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2001 Critters 2000 Critters 1998 Critters 1997 Critters Pre-1997 Critters

 

MALLARD Lousy picture but a good story.  This guy was "rescued" from being lunch for a peregrine falcon.  This drama happened in a backyard down by Lake George.  A wound on his shoulder forced cage rest for two weeks, then release.  He flew off with his buddies from that same backyard.

MOURNING DOVE Another "found on the side of the road" story.  She was young but eating on her own.  Stayed only briefly and took up residence in my backyard with our current flock.  Absolutely rained feathers whenever I touched her!

FOX KIT About 6 weeks old when his mom was killed by a car.  I had him only a few days before we found him a home with two other kits.  It's not good to try to raise these guys alone.  They need companions for play and learning, and so they don't get too used to people.

COYOTE Fellow rehabber Colleen Kimble got this little female in after its mother & brother were killed on the road.  She cared for her for several weeks before finding another rehabber with a coyote pup.  I babysat briefly.  Another happy ending!

Coyote again.  Hope she's having fun with her new companions.  She's got a lot of growing to do.

How to weigh a squirrel!  Actually, you have to put the lid on but that wouldn't make such a good picture.  This is a baby red.  I have three now ready for release Memorial Day weekend.  PS - they're released and having a blast in the woods behind my house.  They just screamed at me for dinner!

Fox Number 2 This little guy was found limping in the middle of the road in Warrensburg.  Colleen took him in and started him on antibiotics for a small wound.  Now he's scarfing up mice and is outside pacing his pen in my backyard.  He's in search of a playmate til release time.  Update - he got himself a playmate.

Here's fox number 2 just before release. Here's his playmate fox number 3.

Number 2 again

Merlin This little guy got away lucky.  He never had to be brought to me.  He fell out of his nest high in a pine tree on the banks of Lake George prematurely.  The folks whose backyard he was in followed directions to set him in a box and put him up as far as they could on the tree.  Mom & dad fed him there until he was ready to leave.  His siblings stayed in the nest and when they were all ready to go they were re-united.  A great happy ending.

Great Horned Owl People found this youngster in the middle of the road.  Not ready to feed on his own or fly yet.  No injuries so I just put him back for mom and dad to find.

They call these "branchers" because they hop from branch to branch until they learn how to fly. Here's his release picture.  I actually left him on top of a garage because he wouldn't stay on the branch.

 

Here's a slightly older great horned owl that Colleen took in.  This one unfortunately had to be put down as he had a wing injury which didn't heal properly and would never have been able to be released to the wild.

Had quite a few squirrels this year.  This one I received in terrible shape - really didn't expect him to live but he pulled through and is now living in my backyard.  (My backyard is in front of several hundred acres of woods)	This is one of three red squirrels I had for quite some time.  They still scream at me from the backyard.
	Golf Course Mallard This poor baby was hit in the leg by a golf ball.  The vet fixed her up and released her.  He tried to release her back to her mom but by the time her leg was fixed mom had forgotten her and she was rejected.

	Steel Pier Mallard This female mallard had a chunk taken out of her chest.  Don't know if it was boat accident or what.  She turned up in Lake George Village on the Steel Pier begging for food.  I got some help from folks hanging out there and captured her.  She stayed with me for several weeks on antibiotics and then was released back to her home turf.
	These cute little possums were tranferred to me for a larger cage prior to release.

This young gull had a fish hook stuck through its beak and fish line wrapped around it.  I found two of them like that this year.  This one was lucky and made it back to the wild.  It takes three to four years before they get their adult coloring.

This gull was found by the side of the road, probably hit by a car.  He stayed with me a few weeks til he felt better.  I can still recognize him by the crook in his tail.  Seemed to fly ok though.

This squirrel was turned in to me in early November.  She was very used to people and was on a junk food diet.  She'd been kept inside for too long to get used to the cold or grow in her winter coat.  You have to be careful with squirrels who've been on an unbalanced diet for too long.  They can develop a calcium deficiency which makes their bones brittle.  A squirrel with brittle bones who hasn't had enough exercise can get hurt real fast if it's just let loose into the wild.  This one needed a few months on a good diet and time outside in a large cage.  She did so well I released her after Christmas.

Grand Total for the year:  53 critters!  my busiest year (another like this and I'll have to retire from my real job)