B: Good evening, readers! Welcome to another edition of Alicia and Brittany going crazy over feeding baby birds. The numbers of baby birds are, as always, increasing in number. In addition to the previously mentioned species, citizens have added to our ranks: baby Great Crested flycatchers and baby Blue jays. The species mentioned in the last blog are also still coming in, in ever increasing numbers. We already have several cages of fledgling House sparrows, House finches, Common grackles, European starlings and American robins, all of which are starting to self-feed and are, therefore, only hand-fed on the even hours of the day.

A: Eventually, these babies will graduate to feeding themselves independent of our help, and they will be moved onto our Side Porch, where they will adapt to changing weather and outdoor stimuli. Finally, they will be moved into large flight cages that allow them to practice flying and build up those muscles. We like our birds pretty macho here!

B: If macho means self-feeding and fully flighted, then hooray for macho! The nice thing about young songbirds is that we only have to keep them for a week or two longer than their parents normally do as most of their behavior is instinctual. After ten days to two weeks in our pre-release flight cages, our formally-baby songbirds are ready to venture out into this great wild world. None of our babies have reached that point yet (excepting some of our House sparrows), but fear not, dear readers, as soon they will reach that point in their stay at Chez Second Chance. It is the mammals that we must keep for several weeks beyond when mom normally kicks them out as we have to let instinct kick in (since we do not speak raccoon or squirrel).

A: Raccoons for example must have time to develop foraging behaviors, communication with other raccoons and defense posturing. Outdoor caging permits them to meet and "talk" to wild raccoons (attracted in the middle of the night by the smell of food), which results in learning how to identify friend from foe. These skills are crucial for any semi-social mammal as they need to be able to establish territories, mate and acquire resources in the wild. Though as Britt said, we do not speak their languages, a large part of our jobs is to place our patients in enclosures that are specifically modified to encourage vital behaviors; this practice is called enriching the animal. Substrate for digging, furniture for climbing and perching and cage-mates for interaction all fall under the category of enrichment.

B: Enrichment happens to be something that Alicia and I both have studied and applied to many species, both native to this country and those we have worked with in zoo-related environments. Typical wildlife husbandry includes providing the proper foods and substrates. Perches, foraging areas, hide boxes and puzzles that contain food all fall under enrichment. Raccoons will always enjoy activities that involve problem solving and searching to find new foods. Squirrels usually enjoy new things to chew, such as pine cones and deciduous branches. Most insect-eating songbirds are always eager to search their cage for wherever we have hidden their mealworms or suet treats.

A: Adding novelty and variety to our captive wild patients' routines allows us to be both resourceful and creative, as we think up and experiment with naturalistic materials. Keeping safety in mind, we gather "toys" and furnishings from donations, our own homes and the expanse of wilderness just outside our Center's door. It's also a chance for us to go the extra mile in our service of our native species and our community, a chance that we would not be able to have with out the support from people like you. The nice thing about being completely supported by public and tax-deductible donations is that we can truly see how generous and giving people who care about animals can be. So thanks again, for giving us the means and the reason to continue to do what we do best- nurturing the sick and the orphaned and returning them to their rightful place- in the wild.

B: Thanks again, for reading our little blog, for understanding our day-to-day struggles and for supporting Second Chance Wildlife Center. Without you, dear readers, we would not be here providing the service you so desire. TTFN!