City Wildlife

This majestic Osprey was found weak and waterlogged in the Tidal Basin earlier this week.

Osprey are a very special raptor, uniquely adapted to capture their main prey item-- fish! 🐟

Closable nostrils prevent water from entering while diving. Long talons, reversible outer toes, and barbed pads under their toes help them hold onto slippery fish. Oily plumage prevents them from getting waterlogged during dives.

Every now and then, an Osprey may become waterlogged if they have an underlying issue like toxicity (e.g. lead poisoning), physical trauma, or simply exhaustion. We found no physical injuries or toxins with this Osprey, so we suspect that they just became exhausted and couldn't get out of the water.

Human presence can often make life difficult for wildlife, and they can expend lots of energy trying to avoid humans. So please remember to respect wild animals by keeping your distance. If you suspect that a wild animal needs help, immediately contact a wildlife rehabilitator near you with AHNow.org.

While admiring this adorable Virginia Opossum joey, you may notice that they are salivating. 😨

We have seen assertions that a salivating opossum means they are rabid. But it is actually extremely rare for opossums to get rabies. As marsupials, Virginia Opossums have a much lower basal body temperature than all other US mammals, which makes it very hard for the rabies virus to survive and replicate in their bodies. This is just one of many reasons that opossums are so awesome! 🫶

Salivation is a completely normal defensive behavior for opossums. It is just one of many strategies, from playing dead to releasing a foul odor from musk glands, that opossums employ to deter predators by appearing sick, dying, or dead. By doing so, they convince predators that they are unpalatable.

Do you know who these babies are? 🤔 They are a very familiar bird for DCers...

If you guessed Rock Pigeon, you'd be correct! While you'd be hard pressed to walk down a street in DC without spotting an adult pigeon, people very rarely get to see baby pigeons, also known as squabs.

This adorable pair is estimated to be just a few days old. But in a couple of weeks they will look almost identical to adult pigeons, save for a few remaining tufts of yellow down sticking out between their big bird feathers! 🥰

Much of the United States is in the midst of a massive heat wave. 🥵🔥

These soaring temperatures put a lot of stress on wildlife, especially young wildlife and wild parents working extra hard to raise babies.

There are several ways that we can all help wildlife through this heat, from knowing the signs of heat distress and the closest wildlife rehabilitators, to providing clean water sources and shade. 💧🌳

Say hello to these two Northern Flickers! 👋

They came to us after a passerby heard cries coming from a cut log left on the curb alongside yard waste. Their home had been cut down and discarded with them still inside. 💔 We are so grateful for the compassionate, attentive person who recognized their cries and got them to us. 🙏

Whenever possible, please refrain from doing tree work from Feb-Sep, as wildlife are raising families in trees during this time. While some wild animal nests may be visible from the ground, cavity nesters like woodpeckers won't have a visible external nest. 🪺

If you must do tree work during this time, please have the service workers thoroughly inspect the tree for nests before beginning work. Should a nest accidentally be disturbed or destroyed, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator immediately! Re-nesting may be possible when done correctly under the guidance of wildlife professionals, and if not, infant wildlife will require professional rearing. 🌳

Our hearts break for the Northern Flicker parents whose babies and home were abruptly taken from them, but we are so glad that this duo is doing well. ❤️

In the past few days we have received several calls about a duck entangled in netting at the Capital Reflecting Pool. 🦆🏛️

Our Duck Watch team was finally able to free and bring this young Mallard in for care. The netting had wrapped tightly around both of their legs, causing swelling, bruising, and nerve injury from the lack of circulation. We are at least relieved that they suffered no fractures.

While nerve injuries can be complicated to treat, we will continue to provide the best care that we can to help them recover and return to the wild.

We are so thankful for the watchful wildlife lovers of DC that noticed this critter in peril, and that the folks who care for the Capitol grounds have now removed the netting that threatened the lives of urban waterfowl like this youngin! ❤️

It's Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week (June 1-9), and today's theme is Forest Protection and Tree Planting! 🦀❤️ Swipe to see 5 tree species that the Chesapeake Bay Program recommends planting to benefit local wildlife!

