index.htm).

 

Big Cypress Preserve, a National Park, covers about 729,000 acres of a freshwater swamp ecosystem. It provides refuge to a wide variety of plants and animals. Big Cypress was created in 1974, to protect the water quality, natural resources, and ecological integrity of the Big Cypress Swamp. This is a unique and beautifully protected ecosystem and landscape. This area was impacted by Hurricane Irma which hit this past September (2017). Fortunately, the impacts were generally not acute and damage was isolated.

 

Big Cypress National Preserve provides so many opportunities to see really beautiful and some rare wading and diving birds (wood stork, herons, egrets, ibis, roseate spoonbill, anhinga, cormorant), raptors (red shouldered hawks, osprey, vultures), alligators, snakes, and turtles.  Hover over the wildlife names in parens and click on links revealed to see photos I’ve added to the gallery from this recent trip. 

 

There were lots of highlights of this trip, but one really stuck with me. One early morning while photographing in the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge (https://www.fws.gov/refuge/ten_thousand_islands/) I saw something (Loch Ness Monster??, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Ness_Monster) moving slowly about 150 yards out in the shallow water. I initially thought it was an alligator, which were common here.  

 

Just so I had a record, I took several photos of this “thing” off in the distance (see the upper half of the photo below). As I continued shooting other photos of the incredible mangrove and wetlands landscape before me, this “thing” kept moving at a good pace toward the tower I was on. The tower about 20 feet up, provided for public viewing, was on a walkway just at the edge of the wetlands area.  As “thing” got closer, I could see “thing” was a turtle. Next thought …. this is a REALLY big turtle. I started taking LOTS of pictures!  

 

The photo on the lower half below shows what “thing” was – a Florida Soft Shell Turtle.  The turtle was generally submerged in the shallow murky water and occasionally raised its head up for air.  I had to do some homework on this reptilian turtle because I’ve just never seen anything like it. Here’s a few good sources I used (https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Apalone_ferox/; http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Turtles-Tortoises/Turtle-Care/Soft-Shelled-Turtle-Information-and-Care/; http://www.petguide.com/breeds/turtle/smooth-softshell-turtle/). These turtles are found primarily in the south. They’re called soft-shelled because their shell is actually a leathery-like skin.  Florida soft-shells are the largest species of soft-shells in North America. Females can reach up to two feet and weigh over 40 pounds. This is the size of a medium-size dog. That’s a big turtle.

 

The turtle I had an opportunity to photograph was quite large and appeared close to two feet, if not more. The photograph doesn’t reveal any neck or snout markings of a juvenile soft-shell. The general size leads me to believe this is an adult female. The pig-like snout on this turtle is  the strangest thing I’ve seen in a while, but it’s for real!  Check out the claws on the webbed foot that’s in the image. That’s for real too.

 

Florida soft-shells are carnivores.  They mostly eat fish and snails. However, they’re also known to prey on waterfowl like ducks, and even small-size herons. They have powerful jaws and a powerful bite.

 

In southern Florida, these turtles nest between mid-March and July. In a single season, the female can nest 2-7 times, and can produce almost 225 eggs every year. This is more than most other species of reptiles. (http://www.animalspot.net/florida-softshell-turtle.html) These reptilian turtles may live for more than 20 years in the wild, and 30+ years in captivity. Only alligators and humans pose a threat to adult soft-shell turtles.

 

The protected Florida ecosystems provide days of free wonder, enjoyment, education, and relaxation.

 

Near and Far - Florida Soft Shell TurtlePhotos Taken in Feb 2018 at Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge

In my January 30 post, I shared the photo and story about a banded Trumpeter Swan I encountered while out shooting (photos!) in Northern Ohio. I visited the North American Bird Banding program web site to report my sighting of this swan. I've heard back from the program and received a certificate of appreciation (so nice!) with information on this swan. In short, what we know because of the bird banding program is that this is a 12 year old female Trumpeter Swan. She was banded before she had learned to fly and in a location on Lake Erie about 20 miles from where I took from my photo. Trumpeter's can live 20-30 years so she's on her way to a long life. Trumpeter's form typically lifetime pair bonds when they're 3 to 4 years old and this female had her mate with her. I appreciate the work of the North American Bird Banding program and the individual from the Ohio Division of Wildlife who banded this bird. 

The North American Bird Banding Program also provided this important information:

"Bird banding is important for studying the movement, survival and behavior of birds. About 60 million birds representing hundreds of species have been banded in North America since 1904. About 4 million bands have been recovered and reported.

Data from banded birds are used in monitoring populations, setting hunting regulations, restoring endangered species, studying effects of environmental contaminants, and addressing such issues as Avian Influenza, bird hazards at airports, and crop depredations. Results from banding studies support national and international bird conservation programs such as Partners in Flight, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, and Wetlands for the Americas.

