News From The Mews

For a split second, I thought Aldo the kestrel was going gray. Then I realized the white specks on top of his head were not feathers turned gray. They were new feathers still inside their protective white sheath. The flakey keratin layer will fall off when the feathers are done growing. (As a side note, I found this fascinating article that describes how female kestrels get the best overwintering sites. Researchers traced the answer back to migration timing, molting, and chick-rearing roles! Read more here:  Being a Good American Kestrel Dad Comes at a Cost  )

When I planted a live pothos plant in the tree frog's habitat, I also added a moss pole. The column of damp moss would be the perfect place for new roots to settle in and the plant could grow vertically.  Months later, the plant had not anchored in the moss despite my gentle encouragement. The stem still flopped down unless it was tied to the pole. Then I noticed another stem standing tall against the back of the habitat. I poked at it. It didn't budge, like it was cemented in. The plant didn't like my custom moss pole, but it's roots found firm footing in the painted foam backdrop!

With Carson's permanent wing injury, I noticed that the Red-tailed Hawk sometimes had a hard time landing on perches. The biggest problem was the leap she had to make to the top of her hutch where I often leave her food. After seeing her miss the edge of the hutch a few times, I decided to add another shelf perch that would act like a set of steps up to the highest perch. Once it was installed, I wondered if Carson would actually use the new perch like I imagined. She did! Thanks to volunteer Tom for cutting Carson's new shelf perch!

My trusty Kaufman bird guide describes identifiable American Kestrel traits including a plain, two-toned tail: "Male has a red-brown tail with black tip."  Kaufman's American Kestrel images That's why I always scratch my head when I see Aldo's molted tail feathers. They never seem to match Kaufman's image of a solid brown tail. Even when I search the internet for kestrel tail photos, most depict this definition. Aldo's tail is much more interesting: Aldo the American Kestrel's molted tail feathers from this summer. There are some solid brown areas with black along the tip, but there is also spots of blue and checkered black and white. I'm not sure how unusual this tail is. One naturalist saw an atypically-tailed kestrel and noted, "this marks only the third time that I’ve observed wild kestrels with unusually marked tails." Others have documented frequent variation while banding kestrels . There is even variation in Aldo's tail from ...

I have maintained a trail camera as part of the Snapshot Wisconsin program for several years. Every few months, I trek off the trail at Wayside Wanderings Natural Play Area to change the camera's batteries and retrieve the memory card. The photos are uploaded to the statewide project where the DNR's wildlife biologists use the data to track wildlife trends.  This friendly raccoon stopped to pose for a photo in 2023. Last year, we got the opportunity to add a new type of data to our site. I installed a white-capped temperature sensor on the same tree as our camera. That small device recorded the air temperature every 15 minutes all winter long. In June, I removed the sensor and mailed it back to the Snapshot Wisconsin office.  Our tree with the trail cam and temperature sensor. I received an email this week with the subject, "Your Temperature Data." I was excited to open the document and see what the sensor measured. The winter's temperature bottomed out at -31.7°F...

I reviewed my lecture notes as I sat on the ferry. I had just reorganized my presentation on "How Animals Learn" and wanted to make sure I remembered my slide order for tonight's evening program on Madeline Island.  Standing on a little stage at the island's museum, I enjoyed sharing stories of animals I've worked with and the lessons I learned from them. The best way to learn how to train an animal is to practice, after all. That's why I end the program with The Training Game, a chance for us to train each other. I asked for a volunteer that I could teach a new behavior. The room was quiet for a moment. Then a group of three sisters eagerly started pointing at each other. One of those sisters good-naturedly agreed to join me on stage.  I explained that she could move around the stage and I would use a clicker to tell her when she's done something correct. I held out a paper towel tube. She took a step toward me. Click!  She returned to the starting positi...