Did you know that the Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and one of the most productive bodies of water in the world? We are so lucky to live within such a unique and biodiverse watershed! 💙

Unfortunately the Chesapeake Bay is not in the greatest health, earning a D+ for overall health in the Chesapeake Bay Program's latest State of the Bay Report. Rapid urbanization and increasing agricultural operations throughout the watershed have taken a great toll on this natural system. 🏙️🚜

Luckily, there are many amazing organizations working to restore and conserve the Chesapeake Bay. It will take the collective awareness and action of those living within the watershed to help restore the bay and protect it for future generations. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

You can learn more about the Chesapeake Bay, countless amazing efforts to conserve the bay, and lots of awesome Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week activities happening throughout the watershed this weekend at ChesapeakeBay.net.

This adorable juvenile opossum was reported to DC Animal Care & Control for being unable to walk. 😓 Luckily, DCACC officers are wonderful wildlife heroes, and knew to get him right to us! ❤️

Upon admission, this poor joey was severely dehydrated, thin, and not using his back legs at all. After being stabilized with fluids, warmth, and nutrition, our veterinary team did a thorough examination including X-rays and various blood panels. 🩻

While we did not find a definite reason for his partial paralysis, we were able to confirm that he had feeling and motor control (albeit extremely limited) in his legs and tail. With this glimmer of hope for recovery, we decided to move forward with treatment.

We began performing daily physical therapy on his hind legs, including a muscle massage from his toes to femurs, extension and flexions, and "bicycles" (essentially moving his legs through the full range of motion). He is also getting daily red light laser therapy on his hind legs.

We are happy to report that since his admission, he has begun using his hind legs more! While he still doesn't quite walk with them, he uses them to scratch himself and has begun picking up and moving each leg when he moves about. 💪

Now that he is more mobile, we have begun giving him easy climbing opportunities, such as the half log that he is climbing on in these photos. We also scatter the protein from his meal-- typically an opossum's favorite part of our meals for them-- around his enclosure to encourage further use of his legs.

While he is by no means out of the woods yet, we are hopeful and we will continue to do everything in our power to help him make a full recovery so that he can get back to the wild where he belongs! 🥰

Last week we received two fledgling American Kestrels-- a rather rare species for our center! 😮 This pair fell out of their nest onto the concrete patio of a bustling DC restaurant. 🌮

Usually we will make every effort to re-nest baby birds out of the nest too early so that they can stay with their parents. Unfortunately, these kestrels nested at a very dangerous site on the roof of a restaurant in downtown DC with no green space nearby where this pair could get the hang of flying.

If they were to successfully fledge that nest, it would have been extremely unlikely that they would survive the few days spent on the ground learning to fly given the heavy traffic, lack of cover, and other hazards around their nest. 🏙️🚗🚶‍♂️🦮🐈

One of the babies sustained minor injuries to his keel (or chest) due to the fall, while the other was unharmed. They both had mild rodenticide toxicity, too. 🐀 Given these circumstances, we decided that rehabilitation was their best option.

As enthralled as we were by these cuties, we do not have the facilities that they need to successfully become independent adults-- namely large outdoor flight cages where they can hone their flight and hunting skills.

So after assessing and beginning treatment for the patients, we contacted our good friends at who have large outdoor flight enclosures. Thankfully, they were able to accept these kiddos for continued care until they are ready for release! 🥰

Also currently in the works are coordinated efforts with DC wildlife biologists to find the exact location of this kestrel nest and dissuade them from nesting at this spot again. Ideally, these efforts will lead them to choose a safer, greener space next time they breed.

Summer is for the rabbits! 🐇❤️

From late spring to early fall, we receive lots of Eastern Cottontails. While Eastern Cottontails are doing quite well in many parts of their range, they are classified as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in DC by the DOEE.

Unfortunately, the native meadow habitat that eastern cottontails prefer-- though they thrive in an impressive array of habitats throughout their large range-- has and continues to shrink in DC.

When you plant native and reduce the coverage of non-native turf grasses in lawn area, you create habitat for countless species of wildlife. Including cottontails!

