Welcome to INSTINCTS

July 2014 Vol 4:3 “The newsletter helping you follow your Wild Instincts.”

BUSY, BUSY!! After a slow, cool start to the official Baby Season, things have gotten steadily busier. And busier! AND BUSIER!! We are bursting at the seams with patients and they just keep coming. We are even at capacity for several species. In addition to ravenous , we have many other babies: red foxes, coyote, bobcat, , ducks, eagles, , fawns, squirrels, hummingbird, merlin, ground squirrels- just to name a few. We also have a number of injured adult patients like eagles with lead poisoning or downy woodpeckers injured from hitting a

window or red squirrels from getting hit by Young baby beaver enjoys her grooming. a car. We even admitted a 2-3 day old orphaned We also admitted an adult female ruby- baby beaver the end of May with its throated hummingbird that had struck a umbilical cord still attached. After she was window. While she was in care, she laid an initially stabilized, she was transferred to egg. It was infertile so never hatched. We another wildlife rehab center that have it in our education collection. specializes in beaver. Beaver stay with their parents for two years. Fellow Mortals Wildlife Hospital , the center we transferred her to, has a yearling in care now so this one will have an older role model to learn from. Click HERE for adorable video!

Turtle Releases Finally the weather warmed up enough for the turtles that stayed with us all winter to be returned to the wild. They were in care from Nov 6, 2013 to May 20, 2014.

A hummingbird egg laid while female hummer was in care for injuries from hitting a window. www.wildinstinctsrehab.com 715-362-9453 (362-WILD) 715-490-2727(cell) 4621 Apperson Dr., Rhinelander, WI 54501

Friday the 13th in June was unusual in that just hours apart we admitted a 3-week old bobcat kitten and a 7-week old coyote pup. What is unusual is that BOTH these wild orphans were found and mistaken for domestic orphans. When taken to the vet to be checked out in the feline case or to the shelter in the canine case, the rescuers were informed they were not the domestic kitten and puppy they had thought. Both are growing like weeds and doing great! Coyote pup on day of admission, 6/13

Bobcat kitten resting. Growing up wild is hard work! (photo credit: Intern Susie)

First day in outside enclosure, 7/9

Attention Lake Associations For those of you trapping Rusty Crayfish from your lakes, we will gladly take them off your hands. They make tasty food for the raccoons, bears and otter we have. It’s a win-win. Your lake gets rid of an invasive species and our native species turn it into energy and fertilizer!

Left: Bobcat day of admission, 6/13; Right: Morning of 7/19.

www.wildinstinctsrehab.com 715-362-9453 (362-WILD) 715-490-2727(cell) 4621 Apperson Dr., Rhinelander, WI 54501

Packing Crate Reds Follow Up In Memory or Honor of Last newsletter told the story of a dad who Donations have been received purchased a birthday gift for his son. When ~ In Loving Memory of “Flutter”, the he got home and opened the box to look for sweetest dog in the world and to celebrate the instructions, he found the booklet “Yodette”, the new sweetest dog in the chewed up and two-week old squirrels world nestled inside. Update: They’ve been ~ In honor of Sara Mishefske’s birthday released! ~ In honor of all our fathers, those who live on in our hearts and minds and those still among us ~ In Honor of Linda Seiter’s retirement ~ In Memory of “Riley” Gartmann, a wonderful companion who brought smiles to many for 13 years ~ In Memory of Craig Fink and his love for snakes

Bears We are at capacity for cubs. Some lost their moms to cars, one mom climbed a utility pole and got electrocuted and two moms were illegally shot. At least one cub was just found wandering so we don’t know

Day of Admission 5/25/14 what happened it its mom. What we DO know, however, is baby bears eat a lot. A bunch of baby bears eat a LOT!

Sarah showing perspective to the bear chuck wagon. They are eating the equivalent of One Intern’s Length.

Day of Release! 7/8/14 Right now they are eating about 50 lbs of

food a day. That will only continue to

increase weekly until their release in

October.

If we had to buy all the produce they eat it

would cost about $3000 PER CUB!