The North American Bird Banding Program is under the general direction of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Canadian Wildlife Service. Cooperators include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mexico's National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity and Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources; other federal, state and provincial conservation agencies; universities; amateur ornithologists; bird observatories; nature centers; nongovernmental organizations such as Ducks Unlimited and the National Audubon Society; environmental consulting firms and other private sector businesses. However, the most important partner in this cooperative venture is you, the person who voluntarily reported a recovered band.

Please Report Bands at www.reportband.gov"

North American Banded Bird Program

 

 

“Critter Cams” – Investing in Wildlife Protection and Conservation

One of my biggest “ah ha” moments came several years ago when I was on-line viewing the “critter cams” at the Wildlife Center of Virginia (https://www.wildlifecenter.org/critter-corner/critter-cam-landing). The Center has three live cams and also periodically offers a live cam into their animal hospital. To say I was totally awestruck when I first starting viewing the critter cams is incredibly understated. The live cams give any viewer a chance to see wildlife up close, learn about species, and understand what they need to survive. For wildlife rehabilitators, live animal cams enable the public to understand the challenges, demands, and skills and successes of wildlife rehabilitators.

Certainly, there’s a lot of superb animal cams or video production that enables the public to see up close the everyday work of rehabbers. Audubon provides a list of the top ten wildlife cams in the nation (http://www.audubon.org/news/top-10-wildlife-web-cams). Unfortunately, none focus on wildlife rehabilitators.  I’d love to hear about wildlife rehab centers that have live animal cams in place and the benefits they experience from them.

Live animal cams don’t come free and require investment of people and money to install and maintain. The “people and money” aspects of running a successful non-profit wildlife rehab center is something to plan and set priorities for. Sponsors and donations can be found. The Wildlife Center of Virginia has a program that enables the public to sponsor their critter cams (https://www.wildlifecenter.org/critter-corner/critter-cams/sponsors), which helps support operational costs. The Center lists on their web site the names, when provided, of past and future sponsors.  In a lot of cases these are private individuals who use their Critter Cam sponsorship as a birthday present or anniversary recognition, including remembering the passing of a loved one. 

Another larger scale example of sponsorship is at the Smithsonian National Zoo. Ford Motor Company sponsors the live Giant Panda Cam (https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/panda-cam).  Macy’s sponsors the live Lion cam (https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/lion-cam). These are just two, and there are other corporate sponsors.  

Last, not least…I love the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s “All About Birds” site which provides links to multiple live bird cams, including a live Albatross cam in Hawaii (http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/41/Laysan_Albatross/) and a live Red Tailed Hawk cam in Ithaca, NY (http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/16/Red-tailed_Hawks/). Some of these cams are business-sponsored.

People love watching animals. Wildlife rehabilitators provide a unique window into the world where people care about the animals that share our planet.  That’s something to see. The image below is a female bald eagle who is blind due to West Nile virus and permanently cared for at Back to the Wild in Castalia Ohio.

Blind Bald Eagle ProfileFemale bald eagle blinded by west nile virus and permanently cared for at Back to the Wild in Castalia Ohio.

As I was driving to the release location for the snowy owl (previous post!), I went past a large pond with dozens of waterfowl in it. The 10-acre pond is fed by artesian springs, which means it won't freeze and so it provides great habitat for waterfowl that winter in that area of northern Ohio. I promised myself I would stop by the pond the next day and get some shots of the dozens of geese, ducks and swans. My favorite images are now in the gallery (http://www.copperrangellc.com/p99590797). During my time there, two beautiful and large (!) swans swam up a few feet from the pond’s edge where I was taking shots. I noticed one of them had a band around its neck. The swan, pictured here, is a Trumpeter swan. Why banded?  Trumpeter swans were once endangered.  Market hunters and feather collectors had decimated Trumpeter swan populations by the late 1800s. Swan feathers adorned fashionable hats, women used swan skins as powder puffs, and the birds’ long flight feathers were coveted for writing quills. Aggressive conservation helped the species recover by the early 2000s. Banding allows for studying the movement, survival and behavior of swans, and many other birds also banded. The Ohio Division of Wildlife has completed annual trumpeter swan surveys since the species’ reintroduction in 1996. I reported my sighting of this banded Trumpeter to the North American Bird Banding Program, jointly administered by the United States Geological Survey and the Canadian Wildlife Service.  Depending on availability of records for this particular swan, I may learn more in a few weeks about its history. I can’t wait and I hope to share some news!  More cool facts about the Trumpeter swan are here, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Trumpeter_Swan/lifehistory.

Banded Trumpeter Swan