Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween from the wildlife department! – some gruesome views and some cute!

Check out this comfy oppossum nest!

Check out this comfy opossum nest! Wild opossums may make nests similar to this to sleep in during the day and are sometimes nomadic.

Snake bodies are one big muscle!

Midland rat snake, black morph was super active today. Isn’t it amazing how she can climb the wall like that? Snake bodies are one big muscle!

Coyote Love!!

Got some coyote love today! Check out that footprint!

Today was rat cutting up day!!

I do some crazy things at work. It’s part of the fun, but sometimes gross job I have.

Today was rat cutting up day. When we get large rats, we cut them into small bites for our birds.

Red Wolves Scat!

The Red Wolves version of Stonehenge!! We call it Poophenge!!

Wow!!

Check out our female American Bald Eagle's feet! Amazingly powerful and large! A whopping 1600 psi per foot! You can see the scales on her legs, too - she is an avian reptile!

This Is How Big I think I Am!

This is how big I think I am!

This is how big I really am!!

American Kestrel in patient room at Fillauer LLC

This is our American Kestrel waiting in the patient room at Fillauer LLC | Orthotics and Prosthetics Manufacturer. She has a wing amputation that has been giving her some trouble. Fillauer has graciously agreed to help her out with a device that will protect her stump and provide some balance. More to come!

Meet our Coyotes - JW and Loki

This is our one year old coyote pup that we’ve had since he was approximately 11 weeks old. We call him JW (short for John Walter)

This is JW and Loki, our other one year old coyote.  We recently introduced them together and they are getting along splendidly! They are currently off exhibit with hopes of a new on exhibit enclosure being built for them allowing us to better teach about Red Wolf and Coyote relationships.

Look for more posts on how we got them.

Bones to pick

This is a before and after of a turkey leg eaten by the vultures. 

Aren’t they good at their job!

Before

After

Nap time!

After a long day at work on the computer and selecting my lunch to be

prepared, it's time for a well-deserved nap!

A good way to cool down!

This is one of my many awesome co-workers. 

When it's hot, many of them like a spritz of water!

Female Red Tailed Hawk is lucky to have lived

Have you been to the nature center and seen our female Red Tailed Hawk?

Almost all of our birds were hit by cars and the Red Tailed Hawk is no exception. These

pictures show what happened to her. 

That's wildlife rehabilitator Lynne McCoy who helped rescue her. 

The Red Tailed Hawk has a permanent shoulder injury and is partially flighted. 

She would never be able to hunt well

enough to feed herself, so she lives with us as an animal ambassador educating our visitors and school children about her species and their

importance to planet earth and its eco-systems.

Lots of feathered friends!

This is another one of my co-workers, Broad Winged Hawk!

We hope for pups next Spring!

This litter of 5 Red Wolf pups were born in 2007 at the nature center. We

had another litter in 2011. 

This year we had a pseudo pregnancy. With some

luck and love, we'll have another litter next year!  The pups are so

beautiful and such a delight to watch grow and change!

Cooling off!

When it’s hot, we mist the animals. 

You can see how much Great Horned Owl loves it!

Peanut butter for groundhog!

The peanut butter fairy strikes again!

A new prostheses

This is our American Kestrel. She is an amputee and we have been trying out new prostheses for her stump. 

So far, this one works the best – a modified finger splint!

It's about the journey

Taking the King snake for a walk! 

A successful fishing trip!

Taylor went fishing with our campers and brought back some of their catch for our American Bald Eagle. Look at her in the background anxiously waiting! 

Some of the fish were put in her pond and one was fed to her.

Everybody likes a cool dip in summer!

Tiger Salamander taking a leisurely swim!

A surprise nest!

You never know who might make a home in your car while you are working! Check out this wren’s nest made in the back of a co-worker’s truck!

Nothing stays clean for long!

Just another day at work in the wildlife department!

2014 Red Wolf Summit! We need your support!

From Wildlife Curator Tish Gailmard

Every year, I attend the Red Wolf Summit meeting where we determine the next year’s Red Wolf breeding pairs and companion pairs, hear several speakers, and discuss all things Red Wolf.

This is a critical meeting as so many important decisions are made. As a member of the Red Wolf advisory committee, my attendance is very important.

With your interest and support of our Red Wolves, I’d like to request your financial support for this meeting--I need to raise additional funds to make the trip.

If you wish to donate, you may call 423-821-1160 x 0 to pay by credit card or mail a check to Reflection Riding, 400 Garden Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419.

All contributions are greatly appreciated!

Get outdoors and play!

It's a busy summer, but don't forget to get outside and enjoy some nature!

Sleepy Afternoons!

One of the female Red Wolves is having a sleep afternoon at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center!

Crow chatter!

Can you see the crow on top of the Clinic building?

That’s a wild Fish Crow that has been visiting our captive Fish Crow. 

They talk and talk!

Beak care for Red Tailed Hawk

Trimming Red Tailed Hawk’s beak!

New Eagle's nest!

New Eagle nest re-build. 

Awesome job by Shaw Industries Lafayette plant! 

This re-build is the best and is built to last!

Watch out for those talons!

This is Jeremy and Taylor trimming talons on our Red Tailed Hawk. 

She’s wrapped  up in the towel!

A wild bird of prey would be able to keep their beaks and talons trimmed in the wild by the different food they eat and perches they use. While we give them different substrates for perches, they cannot effectively keep their beaks and talons trimmed well so we have to help them!

Egg Mania!!

The Sandhill Cranes laid one egg about 3 weeks ago. 

We have to take the egg from them, but when we do that, the female lays more and more eggs. This season, we put 2 false eggs on the nest. Both the male and female have taken to them and are sharing incubating duties! 

After a period of time, they will recognize that the eggs are not going to hatch and will lose interest in them. Then we can remove them. 

While the Cranes are in egg mode, they are very aggressive and we have to use different husbandry techniques! 

Watch out for those sharp beaks and strong kicks!

Famous Red Wolf author to visit Reflection Riding May 18

DeLene Beeland, author of the The Secret World of Red Wolves is coming to visit us May 18!!

I am very excited to be hosting this meet and greet with DeLene. 

She will present a Powerpoint program, field questions, autograph books and take us out to see our Red Wolves.

Her Red Wolf book is newly published and very well received. This is not a boring science book – this is a page turning beautiful story of the Red Wolf and its fight to survive.

Please check out our website www.chattanooganaturecenter.org to get more info and reserve your spot. 

You don’t want to miss this one!