Lindsay Wildlife Experience, Walnut Creek, CA Videos

Rescued & Reunited! (Watch till the end) This Osprey fledgling was found entangled in fishing line and dangling upside down from its nest at Point Pinole Regional Park. Thanks to the amazing team at East Bay Regional Park District, the young bird was able to make a speedy recovery at our Wildlife Hospital and was quickly reunited with its family! Let’s remember, we’re not the only ones who love fishing! Please, always dispose of fishing lines properly and keep them out of the environment. Together, we can help keep our wildlife friends safe! A big shout out to East Bay Regional Park District for their great work and EBRPD volunteer Tony Brake for this amazing video capturing the reunite. To read more about this story visit https://www.ebparks.org/about-us/whats-new/news/wildlife-wednesdays-presents-operation-osprey #WildlifeRescue #Osprey #WildlifeRehabilitation

Why are these small fish yawning? Are they a) tired after a long day of swimming in funnel shapes or b) silently screaming as they’re being chased by brown pelicans and terns. The answer is... c) filtering microscopic plankton and fish larva into their mouths! These tiny fish are northern anchovies and they are our featured animal of the week! Anchovies are filter feeders that swim in large schools of thousands. Unfortunately, they are extremely vulnerable to eating microplastics, since they are attracted to the smell of trash. These microplastics often accumulate as they go higher up the food chain and can pose a serious danger to their predators, including us! It is very important to try to manage our waste by making sure we compost and recycle, and that our trash ends up in a bin rather than the ground.

Gooood morning Dandelion! 🐢🌸☀️ Our resident desert tortoise, Dandelion, just recently became active again after her yearly brumation. Brumation is a behavior exhibited by certain reptiles where they become dormant for a period of time during the colder season, similar to hibernation in mammals. During brumation, they may not eat, drink, use the bathroom, or move for very long periods of time but will still occasionally become active again to drink water. This behavior can last from 4-6 months and occurs as a means of survival due to the colder weather since they cannot regulate their body temperatures. To celebrate Dandelion’s “awakening,” @ruthbancroftgarden generously partnered with us to give Dandelion a very special treat; cactus pads! Thank you Ruth Bancroft for helping us welcome back Dandelion in an extra special way this year. Check out Dandelion enjoying some of these special treats and one of her tri-weekly baths! #lindsaywildlife #desertortoise #wildlife #wildliferehabilitationcenter

We’re continuing this special day here at Lindsay by honoring our second birthday of the day! Our resident North American porcupine, Penelope, is turning 8 years old today. We celebrated earlier during our Wild CA program with all the guests singing her a happy birthday. Tune in to learn more about Penny from Keeper Bree and wish Penny a happy birthday! #lindsaywildlife #northamericanporcupine #wildlife

Today is a very special day here at Lindsay Wildlife Experience. We’re celebrating not only one, but two of our animal ambassadors’ birthdays! First up we have Saguaro, our resident Harris’s hawk. Today marks his 7th birthday! We celebrated by giving him some of his favorite treats and enrichment. Tune in to learn more about Saguaro’s story from Keeper Sam. #lindsaywildlife #harrisshawk #wildlife

Lindsay Wildlife Experience celebrated our dedicated volunteers with our big Volunteer Appreciation Party this weekend! We love our volunteers here at Lindsay. We are so grateful for the community of caring people that support our organization. If you're interested in volunteering please check out the link in our bio to find ways to get involved! 📸: Erin Woods, Animal Encounters Volunteer Coordinator #lindsaywildlifeexperience #volunteers #volunteerappreciation #wildlife

A coyote at Lindsay! A wild coyote that is. This coyote was seen passing through at about 8:30 am. It took a little look around and then continued on its way. Wild visitors like coyotes are becoming more common across California. As our communities expand into wildlife habitats, human-animal encounters are on the rise. Even though most wild animals, including coyotes, usually avoid humans, increased access to non-natural food sources puts them at risk. Here are quick tips for a safe encounter: · Maintain a safe distance. · Keep small children and pets close. · Create loud noises by yelling, clapping, or using a whistle. · Make yourself appear larger by waving your arms. · Allow the coyote to leave on its own.

Meal Time for Cypress
Meal time with Cypress!