We have approached every possible retailer

and contact about donations of expired

product. We have donors that bring bags of www.wildinstinctsrehab.com 715-362-9453 (362-WILD) 715-490-2727(cell) 4621 Apperson Dr., Rhinelander, WI 54501

produce weekly. We get some left overs from the food pantry. We’re working with a produce wholesaler to get their discards as well as purchase at a better price. Despite all this, right now we are buying about 40-50% of our needs, depending on the week. Remember, we still have raccoons, fawns, squirrels and others eating produce, too. You can help by donating produce. When you go buy bananas for yourself, consider some extra for the wild ones. See our wish Meghan about to release a litter of squirrels. list for a detailed list of needed produce. Every day, especially when I’m feeding the Not local? Gift cards to Walmart are always young Southern Flying Squirrel we have in welcome. our nursery (my favorite patient here) with an eyedropper, I look down at the squirrel In Their Own Words and think, “This is an amazing opportunity. Meghan Pluemer, UWSP I don’t know where else I would get the Wildlife Ecology/Captive Wildlife chance to work with such interesting Platteville, WI animals and learn so much from some incredible people.” I truly have learned so much while interning Being able to watch a patient’s growth – here at Wild Instincts. How to feed, handle, from a young animal with its eyes closed to and care for all the different species of growing to be an animal that is release age wildlife are just a few examples of the and able to survive on its own in the wild – things I’ve learned during the work hours of is a tremendous experience. Although this my internship. However, the learning job involves a lot of long hours and tough doesn’t stop when our work shift ends. daily work -- I’ve learned that a normal day Mark and Sharon have taken time out of for a rehabber leaves him or her covered in their busy schedules more than once to milk formula, feces, mosquito bites, and teach us everything from how to identify an other untraceable smudges -- watching the Ovenbird call to how to use a charcoal grill. releases and the growth of the patients Not even a week into our internship Mark makes the long hours all worth it. and Sharon offered to take us on a bird This internship is one of the greatest watching trip one morning. We all gathered experiences I have been a part of. The at Wild Instincts and headed to the nearby knowledge that is here continues to amaze boat landing. Once there, we hopped out me every day. Between Mark and Sharon, of the van and instantly Mark and Sharon the volunteers, and the other interns, I am were pointing out birds, handing the learning new things daily and I am so binoculars around, and replaying the grateful that I had the opportunity to intern birdcall on a CD player they had with them. at Wild Instincts and learn from all of these Another day, Sharon took the interns to the extraordinary people. trails around McNaughton Lake and pointed out plant and tree species – useful information for my future Treehaven course at UWSP. She also showed us bike trails and other recreational areas we can enjoy on our days off. www.wildinstinctsrehab.com 715-362-9453 (362-WILD) 715-490-2727(cell) 4621 Apperson Dr., Rhinelander, WI 54501

Sarah Keller helpless, hairless, eyes closed orphans. Graduate, University of Maine Before this internship I can honestly say I Orono, Maine have never had a warbler land on my head BS Wildlife Ecology and start demanding that I feed it. There have been hummingbirds and hawks, baby When you hear the phrase wildlife beaver and baby bears, and deer mice, rehabilitation you probably have some sort a call for a wolf rescue and a of mental image of what the job entails. release. Then there are the education birds; Before starting an internship here the showing off Ruby or socializing Amelia phrase conjured up images of resetting hardly feels like work at all. bones and patching up scrapes. Well it Wildlife rehab has its ups and its downs but turns out that is only a very small part of it certainly was a worthwhile experience what happens here. Patients are treated for that I am not likely to forget. any immediate injuries upon arrival but then I will leave you now with some wise and they require time to heal. There is no ‘take undying words from our fearless leader, these pills and get back to us in a week’. “Any questions, comments, concerns? Okay That means a lot of long term care for a lot go to lunch.” of different patients. For the interns that means a whole lot of preparing meals and In conclusion: the end.  cleaning. For some reason wild animals do not seem to respect the rules for basic indoor hygiene. It is awe inspiring how filthy even just a handful of bunnies can be, and I am convinced that the eaglets have contests to see which one of them can shoot their poop farthest across the room. In most jobs if you found feces smeared everywhere it would be a sign that something has gone horribly wrong, for us it’s just part of the daily. Now why would anyone want to work 14 hour days chopping vegetables and cleaning poop? Well the job is not without its perks. Coming from an ecology background my goal this summer was to get experience working up close and personal with wildlife. I was not disappointed. It does not get much more up close and personal than sticking your fingers in the mouth of a fully grown ticked off bald eagle in order to shove a tube down its throat because it Sarah “hardly at work” with Ruby at the Presque Isle could not keep down solid food. In what Country Fair. other profession could you bottle feed a baby bobcat and as the days go by watch it progress towards adulthood? It’s a very satisfying feeling to successfully release a batch of feisty, crazy-eyed red squirrels, that just several weeks prior had been www.wildinstinctsrehab.com 715-362-9453 (362-WILD) 715-490-2727(cell) 4621 Apperson Dr., Rhinelander, WI 54501

