Tag Archives: wildlife

The Best Animals on the Internet

I thought I would use today’s blog to have some lighthearted fun to send us into the long weekend. I’m highlighting my favorite animal videos and stories that I’ve found around the web. They’re not long enough to warrant entire posts like the times I’ve talked about dog and capybara best friends or countries-crossing cats, but altogether they’ll make for an amusing way to start off the weekend early. The first video I want to share—my absolute favorite animal video online—features two adorable otters. They might be good friends or maybe they’re sweethearts, but they spend the majority of the … Continue reading →

Making a Safe Place for Wildlife

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Whether or not you have pets of your own doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the wildlife around you! You can turn your backyard into a mini-refuge for local wildlife who may be losing their regular habitats to development. First, ask yourself a few questions: What kind of wildlife do I want to attract? Are you interested in birds or butterflies? Do you want bug-eating guests like toads and bats? What kind of wildlife already lives in the area? What kind of plants can thrive in my yard? How will I provide food for the wildlife? How will I provide water … Continue reading →

Hunters Aren’t Evil and Other Things Researching Charities Taught Me

I have so many things to be grateful for that it makes me want to open my heart and wallet a little wider, especially at this time of year. However, I also want to be smart in my giving and make sure my donations are being well utilized. That’s why I spent some time researching animal rights, welfare, and service organizations, wildlife conservation organizations, and zoos and aquariums to see which ones used their monies most efficiently and effectively. Thanks to sites like Charity Navigator and the American Institute of Philanthropy I was able to accomplish my goal. But I … Continue reading →

Adventures with Murphy: Spotting Albino Critters

Today while I was walking Murphy we spotted yet another albino critter –this time a pure white chipmunk. What’s the Deal? I don’t know what it is about Murph. I don’t know if he draws them to him because he’s a white critter magnet of some kind. I don’t know if it’s because we take so many walks and that puts us in the right places to spot them. I don’t know if it has something to do with where we live –that maybe albino animals are more prevalent in the South. All I know is that I’ve walked dogs … Continue reading →

Happy Fall, Y’All!

Autumn’s here! The autumnal equinox took place at 5:51 a.m. Eastern time today. I wish it only felt more fall-like here in Nashville. We had a heck of a summer with above high temperatures. (Actually, we had a stretch of record-busting 100 degree days that made everything –people, plants, and pets—swelter.) Then we got a little reprieve the last two weeks. The air felt a little cooler in the mornings and evenings, and the highs were closer to seasonable. It started to take on fallish aspects. But from Thursday until today we were back to above-average temps for this time … Continue reading →

National Wildlife Day: How You Can Help

Last month I wrote about National Dog Day sponsored by the Animal Miracle Foundation. Today is another AMF sponsored day, National Wildlife Day. What It’s About Initially the woman who created these days, Colleen Paige, was going to have this one fall on June 6th. However, she changed it to September 4th to honor “the last day that Steve Irwin graced this planet.” The goal is to raise awareness of the non-domestic creatures those of us who are urban dwellers may forget about. The ones who are endangered or otherwise threatened, but who can be saved with a little help … Continue reading →

Radioactivity Less Dangerous to Animals Then Man?

Okay, this is a spooky thought: what if there was a radioactive wasteland too toxic for humans to live in but that animals had adapted to? Not only were they able to live there, but some species were thriving because man was no longer interfering with their environment? Sound like the plot of a science fiction book? Might make a good one, but it’s actually based on fact. The place? Chernobyl. Chernobyl fascinates me. I think because it scares me so much. It was just an ordinary day that went horribly wrong and left that part of Russia uninhabitable for … Continue reading →

Your Big Backyard

“Your Big Backyard” is a children’s magazine produced by the National Wildlife Federation. Geared toward readers ages 3-7, it’s a companion magazine to “Ranger Rick,” which is written for ages 7+. You can subscribe to “Your Big Backyard” for a year, at $17.95 for twelve issues. This is a savings of $2.00. And what do you get for your money? Each issue has a theme which is carried through from page to page. For instance, the June 2005 issue revolved around “Piggyback Riders.” Using this issue as a model, I’ll now show you what you can expect from future volumes … Continue reading →

Wild Baby Animals

So… you’ve found a wild animal that you think needs rescuing. Maybe there are no parents to be seen, and the baby is orphaned. Maybe it is injured, and needs help from a wildlife rehabilitator. But what if it isn’t a baby? Here are some tips to help you identify baby birds, mammals, and reptiles that you may encounter. Baby birds are not completely feathered. Baby birds are also wobbly when on the ground. If you find a bird on the ground who is completely feathered, it is probably a fledgling. Check the tail — no tail is probably a … Continue reading →

Finding a Wild Animal

If you’re a softie like I am, you want to rescue just about every animal you see. There used to be a three-legged fox that ran around the radio station I used to work at. I named him “Gimpy” and was determined to save him. He managed to elude me. Really the best thing to do if you find an injured wild animal is to call your nearest shelter or wildlife rehabilitation center. Even a baby animal can be dangerous sometimes. So is the animal really injured or sick? Some young animals, especially birds, can appear to be injured when … Continue reading →