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Penelope REALLY doesn't understand how grocery shopping works! Just kidding. Our North American porcupine, Penny, is actually enjoying her enrichment! In order to keep our animal ambassadors mentally and physically healthy, our Animal Encounters staff and volunteers provide them with toys, activities, food puzzles, scented items, and natural materials like feathers and leaves (to name a few). Enrichment stimulates natural instincts and behaviors, promotes curiosity, provides opportunities for animals to choose how they spend their time, keeps teeth and claws healthy, and so much more! In this instance, Penny is using her powerful rodent teeth to tear into a paper grocery bag to find some of her food. Her excellent sense of smell enables her to find her food, even when it's hidden from sight, just like she would while foraging for plant matter in the wild! #lindsaywildlifeexperience #lindsaywildlife #penny #penelope #porcupine #northamericanporcupine #Erethizondorsatum #enrichment #animalambassador #wildlife #californianativewildlife #animalcare #wildlifecare

Did you know that rabbits are incredibly intelligent? Keeper Sam captured this video of our domestic rabbits, Cedar and Juniper, engaging with a food puzzle! This is just one example of the enrichment we provide our animal ambassadors to keep them healthy and happy. Recent studies have shown that many domestic rabbits do not receive proper housing, diets, and socialization, which leads to health issues and shortened lifespans. Why? Because we underestimate their intelligence! While their fluffy looks, twitchy whiskers, and curious countenance make rabbits popular pets, it's important to do your research and ensure you're prepared to provide the time and resources your fluffy friends need. And as always, remember to keep domestic rabbits as pets, and leave wild rabbits in the wild! If you find an injured wild rabbit you can call Lindsay Wildlife's Rehabilitation Hospital for advice. If you can no longer care for your domestic rabbit, contact a shelter for help re-homing your rabbit. #lindsaywildlifeexperience #lindsaywildlife #domesticrabbit #rabbits #domesticversuswild #animalhusbandry #animalcare #petcare #properpetcare

Fresh veggie snacks on a hot summer day!

WATCH THE NEST: We are seeing an influx of baby Hummingbirds, some of which have been mistaken for orphans and brought to our hospital. Baby hummingbirds need constant feeding and when not regurgitating small insects and nectar into their eager mouths, a parent is usually busy looking for food. If you find a nest with babies, do not disturb it and make sure to observe it for several hours. Parents can fly to the nest to feed their babies several times per hour but as the young birds become fledglings the time between feedings increases. This can explain a parent's temporary absence. If you find an orphaned hummingbird please do not attempt to feed it. The babies are on a special diet. Call our hotline. For more resources, visit https://lindsaywildlife.org/found-animal/ #lindsaywildlife #wildlifepatient #wildlifehospital #hummingbird

A HAPPY ENDING TO 2022: The American Mink that was brought into our wildlife hospital on December 19 was happily returned back to the wild! Thank you Antioch Animal Control for helping every step of the way. #wildliferehabilitation #happynewyear #californiamink

WHEN WE ALL SHARE THE SAME GOAL: On July 25 a fledgling Bald Eagle was found by Bay Area Raptor Rescue in Pittsburg. From there, the raptor was brought to Veterinary Emergency Group in San Ramon where it stayed overnight and received immediate care. The eagle was then transferred to Lindsay’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital where it spent 12 weeks and received treatment for emaciation and a Coracoid fracture. While healing and learning to fly the eagle began dropping several primary feathers that would extend the raptor’s time in rehabilitation. That’s when UC Davis Raptor Center stepped in and the eagle was transferred to one of their 100ft aviaries to allow the bird to spread its wings and continue to recover. After another 5 weeks spent at UC Davis, and with the help of CA Fish & Wildlife as well as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, a release location was found and the Bald Eagle was returned to the wild on November 21! Thank you to all of our partners and to everyone who helped return this magnificent Bald Eagle back to where it belongs. Video credit: Lindsay Volunteers Paul & Margaret Hara and Gabe Talmadge

ATSÁ'S ENRICHMENT: Atsá the Bald Eagle is enjoying some enrichment in her temporary aviary as we continue to secure the netting and screening around our Bald Eagle enclosure. Enrichment can take many forms for this intelligent and spirited female eagle and is designed to provide her with lots of stimuli so she can stay in tip-top physical and mental shape. #lindsaywildlife #animalambassadors #atsathebaldeagle #baldeagle #enrichment #animalhusbandry

GARNET'S ENRICHMENT: Garnet, our Acorn Woodpecker animal ambassador, is foraging for some food in her enrichment. In the wild, Acorn Woodpeckers will use their sharp and powerful beaks to create what are called granaries. Granaries are excavated holes that are used to store acorns. Garnet practices this natural behavior with the various enrichment items she gets like these stones. She will cache, or hide, her seeds in the stones for later retrieval. Be sure to visit Garnet in our exhibit hall on your next visit. #lindsaywildlife #animalambassador #garnetthewoodpecker #acornwoodpecker #bird #animalhusbandry #enrichment

OPOSSUM RETURNS TO THE WILD: In addition to caring for hospital patients in their homes, our homecare volunteers have the opportunity to return patients to the wild. Returning an animal to its natural habitat is the goal of wildlife rehabilitation, and it's an extremely rewarding experience, especially after helping an animal recover from illness and injury. This opossum was recently returned to the wild after a stay in homecare. Thank you to all of our volunteers who donate countless hours to make this possible! Video by volunteer Paul Hara. #lindsaywildlife #wildlifehospital #wildlifepatient #opossum #mammal #volunteers #homecare #gratitude