You can also help cottontails by:
🌿 Checking for nests before mowing.
🐕 Supervising domestic animals outside and seeking advice to protect nests at risk.
🐰 Never take an infant rabbit from the wild without consulting a rehabilitator. Essentially, don't kidnap babies without being sure that they are orphaned or in need of medical attention!
🩹 If you find a wild rabbit in need, please keep them in a warm, dark, quiet place with NO food or water.

Yesterday was World Turtle Day, but we SHELLebrate every day! 🐢💚

Did you know that 10 species of wild turtles have been recorded in the District of Columbia in the last decade, 8 of which are classified by the DOEE as Species of Greatest Conservation Need? This means that 80% of DC's turtles are experiencing significant decline and need immediate conservation action. 😢💔

The global turtle population isn't much more well off, with over 50% of worldwide chelonians classified as threatened.

So how can you help our turtle friends?
1. Never take a turtle or tortoise from the wild. If they need help, contact a licensed rehabilitator.
2. Never relocate a turtle. They have small home territories and usually perish trying to return home if relocated.
3. If you find a turtle on the road, and it is safe to do so, help them cross in the direction they were moving.
4. Never release a pet turtle into the wild, where it could harm native species and suffer greatly.
5. Protect turtle habitat by leaving no trace.
6. Provide turtle habitat by leaving the leaves and planting native plants.

Do you have a favorite turtle, tortoise, or terrapin species? If so, drop it below! 🐢⬇️

🤍 Patient Update 🤍

Our handsome little leucistic squirrel pup has grown so much in the past few weeks!

He now spends his days foraging, climbing, chewing, and playing with his 3 pseudo-siblings while enjoying lots of time outside to acclimate them to all the sensations of the outdoors. 🌿☀️

It is nearly time for this group to be released! We are just waiting for them to meet all of the release criteria to ensure that they are ready to survive independently in the wild. 🥰

During migration, we often admit unusual and exciting species, such as this striking Scarlet Tanager! ❤️

Scarlet Tanagers are an interior forest species, meaning they require large, mature forests as opposed to fragmented, young forests to maintain healthy populations.

Given DC's young and highly fragmented forests, this species is rarely admitted to our center aside from the few lucky individuals (lucky to be found alive, that is) who strike windows when migrating through.

Upon admission, this beautiful bird was very quiet and did not attempt to fly, obviously stunned by his collision with a window. Fortunately, he sustained no major injuries. After a few days of anti-inflammatories, fluids, and food to help him regain his strength, he was flying well and was subsequently released back to the wild! ❣️

✨ Spring migration is NOT over!✨
Birds will continue to migrate until around mid-June.

To protect these migrants, reduce your light pollution, make windows more visible, get informed on how to help window strike victims, and keep an eye out for Lights Out alerts.

We will continue to post Lights Out alerts for nights forecasted to have high migration traffic in the DC area. But you can also explore migration data, forecasts, and sign up for Lights Out alerts yourself at birdcast.info & aeroecolab.com!

In the past couple of weeks we have had not one, but TWO juvenile Eastern Rat Snakes who were caught in glue traps. 🐍

These poor babies had barely started their lives before coming to harm by humans using an inhumane form of pest control.

As babies, Eastern Rat Snakes sometimes eat insects since they are too small to eat most vertebrates. For many insect and rodent eaters, the bugs and rodents stuck on glue traps appear to be a free buffet, causing non-target native wildlife to become stuck. In other words, glue traps harm our natural pest control! 🐀🐜

Thankfully, both of these little noodles only sustained minor injuries to their scales. After careful removal and de-contamination, as well as some fluids and food, both of these babies were returned to the wild.

As we mentioned in our recent glue-trapped flying squirrel post last week, glue traps are INHUMANE and should always be avoided. If you live somewhere that uses them without you having a say in it, educate residents and property managers! Also be sure to check any glue traps daily to ensure that non-target victims receive treatment ASAP before they slowly succumb to injuries, starvation, dehydration, or stress.

**ps **p **petology

⚠️ Don’t pick me up! ⚠️ It’s fledgling season, and we’ve received several calls about these goofy-looking juveniles!

Fledglings are young birds who have their first coat of scruffy feathers and are starting to venture outside the nest. Fledglings learn how to find food and strengthen their wings while on the ground, with guidance from mom and sometimes dad, but they are often misidentified as injured birds.

