A: Good afternoon dear readers. We hope you are all enjoying this dreary, rainy afternoon more than we are. It’s amazing just how much of our job is dependent on the weather cooperating. Afternoon like this mean no moving animals outside, no releases and a very soggy time feeding and checking on our outside animals. Woe is us.

B: Woe is us indeed. I almost feel sorry for the group of raccoons I moved outside a few days ago but they look all too happy jumping in the puddles. Though they do not “wash” their food, as the myth applies, they do enjoy playing and finding hidden food in water. A few weeks ago when Alicia and I released a group of siblings in some pristine Maryland woodland, we stayed for almost an hour, watching them romp and play through a small creek.

A: Raccoons are known for sensitive and dexterous hands, which have several times as many nerve endings as our do, a circulatory system designed to prevent those nerve endings from going numb, even in freezing water and a link to an area of the brain as big as our parietal lobes. These hands allow them to nimbly search underwater for food (like tasty crustaceans and other invertebrates) as well as feel around in the dark. Or in some caretakers pockets.

B: It took me hours to find my car keys that day. HOURS.

A: I’m pretty sure one of them has my cell phone. My phone bill reads: Wally’s House of Chicken, Pete’s House of Steak, Marty’s House of Random Meat Scraps Found In  the Dumpster. And I’m a vegetarian!

B: They were probably placing orders with your phone and attempted to steal my car in order to pick them up on their getaway. Other species have also been planning, and implementing, their winter getaways. Many birds and mammals have begun their winter migration weeks in advance, much to the dismay of the rehabilitators of our dear Center. The Silver-haired bats that hunt under the street lamps in my neighborhood have already left for their trek to the more-southern states, while all the Mallards that normally populate local ponds this time of year have been MIA for two weeks now.

A: Catbirds, Cedar Waxwings and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have also been beating a swift path south, heading for the warmer climates in Florida, Mexico and the Carolinas. Though there are several species that will stick it out up here with us in Maryland during our colder months, most seek more moderate temperatures for reasons primarily associated with food supply. Our dainty Goldfinches for example, need not migrate as they rely on a diet comprised of plant matter, readily available even when it’s freezing. Whereas Catbirds, who eat a diet mostly comprised of insects, must migrate each year to keep from starving.

B: While we watch our summer friends pack up and leave, we also await the arrival of our winter compatriots, though not for much longer. Just the other day, Senior Clinic Supervisor Polly and I were in the kitchen feeding the 80 squirrel babies that get fed at noon, we heard the sweet trilling of a White-throated sparrow. A small American sparrow that journeys down from Canada and New England to spend its winters alongside fellow migrators, the Dark-eyed juncos, and Maryland’s non-migratory birds.

A: Juncos, often referred to as Snow Birds, are always a welcome seasonal sight around here. Kind of like pumpkin pie and apple cider.

B: Mmm… sounds like some of the goodies that you and I will be serving at our Open House’s Bake Sale table.

A: Our bake sale is sure to be an enormous success, with our culinary contributions as well as the lovely creations from our many talented volunteers. A perfect early Fall family activity, our annual Open House is a fun-filled day of education, music, food, drinks and wildlife. So mark your calendars on October 18^th, Saturday from 12:00pm to 4:00pm. We hope to see you there.

B: Be sure to check out our website, listed below, for directions. Want to participate but are not able to make it to our Center? Enter in one of our raffles for a chance to win great prizes, including a beautiful quilt from Master Quilter Jackie Howard. We hope to see you there!

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