Susie Carlson, UWSP rehabilitation center is a learn-on-the-job Wildlife Ecology/Captive Wildlife & job. Sometimes, we learn to just be safe Environmental & Scientific Writing and layer the entire floor in newspaper Amherst, WI because eagles have the startling ability to find open, clean floor. Last summer, I volunteered at Wild Though much of what I’ve discussed Instincts for the month of June and this previously has been similar, there are a lot summer I’ve come back as a full-fledged of differences between this summer and last summer intern. My experiences from this June. I didn’t keep a species list last year (I and the previous summer are very similar should’ve, but I didn’t) and so telling the and very different at the same time. Let me species that are different from last year and elaborate. Mark and Sharon always say it’s this year are a little difficult. Most of the difficult to train for being a rehabber species we’ve worked with I had some because everything happens differently, experience with last year – squirrels, fawns, uniquely. Each case has a different robins, chipping sparrows, raccoons, geese, complication; each animal is an individual ducks, etc. and has individual problems, attitude, etc. This summer I’ve had the wonderful chance That’s sort of what I mean when I say my to work with animals that need a lot more experiences are very different and very training to handle and animals we just similar. didn’t have last summer. New species this Similarities in my experiences at Wild summer for me include a bobcat kitten, red Instincts are nice – I know what I’m doing fox, rough legged hawk, Sandhill crane, and or at least have an idea of what I’m doing. a rose-breasted grosbeak for starters. Much of my experience last summer involved basic intern duties – preparing food and feeding animals, cleaning, changing cage linens, scrubbing questionable things off of various surfaces. Though cleaning and being pooped upon isn’t glamorous, it also didn’t scare me away. The very same duties followed through to this summer; I’ve cleaned more eagle and raccoon poop off of cage walls and floors than I’d like to admit. I’ve washed plenty of dishes. And I have fed many squirrels many times. Cleaning and prepping food sounds like it would be the same year to year, but it’s not. Every day is different – but the same. Animals grow and as they grow they get different food. One day, the raccoons may be fed formula. The next day, they may be Susie preparing to release a bald eagle. off formula. But cleaning has to be the same all the time. Wrong. Each eagle has a The biggest change in animal handling for varying range of pooping distance – you me has been eagles. Last summer, we had have to guess each time you clean the one while I was there. This summer, we’ve room. A lot of the time I am wrong in my had five I believe (I’ve lost count). At the estimation. Being an intern at a wildlife beginning of this summer, I was trained in www.wildinstinctsrehab.com 715-362-9453 (362-WILD) 715-490-2727(cell) 4621 Apperson Dr., Rhinelander, WI 54501

