torontowildlifecentre.com

Building a healthy community for people and wildlife

City slickers

Update: Baby mink story

Bird-proof your windows

Lend us your trees

SUMMER 2014

Message from the Executive DirectorDid you know that September is one of our busiest months? There are still babies being

admitted, especially orphaned gray and red

squirrels, but injured migratory birds (many

that have hit windows) are coming in fast

and furious now. I hope you enjoy the guide

we’ve included to help you bird-proof your

windows at home!

With the start of a new school year, we sadly

say goodbye to many of our volunteers,

interns and all of our summer students, and

hope they had a great experience.

This has been and odd spring and summer

season. Although it has been very busy,

there have been noticeably fewer admissions

of some animals, like red foxes and killdeer.

I can’t help but wonder if the brutal winter

had an impact on their populations. Only

one baby mink (featured on pages 4 & 5)

was admitted this summer and I’m happy to

report that he was successfully released! He

slid into a beautiful pond in a marshy area

one warm summer evening and swam away.

The mink has since been seen swimming

and hunting along the shore.

Currently, 7 of the many animals in our

care are Species at Risk: 3 snapping turtles

(special concern), a peregrine falcon (special

concern), a milk snake (special concern), a

Blanding’s turtle (threatened), and an eastern

fox snake (endangered). Thanks to all you do

to help, they’ll have a second chance at life

in the richly bio-diverse areas where we live.

They couldn’t make it home without you!

Warm regards,

Nathalie Karvonen

Would you like TWC to present to your classroom, community group

or attend your next event? Visit torontowildlifecentre.com/education-presentations

for more details.

This tiny eastern small-footed bat, recently listed as an endangered species, was found thin, dehydrated and unable to fly. After a week in care he reclaimed his place in the wild, thanks to your support!Photo: Michael Barker

Presentations made possible

through the generous support of

Ontario Power Generation.

TWC’s hotline staff involved the rescue team after they received a call about eight oily geese. That number of oiled animals suggested that some kind of oil had reached a body of water and many more would be affected. The rescue team reported the spill to the authorities and went out every day for the next two weeks to search for oiled animals (they rescued 11) and for the source of the spill. They traced it to a small stormwater pond and suspect that a large amount of cooking oil had leaked into the sewer system.

The rescued animals have required multiple baths to remove the oil.

City Slickers

This killdeer is just one of dozens of animals affected by an oil spill in Vaughan in early August. Didn’t ready about it in the news? That’s not surprising. It was a vegetable oil spill. Not toxic like crude oil, but still potentially deadly for wildlife.

If you are concerned about what appears to be an oil spill or if you suspect a company of improperly disposing a pollutant, report it to the Spills Action Centre (416-325-3000). If you see a wild animal that looks like it has been in contact with a toxic substance, please call Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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In the wild: Minks are not rare, but are wary animals and are not often seen. They spend time hunting in wetland enivronments or along shorelines.

You can tell them apart from weasels by their dark chocolate colour and small white patch of fur under their chins.

Thanks to the support of people like you, this is just one of the many happy endings that occurs every day at Toronto Wildlife Centre.

As many of you know, this mink has a strange story. Only days old, he was abandoned on a shelf in a pet store, and the store owners brought him to TWC for help.

We are thrilled to share this happy update on the baby mink we mentioned in the last newsletter!

The tiny baby needed to be hand-fed every 2-3 hours, but also needed to be kept in a warm and very quiet place.

We called on one of our wonderful trained volunteer foster parents for help. She cared for the baby until he could be weaned and then he came back to the centre for the rehabilitative care that would prepare him for life in the wild.

They grow up so fast: Hardly recognizable as the helpless kit that arrived at TWC in May, the strong, healthy mink takes his first tentative steps in his new home.

With his coat glistening in the sunlight, the mink explores the shoreline before quickly swimming away.

Windows reflect clouds and trees, creating a mirror image of the outside world. To a bird, these reflections are deceptive and they fly into the glass at top speed. You can help prevent these accidents by bird-proofing your windows, especially during the spring and fall migration seasons. It is estimated that 100 million birds die every year in North America as a result of window collisions.

INJURED BIRDIf you find a bird on the ground that appears to be stunned, gently place the bird in a cardboard box with closed lid. Put the box in a quiet, safe place and don’t peek at the bird or give it any food or water. Call Toronto Wildlife Centre for help.

DECORATEHang strings of beads or other material on the outside of the window. Each string should cover the length of the window, and be hung no more than four inches apart.

Bird-Proof Your Windows

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Windows reflect clouds and trees, creating a mirror image of the outside world. To a bird, these reflections are deceptive and they fly into the glass at top speed. You can help prevent these accidents by bird-proofing your windows, especially during the spring and fall migration seasons. It is estimated that 100 million birds die every year in North America as a result of window collisions.

