A: Good evening dear readers! We hope this blog finds you all happy and healthy. Certainly not perched on a stool feeding baby birds as they scream in your ears. I think mine may be bleeding now as I just finished the swifts!

B: Who are known for their exceptionally shrill calls. All of our Chimney swifts have finally made it up into our converted Conference Room. Last week saw me hanging flannel sheets from the ceiling and clamping them together with scads of small binder clips (to prevent wandering swifts from hiding in nooks and crannies). We still have a few small babies in a couple of bins, but the “walls” are alive with the sounds of 24 swifts, all clamoring to be fed in very loud and very insistent voices.

A: So I have you to thank for the joy of climbing up on chairs and leaning into sheets (sheets are not good for leaning, as it turns out) to be face to face with a very demanding baby! Though in Britt’s defense the swifts must be kept in a free-flying enclosure in order to mimic their natural upbringing and keep their feathers clean (they do not molt as other songbirds do). Swifts also find it very awkward to perch horizontally so it’s important to allow them lots of vertical space to perch on.

B: From swifts to snappers, many of our patients are moving quickly through their recovery. A few months ago, I checked in a 14.4 kg (~32 lb) Snapping turtle that was run over when he was trying to cross Great Seneca Highway on his twice-a-year territorial loop. He was admitted with a fist-sized hole on the right side of his carapace (top shell) and a crack running straight down to his plastron (bottom shell) from said hole. The fist layer of connective tissue had been torn, but the second layer, the one protecting all the internal organs, was strong and intact. After months of weekly bandage changes, I was able to remove a bunch of necrotic tissue covering the entire hole, revealing a now-even-thicker layer of connective tissue and evidence of new shell growth. After spending a half hour yesterday Epoxying a patch to cover the hole and seal the crack, our large gentleman will be able to enjoy his lunch tomorrow back in his own dining area. The smaller Snapper I mentioned a few weeks back is also ready for release. The brackets I Epoxied and zip-tied together held his crack together so I was able to Epoxy it together. After sanding away the brackets (to avoid any snags on twigs or errant fishing hooks), he now has a whole, if funny-looking, shell. Alicia will be taking him back to his home over the weekend, something I am sure he is very much looking forward to.

A: Snapping turtles are a vital part of our freshwater ecosystems, performing the role of large predator and scavenger. They eat everything from fish to baby waterfowl, drowned carcasses and plant life. They live for decades in the same bodies of water, cleaning up “food” that would otherwise decay and create bacteria blooms that would endanger the health of the water. Their specific name is Chelydra serpentina,  derived from their serpentine necks. Though it is usually to see them out of the water, the will actually travel extensively to reach mates and nesting areas. Snapping turtles will also bask in the sun on the surface of the water or on nearby beaver dams and shores.

B: We are both truly satisfied whenever we are able to return such magnificent and important animals back into their natural habitats. Though some people mistakenly believe that snapping turtles can be kept humanely in their homes, the truth is that it is vital that we return as many of these animals to their proper homes as we can, so that they may continue to serve their ecosystems as they were meant to.

A: We hope that all of you join us in our efforts to replenish our native wildlife populations and thereby help out the environment in the best way we know how.

B: Although we also do a pretty good job recycling all those empty baby food jars, dog food cans, water bottles, saline containers…

A: … soda cans, frozen dinner containers, soup cans… You know, we may need to try and eat a little healthier at work.

B: No can do - the animals get all the fresh produce!

A: Which leaves us with cheese balls and cookies. At least we can burn off those calories by shoveling gravel and chasing squirrels.

B: Mmmmm, cheese balls and cookies. They are calling my name…

A: First we eat, then we feed some more babies. See you all next week!

Questions? Comments? Email Alicia and Brittany at nut.house.ab@gmail.com. Want to learn more about Second Chance Wildlife Center? Simply go to www.scwc.org.

Hi Alicia and Brittany,

It's the driver of The Freedom Bus here, just wanted to tell you both what a terrific job I think you're doing with this blog.  Not to mention the good work you do at SCWC.

If you ever need to release a snapper but its original home territory is unknown, I'd be delighted to release it in the Rachel Carson Conservation Park here in Laytonsville, MD, which adjoins my backyard.  The Hawliings River runs through it and it'd be a great place for the rehabbed snapper to start anew.

And hey, it would help me branch out a bit from my specialty: Squirrel releases!   :-)

Best Regards,

Squirrely