News From The Mews

  Great Horned Owls are fierce predators. They are sometimes known as "tigers of the night" and often hunt animals like snowshoe hares or skunks. These larger prey animals would require the owl's sharp, hooked beak to rip them into bite-size pieces.  Otto also loves to rip and shred with his beak. But he is on a carefully calculated diet so his meals tend to be made up of smaller items like mice. He can swallow even a large mouse in one gulp! We still give him the opportunity to rip and shred by hiding his mice inside layers of toilet paper tubes, newspaper, or egg cartons. By the end of his meal, all of that paper is reduced to confetti that I get to clean up later. We appreciate everyone that donated tubes and cartons for the birds over the last few months. We received so much that we ran out of storage space! If you have more to donate to the birds, please hang on to them and check back with us in a few months to see if we can accept more donations.

The Museum introduced live animals into its collection over 11 years ago. We are now home to 6 ambassador animals including raptors, snakes, and a frog. These critters came with a cost, including the necessary facilities, staff time required for care, and ongoing financial costs to provide what they need. There is also the ethical question of keeping wild animals in captivity. Why did the Museum take on the burden? Live animals seemed a perfect fit to fulfil our mission of " connecting people to Northwoods nature through educational experiences that inspire wonder, discovery, and responsibility ." Programs with these animals seem to do just that. During raptor programs or snake feedings, I have seen the wonder on audience members' faces, fielded fascinating questions from people wanting to discover more, and taught how we can help these animals in the wild. While my observations are useful to justify the live collections at the Museum, a study published recently looked at...

A rather philosophical question has been simmering in my thoughts recently. Why is it so common for us humans to be drawn to animals? Why do we love animals so much? In an interview with Karolina Westlund , she suggests that it's in our DNA. Thousands of years ago, some early humans formed bonds with animals. They domesticated dogs, sheep, and cows. Those connections allowed them to survive better than the humans that didn't care for animals. The animal lovers were better able to pass on their animal-lover genes to the next generations. Centuries later, we are still coded to seek out those connections. Julie Squires , a life coach for animal professionals, took a different approach to this question. "I think the fundamental reason we love animals is because they bring out the best in us. We like who we are when we are around animals." That certainly rings true for me. Even on my grumpiest days, just seeing my cat can make me smile. At work, a frazzled and distractable...

After the last Talon Talk of the summer, I walked Aldo back to his mew and noticed something odd. He had one long tail feather held at weird angle. I paused and Aldo began preening his tail. He focused on the three new feathers, short and still growing in. The long feather, the last old feather, seemed to droop below. After a few swipes with his beak, the old feather popped off and gracefully floated to the ground. Now he just needs to focus on growing that tail back! Aldo's loose tail feather droops against the glove. Aldo carefully preens his fresh new tail feathers.

It was a hot and humid day. I was feeling sluggish and the birds were, too. They always have water pans available to bathe in, but I wanted to try offering another cooling option.  Carson the Red-tailed Hawk loves taking a shower in the rain, so wouldn't she like a little mist from a spray bottle on a hot day? Unfortunately, she has always been uncomfortable around spray bottles and flees from them whenever they come out. On this steamy day, I decided to try a different approach. What if I gave her the power to turn the spray bottle on and off? I stepped in the mew and waited until she came close to me on the right side of the long perch. I sprayed a bit of water on her toes, then delivered a treat on the other side of the mew. I stepped back to my original position and waited. After a moment, Carson hopped back to the right side of the perch. The spray bottle turned on. This time she wasn't terribly comfortable and took a step to the side. The spray bottle turned off and I lef...

I have written previously about tail pattern variations between American Kestrels. But I became curious whether one individual's tail pattern changed over time. I dug out Aldo's molted feathers from previous years and it felt like a game of "Spot the Differences" in a Highlights magazine.  While we are missing a few feathers from each year (a full kestrel tail has 12 feathers), it seems that each feather is unique. Focusing on the two central feathers that have the most solid pattern, 2023 had more black and slate-blue splotches than 2019. This week I found those central feathers freshly molted in his mew and they seem to be even more patterned than before. I wonder if the splotches will continue to follow this trend and become more pronounced in future years?

Aldo the American Kestrel enjoyed his time in the sun by busily preening his feathers. Preening is one behavior we look for to see if he is comfortable on the glove. With his head tucked fully under his wing, he can't watch out for potential dangers so he must feel pretty confident that he is safe in the garden with me. He also showed several other comfort behaviors - can you spot them? Did you notice how he: roused (full body feather shake)? tucked one foot up in a ball? kept his feathers fluffed out, not slicked down? These are all signs that he was really enjoying himself!