Peepers

For the last couple of nights I have been hearing the peepers out in full force. Thursday evening was the first time this year that I have heard them. It is a sure sign of the warmer weather to come. Last night in rain there were tons of frogs and/or toads (hard to tell which when you are driving) all over Woodland Valley Road. I was driving slowly and trying to avoid squishing them (I try to do no harm if possible). They were of varying sizes and, to my surprise, there were several really large ones. I am accustom to seeing the little ones but I rarely see the big ones in the road. Anyway, it just made it feel more like the valley is coming alive after a long winter.

For those of you who want to see exactly what a peeper looks like here is a link to the Wikipedia page where they can be found.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Peeper

Best Outdoor Pet Category

Night of the Living Deer

Paul Misko sent this photo to us. Here is what he had to say about it.

"Looks like this deer got into the radio-active waste dump! She just showed up next to me and began shooting laser beams out of her eyes in order to knock apples down from the tree. They fell to the ground fully baked. Isn't nature amazing?"

Hmmmm........sounds like something strange is going on up there in the Woodland Park Association!

Open Mouths to Feed

Last Saturday, much to my distress, my cat came running towards me with a fledgling Cedar Waxwing in her mouth. Thank goodness I was able to get it away from her immediately. I called Joanne Rowley, the wonderful wildlife rehabilitator in Phoenicia. She said that I could release the bird unless it had puncture wounds from the cat's teeth. Unfortunately, she did, so I fed her (about every half hour) until Joanne could see her later in the day and give her antibiotics. It was lucky that she was easily identified because I knew exactly what she needed to eat. I took care of her all day Sunday too until Joanne could take her in Sunday night. See seems to be doing very well. She needs to stay on the antibiotics for about a week until the danger of infection passes. We plan to release her over the weekend. We would have done it Saturday but with the remnants of the hurricane passing through we have decided to wait.
We are lucky to have Joanne right here in our town. She does amazing work with creatures of all kinds. Right now she is also caring for 7 little flying squirrels that someone found in a tree they cut down. They were about a week old when they were brought to her. They are sooooo cute. She has to get up every few hours round the clock to feed them. What commitment!! At present she is caring for about 30 creatures of all kinds. When I go there I fell like I am visiting St. Francis.
I brought 2 nestlings to her last year when the tree with their nest came falling down onto WV road. I thought they were Blue Jays but they turned out to be Flickers. She and her network of rehabilitators raised them and they were released. Again, we (and all the injured and abandoned animals) are lucky to have such a caring person in our midst.














Doesn't she look like she is saying "Huh??"

PS - I want to take this opportunity to tell everyone that cat bites are EXTREMELY serious and almost always cause infection. I myself was 24 hours from being hospitalized with a bite from one of my own cats. When she bit me I cleaned the wound and put topical antibiotics on it for a full week but my leg got severely infected. Finally, I went to the doctor and he gave me a strong antibiotic but I had waited too long. Over the next four days my leg got progressively worse and I had to go to the emergency room and get a second even more powerful antibiotic. They told me at that time that if the infection did not start getting better in 24 hours that I would have to be checked in and given intravenous antibiotics. Thankfully, the second drug worked and it didn't come to that, but I am here to tell you that if you get bit by a cat seek medical attention immediately!

No Bats in the Belfrey

This was sent to me by WCA Member Dennis Havel, our Pantherkill Road Coorespondent:

The Pantherkill Report

BATS DYING IN NEW YORK

Recent reports from New York wildlife officials have indicated a massive die-off of bats in New York due to a fungus known as "white-nose syndrome". Bat counts in hibernation caves reveal a 90% decline in bat population since last year.

A resident on Pantherkill Road here in Woodland Valley recently told me of his encounter with bats on his property who were behaving strangely; flying erratically around him and falling to the ground at four o'clock on a sunny afternoon! Odd behavior for night-feeding bats normally only active at night.

Last night, I experimented in my yard by shining a bright halogen light into the night sky which always draws hordes of insects followed by dozens of hungry bats. The insects came as usual but not one bat was seen.

Among other things, bats are essential for controlling mosquitoes as well as moths and other flying insects. If the white-nose syndrome has hit the bats here in the Valley, we may be in for a mosquito infested Summer.

The DEC has requested that residents report any unusual behavior by bats.

For more information, CLICK HERE
Or read this article in the NY Times. Bats Perish, No One Knows Why.

Dennis Havel
Pantherkill Road

Bearly Noticeable

This photo was taken by Mark Braman on April 22 of a bear cub that showed up in his yard on his own. I guess the bears are out and about and looking for food. Everyone needs to bring the bird feeders in and be careful with their garbage again.

Strange Things in Their Backyard

Mike Ottavi sent these photos. I think there is something spooky going on in his backyard.
















This is like the village of the damned deer.
















Do you think they are shooting a remake of the Blair Witch Project here in Woodland Valley?
















This has got to be the longest deer on record. I should watch what I post, some fool will come up looking to hunt this creature. Or, this might be the beginning of a sort of a Woodland Valley "Big Foot" myth. We could call it "Long Torso".

Tracks

At this time of year it always fascinates me to see the tracks of all the different animals in my yard. Sometimes it almost looks like they are throwing a party while I am out or sleeping. I came across these wonderful, clear tracks and just had to take a photo. Can you guess what animal made them?

Beautiful Buck - Photo by Rannie Arp

This picture was taken yesterday outside my dining room window, "Does he know bow season is here".... I really hope he survives.