All wild animals do better with their parents, fledglings especially. Our goal is to keep healthy fledglings with their parents and to rescue only sick, injured, or truly orphaned babies.

If you find a fledgling bird experiencing any of these signs, contact your local animal shelter or licensed wildlife rehabber. In Washington, D.C., you can call HRA at 202-723-5730, or contact City Wildlife. Never attempt to pick up, feed, or hydrate a fledgling bird.

Today is World Migratory Bird Day! 🌎

This day celebrates migratory birds for their beauty, diversity, and the amazing journeys they make each spring/fall. It also aims to raise awareness for the human-related threats that migratory birds face.

The 2024 theme is "Protect Insects, Protect Birds." Insects make up a significant portion of almost 80% of bird species, with a whopping 96% of North American birds rearing their young almost exclusively on insects! Yet these food sources have been rapidly disappearing in recent decades in what entomologists have deemed the "insect apocalypse." 🐛💔

If you love and want to protect birds-- or any wildlife for that matter-- you need to protect bugs! 🪲🐜🦋🦗🐞🕷️

But the loss of critical food sources is not the only major threat migratory birds face. One of the most significant threats to migrating birds is light pollution which disorients and exhausts these travelers, leaving them vulnerable to window collisions, predator attacks (especially domestic cats and dogs), and other dangerous conditions.

Luckily, there are numerous ways that we can all help protect migratory birds, from reducing our use of artificial lights at night to planting native plants to support wildlife like insects and birds.❤️

Huge thanks to Washingtonian for covering our Lights Out work collecting data on window collision victims in DC, treating the survivors, and advocating for bird safe infrastructure! ❤️

These Volunteers Wake Up at Dawn to Collect DC’s Dead—and Injured—Birds - Washingtonian Millions of migrating birds fly over DC each spring, but many don’t make it. That’s where these folks step in.

Just as we thought baby squirrel season was at its end, this eyes closed baby squirrel made his way to our clinic! 🥺🥰

The majority of our other spring squirrel pups are off of formula-feeding and are nearing release, with a few groups already having been released in the past week! 🎉

While our nursery may be filled with baby birds, we will ensure that this pup gets all the support he needs to grow into a healthy, self-sufficient wild squirrel! 🐿️❤️

A reminder that glue traps are an inhumane form of pest control! ❌

This Southern Flying Squirrel became stuck to a glue trap placed in someone's attic. The entire left side of his body was firmly stuck to the trap, causing damage to his fur and irritating his skin. Luckily, he got out of this sticky situation with none of the major injuries that we typically see in glue trap victims, such as significant hair/feather loss or fractures.

Glue trapped animals are complex to treat, as the thick and sticky glue requires careful removal to prevent further injury or toxicity from ingesting residue. The removal and de-contamination process is incredibly stressful for wildlife, so patients need to be stabilized (fluids, warmth, oxygen) before they can endure that stress. Furthermore, we must closely monitor for signs of respiratory distress during the process so that we do not stress them to death. For these reasons, the removal and de-contamination process is often broken up into a few short sessions.

We hope this squirrel's story serves as a reminder that glue traps are inhumane and indiscriminately harm non-target species. 💔

It is best to avoid glue traps entirely, but if they are used, check them DAILY to make sure any non-target victims get treatment before they cause serious injury to themselves trying to get free or slowly die of starvation, dehydration, or stress.

If you find an animal stuck in a glue trap, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THEM! Simply cover the remaining sticky parts with paper towels or another light material so the animal does not get more stuck. Then, keep them in a warm, dark, quiet place until you can get them to a rehabilitator.

An estimated 15.1 million birds will fly over the DMV tonight alone! Another 9.8 will migrate through tomorrow night. Light pollution disorients and exhausts these travelers, pre-disposing them to window strikes, predator attacks, and other hazards.

Once again we implore people to protect these travelers with ! If you need artificial lights at night, check out 's Responsible Outdoor Lighting At Night (ROLAN) principles to ensure you are minimizing the impacts of light pollution on wildlife.