DECALSDecals on a window break up the reflection and identify it as an obstruction (birds can’t see glass). A single decal isn’t enough; they must be placed 2 inches apart horizontally or 4 inches apart vertically on the outside of the window to be effective.

SOAPRub a wet bar of soap across the outside of the entire window to leave a residue the birds can see and breaking up the reflection. The soap is easily washed away at the end of each migratory season.

Bird-Proof Your Windows

Illustration by harrisonartonline.com

Wildlife rehabilitation supervisor Aaron closely examines this endangered eastern fox snake. He was found in Markham, a long way from home (this rare species only exists in two places in the Great Lake basin).

Eastern fox snakes aren’t venomous, but they pretend they are. They vibrate their tails when threatened, mimicking the warning sound of a rattlesnake.

Every spring and fall, we admit hundreds of orphaned squirrels, care for them, and release them at the appropriate age. In the wild, teenage squirrels explore and then return to mom as they establish their own territories.

Squirrels that are returned to the wild along with a den box homebase are more likely to survive. If you have a tree on your property and are open to having a litter of squirrels with their den box released there, please email rescue@torontowildlifecentre.com

Lend a Tree

1 A red fox suffering from mange arrived at TWC curled up in his carrier. Today he is weak and emaciated, but he’ll stay in care until he heals and has put on a healthy amount of weight. In the meantime we’ll keep him occupied with enrichment items in his enclosure: rubber balls to paw around, phone books to shred, and pans of dirt full of tasty morsels to dig up. Instagram, August 21th

2 Just admitted: another group of baby bunnies. Eastern cottontails have litters all summer long! Twitter, July 17th

3 Eastern gray squirrels come in different hair colours, just like people! These are two brothers and one sister. Cute! Twitter, July 29th

4 Join the TWC team! We are looking for four hotline volunteers to cover one of these fours shifts: Tuesdays (8:30am to 1:30pm) Wednesdays (1:30pm to 6:30pm) Thursdays (8:30am to 1:30pm) Fridays (8:30am to 1:30pm) Email volunteers@torontowildlifecentre.com for more info. Facebook, August 26th

Can’t wait between newsletters? Connect with us online for daily updates like these:

Be the first to learn about new patients, see release pictures and videos, and get up-to-the-minute info about what is happening at Toronto Wildlife Centre.

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@TWC_WildlifeToronto Wildlife Centre @torontowildlifecentre

Birds sing to attract a mate, to protect territory, and to alert others to a threat. But there is a distinction. Generally, a bird’s song displays their strength and suitability as a mate, and calls provide info, like alerting others to danger.

Take the chickadee. The familiar chick-a-dee-dee-dee is their alarm call; the number of dees indicates the level of threat. The more melodic pee-bee is their song.

With almost 500 bird species in South-ern Ontario alone, it can be difficult to differentiate one bird sound from another! Some tips on the right.

Bird Sounds

These orphaned cedar waxwings required hand feeding every half hour when they arrived at TWC. They grew up quickly and were released. Adult cedar waxwings are a striking bird identifiable by the bright yellow tips of their tail feathers and black mask around their eyes.

The Language of Birds

Some birds have calls that sound like human phrases! Listen for these chatterboxes on your next nature walk or birdwatching expedition: Barred Owl Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you?

Yellow Warbler Sweet, sweet, sweet, I’m so sweet!

Eastern Towhee Drink your tea.

Great-horned Owl Who’s awake? Me too.

Many thanks to The Schad Foundation for all they have done to support the care of sick, injured and orphaned wild animals at Toronto Wildlife Centre.

Online at torontowildlifecentre.com/donate OR BY:

Cheque (made out to Toronto Wildlife Centre) OR:

Call (416) 631-0662 x 3207

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Please bring these items to TWC between 9am-6pm, 7 days a week. Pickup service not available. Other items, please email donations@torontowildlifecentre.com.

torontowildlifecentre.com/wishlistWishlist

• Evergreen and deciduous branches and twigs

• Unsalted sunflower and pumpkin seeds

• Walnuts, almonds and pecans with or without the shell. No peanuts please!

• Masking tape (1 inch)

• Digital kitchen scales

• Gloves: small- and medium-sized regular surgical gloves, and sizes 6 1/2 and 7 sterile surgical gloves

• Newspaper

• Bags of unfertilized soil

• Grocery store gift cards

Questions about wildlife? Call our

WILDLIFE HOTLINE: (416) 631-0662 General inquires (416) 631-0662 x 3205 or admin@torontowildlifecentre.com Donations (416) 631-0662 x 3207 or donations@torontowildlifecentre.com

4 -60 Carl Hall Road Toronto ON M3K 2C1

Charitable registration number: 141146290 RR0001

All business! Rescue team members Stacey and Sarrah aren’t on a break. They borrowed this paddle boat to rescue an injured goose who could still swim. Despite paddling as hard as they could, the goose was faster. They switched to a faster craft (kayak) and completed the rescue.