raptor handling techniques and so this I’ve worked with over thirty species and, for summer I don’t have to watch from the now at least, the bald eagle is my favorite. sidelines. I’ve held and helped feed quite a Unlike the many mammals in our care that few of our eagles. It’s a great experience; tend to hide or even charge you, eagles they’re amazing birds and to say that I’ve stand their ground and simply glare. They held one and fed one and watched them know what large intimidating birds they are. grow stronger is so rewarding. Considering only our eagle patients, we’ve Much of our work at Wild Instincts is had some small miracles and some horrible rewarding. Watching animals come in – tragedies this summer, and I've had eagle whether they are gravely ill or tiny babies – poop, blood and puke on my shirt. But and grow to be strong enough or old somehow it’s all worth it when you can see enough to be released is a treat. Not many them heal and eventually be set free. I even people get to see a baby bobcat or get to had the honor of releasing one. feed one. I’m glad that I was allowed to This summer I’ve seen dozens of deaths, volunteer last summer and that I was able done mountains of dishes, been exposed to to come back as an intern this summer. I’ve far too many zoonotic diseases, and worked learned a lot in my time at Wild Instincts very long days. But I’m irrationally proud I and I know that I’ve chosen wildlife ecology got to do it, and would like to continue. In as my future field of work. September I have to go back to UW Stevens Point, but due to my experiences Tessa Collins, UWSP here at Wild Instincts plan to continue in Biology/Captive Wildlife animal rehabilitation. Platteville, WI Before this internship, wildlife rehabbing seemed like a dream job. Animals come in sick or injured and you love them, make them better and send them off into the woods, right? Well, it turns out that’s not exactly how it works. Prior to coming to Wild Instincts, I had never actually seen a bobcat or a rough-legged hawk or a northern flicker. Now, just two months into my internship I know that bobcats, even little baby ones, don’t think twice about clawing the hand that feeds them. A rough-legged hawk can and will jump from its cage at you as you try to feed it, and flickers, while not able to do much damage, can still poop all over your shirt. Despite these on the job hazards, I’ve now watched a bobcat grow big enough for solid food, a rough legged hawk move to a flight cage to stretch its wings, and the successful rehab and release of a flicker. Though lots more work than I Tessa preparing to release an eagle. expected this summer has been full of unforgettable animals and experiences.

www.wildinstinctsrehab.com 715-362-9453 (362-WILD) 715-490-2727(cell) 4621 Apperson Dr., Rhinelander, WI 54501

GRATITUDES Special thanks to -Backwaters Bar & Grill for giving us the proceeds of their kayak raffle -Mole Lake Chippewa Fisheries for 800lbs of bullheads -White Birch Village Resort for 80lbs of rock bass -St Mathias Thrift Store For all the businesses supporting Wild Instincts click HERE

TO TOUCH AN EAGLE

Have you ever wanted to touch an eagle or feel the rush of its wings as it takes flight? Now could be your chance!

Intern Meghan releases an eagle back to the wild.

You DO NOT have to be member of Intern Tessa releases an eagle back to the wild. Facebook to follow us on Facebook. You We are raffling an Eagle Release! can follow all our stories, photos and videos without joining Facebook. You simply can’t The winner will get to hold an eagle for a comment on them unless you are a member moment for photos and then toss it into the of Facebook. air back to the wild. Click on the box to see for yourself. The winning ticket will be drawn at the Walk in the Wild on Sept 13th. Winner need not be present to win. Only 500 tickets will be sold; must be 18 to win. It is illegal to sell raffle tickets via Internet or to mail them so those not local, please Thank you for helping contact us so we may put you in contact with one of our ticket sellers. Unfortunately, us help them! we do not have any out of state people selling tickets. www.wildinstinctsrehab.com 715-362-9453 (362-WILD) 715-490-2727(cell) 4621 Apperson Dr., Rhinelander, WI 54501

WISH LIST, AMAZON and NOW If you accidentally catch a loon, if at all AMAZON SMILES possible, attempting to land the bird will We are continually amazed and blessed by provide the most reliable means of all those generous folks out there who take removing the hooks and assessing the the time to check our list and go shopping. damage to the bird. We’d like to say a big THANK YOU for If you have a net, it may be possible to helping us help them, no matter who you carefully land the bird. Once in the boat, are out there. putting a towel over them will help calm Those Amazon users will be happy to know them. Get them to shore as quickly as there’s now ANOTHER way to support Wild possible. Keep them in a shady, cool area Instincts…drumroll….just by shopping as and call us. We will advise you what to do usual for your own personal needs! next. Instead of signing in to amazon.com, sign If it is impossible to catch the bird, then as into smile.amazon.com. All your Amazon a last resort, cut the line and call us. This settings are the same, work the same, even can be problematic for the bird so we may Amazon Prime is the same. try to retrieve the bird. Often times, though, The only difference is Amazon donates a they cannot be caught until they are percentage of your purchases to Wild extremely compromised. Instincts. A super simple way to support us! Getting the lead out of your tackle box will Some even see a need and just respond help in this scenario. If your tackle contains without giving us a chance to list it on our lead and a loon ingests it, unless it is wish list. Every time we receive an item to removed it is a death sentence for the bird. help our mission it gives us a great feeling. There are reports of some people feeding We cannot do this without you and your some loons which have become relatively help. tame. This will guarantee that rewarded loons will approach fishing boats and Some select items from our wish list: become entangled in line and hooks. DO NOT OFFER MINNOWS TO LOONS! ~FRESH PRODUCE!! (apples, bananas, berries, melons, carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower) ~Paper Towels ~FISH, fresh or frozen, whole or fillets ~Venison ~Treated 2x6’s (8’ & 10’ lengths)