If you find a window strike victim:
- Alive: Contact a wildlife rehabilitator near you with AHNow.org. In DC, call us!
- Dead: Take a picture and record the date, time, and location. In DC, submit the info to [email protected]. Elsewhere, submit your findings to your local Lights Out group, www.dbird.org, or the window strike project on iNaturalist.

Our nursery is absolutely inundated with baby birds, seemingly overnight! 🫣😳🥰

With over 100 patients currently in care, just under 20 of which are baby birds from hatching to fledgling age largely admitted within the last week, our staff and volunteers have their hands full with round-the-clock feedings for babies as frequently as every 30 minutes! This is all in addition to a steady stream of window strike victims in the midst of spring migration, a LOT of juvenile squirrels some of which are still being hand-fed, and an array of other adult wildlife who have come to harm in a variety of ways.

We are very excited to welcome our summer interns in the coming months, as there are plenty more patients to come this summer. We are also endlessly grateful for our long-term and newly-oriented volunteers! ☀️

As the busy season for wildlife rehabilitators ramps up, we could especially use your support in caring for an influx of injured, orphaned, and ill wildlife. We have an array of ways to donate which can be explored at citywildlife.org/donate. We also have an Amazon Wishlist link in our bio! 🔗

Sharing our posts is another easy way support our cause. 🥰

An amazing and FREE environmental education opportunity for middle schoolers living in the Anacostia River Watershed!

Are you searching for adventure for your middle school student during the summer? Our FREE Summer Environmental Academy is accepting applications! All 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students who live in the Anacostia River Watershed in DC, Prince George’s County, or Montgomery County are eligible to apply! Did we mention FREE!

Camp dates are June 24th - 27th, with a rain date of June 28th. The deadline to apply is Friday, June 7th. For more information and to apply, visit: www.anacostiaws.org/sea-summercamp

🚨 LIGHTS OUT ALERT FOR SUN 4/28- TUE 4/30 🚨

We are in another peak of spring migration, with TENS OF MILLIONS of birds expected to migrate through the DC area in the next three days. 🤯

🌙 By turning off outdoor artificial lights at night, or following ROLAN principles (see last slide) if it necessary lighting, YOU can help protect these migrants from the tragic and often fatal fate of colliding with windows that befalls approximately 300 million-1 billion birds annually in the US alone.

Furthermore, if you find a bird that has hit a window-- dead or alive-- you can still help.

⭐️ If the bird is alive:
- Contact a nearby rehabilitator ASAP. Use AHNow.org to find licensed rehabbers near you anywhere in the US. If you're in DC, call us at 202-882-1000.
- If possible, capture the bird with some barrier between them and your bare hands (pillowcase, t-shirt, etc.) and keep them in a warm, dark, quiet place with no food or water until you can get them to a rehabilitator.
- Even if the bird seems fine, injuries related to the impact often worsen within 24-48 hours, so they should still be brought to a rehabber.

⭐️ If the bird is dead:
- In DC: Email a picture of the dead bird with the location/date/time to [email protected].
- Elsewhere, submit the findings to your local Lights Out group, www.dbird.org, or the window strike project on iNaturalist.

Find more data and maps like these at birdcast.info and aeroecolab.com.

This past Wednesday, City Wildlife visited Washington School for Girls to talk about our work and careers in wildlife rehabilitation.

The students were also led on a walk around the campus, and down into the outdoor classroom next to Oxen Run creek, to talk about wildlife habitat and threats to wildlife that we can observe in the environment around us.

Huge thanks to Conservation Nation for reaching out to make this program happen, and for inspiring curiosity and building leadership skills in conservation with DC students on the daily!

Earlier this week, we received a stunning Double-Crested Cormorant who had fish hooks lodged in their feet and one of their ankles. 🎣

Injuries related to fishing tackle are not uncommon in our aquatic wildlife and other fish-eaters. This cormorant's story is just one of many that illustrate the importance of , and of picking up litter when you see it!

After a few days of wound care, anti-inflammatories, buffets of fish, and some radiographs of their feet and ankles to ensure that no damage had come to their bones, this cormorant ready to return to the wild.

Huge thanks to the National Mall NPS Natural Resource team for rescuing this bird in the tidal basin. 🌊

Take action for the watersheds that Washingtonians, humans and wildlife alike, depend on! 💙