News From The Mews

Last week I wrote about taking a big leap with Otto the Great Horned Owl. We stepped out the door! While it was a huge accomplishment, we still have plenty of work to do in this arena. Otto wasn't exactly happy with the new arrangement. Stepping outside was scary for him. Now we need to work to make the Museum backyard a positive place. In our next training session, I didn't even ask him to step on glove. I asked him to go to the scale, hop to a perch, fly back to his hutch. Easy, fun stuff is important to give him a break from serious training. If every session was really difficult and near his limit, he may not want to participate any more.  Then I started thinking: how could I acclimate Otto to the world outside the door without going through the door every time? What if we tried the Engage/Disengage game?  This pattern game was popularized by dog trainers that work with fearful or reactive dogs, but I actually learned about it from a cat behavior consultant. The idea is t...

I am lucky to have two fantastic mentors at the moment. One specializes in cat behavior, while the other is a raptor-savvy trainer. They have both given me advice recently that, though different in context, was surprisingly similar. Essentially they said that you're never going to feel 100% ready for the next step; at some point, you just have to make the leap. When I set a goal date of stepping out the mew door with Otto the Great Horned Owl on my glove in two weeks, it sounded impossible. But I figured if my raptor mentor had confidence in us, I should have a little confidence, too.  I stepped into the mew on our goal date, forcing myself to act as if this session would be no big deal. I didn't want Otto to sense my nerves. I didn't feel quite ready to make a big move, but I knew I had to cross a mental threshold before we could get past the physical one. I could hear my mentors in my head saying, go for it ! And we did! We walked out the door!  I wish we had a better pho...

Checking on the birds is an auditory experience now. When Carson the Red-tailed Hawk hears my key unlock the padlock on the outer door, she starts squawking and grumbling. I can hear Aldo trilling away while Carson jumps down to the corner that she has designated as her nest. Every piece of newspaper, paper towel tube, or sticks in the mew were pulled into that corner and she sits there protectively with her wings and tail flared. It's no wonder that Carson is feeling "nesty." This is the time of year that Red-tails are building nests and even laying eggs. I love to keep track of the live camera on a Red-tailed Hawk nest in New York. In addition to being a fascinating view, it helps me understand Carson's behavior this time of year.  On the camera, the female called "Big Red" has laid three eggs recently and she takes turns incubating with her mate, "Arthur." I can't wait to see their first fluff-ball hatch in 35 - 42 days!

My heart skipped a beat as I scanned the rat snake's habitat. My eyes darted between all of her favorite hiding spots. But Emory was no where to be seen. Panic rising, I unlocked the door and heard a rustle. I breathed a sigh of relief as I looked up to see Emory climbing along the top edge of the habitat. She hadn't escaped like I feared! Rat snakes are actually quite good climbers. They are known to climb into shrubs and trees to find their next snack, perhaps a baby bird or egg, or even a sleeping bat!

Welcome to the new News From The Mews blog site! To see the archive of articles from 2016-2023, visit the old site at: https://cablemuseum.wixsite.com/nftm