Fishing With Loons We are getting more and more calls from anglers reporting having caught a loon when fishing. Loons will follow fishing lures and are attracted to live bait. If loons are seen in the area you are fishing, pay attention to their behavior, and if they seem to be Thirteen-lined ground squirrel making sure we don’t forget focused on your bait, please retrieve your they eat some produce, too! lines and move to another location. Loons can live up to 30 years. Help protect them by moving to a different fishing hole. www.wildinstinctsrehab.com 715-362-9453 (362-WILD) 715-490-2727(cell) 4621 Apperson Dr., Rhinelander, WI 54501

Species 1/1/14-7/8/14 Red Squirrel 8 American 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 American Goldfinch 4 Red-tailed Hawk 1 American Robin 19 River Otter 2 American Woodcock 3 Rock Dove 7 Bald Eagle 17 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2 Baltimore Oriole 1 Rough-legged Hawk 1 Barn Swallow 1 Ruby-throated Beaver 1 Hummingbird 2 Belted Kingfisher 3 Ruffed Grouse 2 Big Brown Bat 9 Sandhill Crane 1 Black Bear 16 Short-tailed 1 Black-and-White Warbler 2 Snapping Turtle 21 Black-capped Chickadee 3 Song Sparrow 2 Bobcat 3 Southern Flying Squirrel 2 Broad-winged Hawk 2 Thirteen-lined Ground Canada Goose 6 Squirrel 12 Turkey Vulture 1 Chipping Sparrow 5 Unknown 5 Common Grackle 5 Western Painted Turtle 10 Coyote 2 White-tailed Deer 28 Deer Mouse 11 Wood Duck 6 Downy Woodpecker 3 Wood Turtle 1 Eastern Bluebird 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Eastern Chipmunk 1 Total 406 Eastern Cottontail 55 Eastern Gray Squirrel 23 Gray Fox 1 Events Calendar Great Blue Heron 1 Great Horned Owl 1 Hodag Farmer’s Market Bake Sale, Green Frog 1 Sat, Aug 9th, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. at Hodag Green Heron 1 Farmer’s Market, Rhinelander. Hairy Woodpecker 2 Hermit Thrush 1 Third Annual Walk in the Wild, Herring Gull 1 Sat, Sept 13th, 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Hooded Merganser 4 North Lakeland Discovery Center, Indigo Bunting 1 Manitowish Waters on Author/Naturalist Least Flycatcher 1 John Bates will be presenting “Fall Wildlife Little Brown Bat 1 Migration and Adaptation”, in addition to Mallard Duck 22 other fun things. The drawing for the eagle Merlin 2 Mourning Dove 5 release will take place at 11:30. Click HERE Muskrat 1 for all the activities happening with this Northern Flicker 5 event. Northern Harrier 1 Northern Saw-Whet Owl 1 Wild For Wine & Cheese Cruise , th Peregrine Falcon 1 Sat, Sept 27 , Noon-2:00 p.m., Wisconsin Pied-billed Grebe 1 River Cruises, Rhinelander. Join us on the Porcupine 1 Wisconsin River for wine, hors d’oeuvres, Purple Finch 1 raffles and more! Raccoon 32 Red Fox 3 www.wildinstinctsrehab.com 715-362-9453 (362-WILD) 715-490-2727(cell) 4621 Apperson Dr., Rhinelander, WI 54501