News – Page 9 of 11 – Walden's Puddle

Use Caution Mowing Your Lawn: Baby Bunnies May Be Below

Walden's Puddle April 6, 2014

Be careful when mowing your lawn this spring. Keep an eye out for piles of leaves and grass – there may be baby bunnies below. If you find a nest: return to its original condition, recover with leaves and place a piece of yarn or string on top. Wait 24 hours and check. If the string […]

Animal Spotlight: Black Vulture

Walden's Puddle April 4, 2014

Is this a face only a vulture mother could love? Black vultures certainly do, feeding babies for as long as eight months after fledging. It’s not over after that; they maintain strong social bonds with their families throughout their lives. Black vultures (Coragyps atratus) are monogamous, staying with their mates for many years, all year […]

Animal Profile: Spiny Softshell Turtle

Walden's Puddle March 14, 2014

Can you spot the turtles in the water? These camouflage masters are spiny softshells (Apalone spinifera). The upper shell is soft, leathery and does not have any scales or plates. Check out the long, tubular snout. These aquatic turtles eat crayfish, insects, snails, tadpoles, and small fish.

Animal Profile: Southern Flying Squirrel

Walden's Puddle March 13, 2014

Here’s a rarely seen treat: the Southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans). It’s one of two flying squirrels found in North America. The other is Glaucomys sabrinus, the larger northern flying squirrel. These nocturnal, aboreal rodents don’t really fly. They get a running start and propel themselves from trees, gliding on a membrane called a patagium. […]

Please save the doves

Walden's Puddle March 11, 2014

Getting married? Congrats! But please reconsider plans to release a flock of doves when you say “I do.” Some companies use white ringneck doves, which lack homing skills. When released they will starve or dehydrate within 5 days. Ringneck doves are not native to North America and, like most any domesticated animal, cannot survive in […]