Tag Archives: raptors

Don’t Exterminate Your Exterminators

We’re so lucky that our ecosystem is full of animals who work behind the scenes to keep our homes, lawns, and gardens free of pests! One single owl, for example, can kill twelve mice per night, while a skunk will spend weeks digging up every rat’s nest in a neighborhood. Coyotes are probably the bestContinue reading “Don’t Exterminate Your Exterminators”

Confused Birds: Not Miracles or Social Media Accessories

Social media can be both a very good thing and a very bad thing for wildlife. One of the most unfortunate trends we’ve seen over the last few years involves people taking videos and photos with seriously injured birds while declaring the unfortunate animal’s behavior miraculous. We’re not here to knock anyone’s spiritual beliefs, butContinue reading “Confused Birds: Not Miracles or Social Media Accessories”

Keep Owlets Safe: Don’t Use Rodent Poison

Baby owls, called owlets, just might be the cutest and strangest-looking creatures on Earth. They look like Mother Nature collected a year’s worth of dryer lint and then got creative with googly eyes and acrylic, possibly after having a couple of drinks. As much as we humans love owlets, no one loves them as muchContinue reading “Keep Owlets Safe: Don’t Use Rodent Poison”

Vultures and the Zombie Apocalypse

A group of vultures— called a “wake”— can consume an entire 150-pound corpse in just a few hours! Of course, those corpses are generally deer, but if you find yourself in a post-apocalyptic scenario surrounded by zombies, your vulture neighbors would come in handy. These amazing birds are quickly attracted to the smell of decayContinue reading “Vultures and the Zombie Apocalypse”

Hawks are Exterminators: Don’t Poison Their Food!

Native hawks are part of nature’s most powerful pest control crew! A single red-tail hawk can eat dozens of rats, mice, and other potential pests in a single week. This benefits humans by reducing the spread of disease and keeping crops and homes safe from damage. Like most predators, hawks will often target prey thatContinue reading “Hawks are Exterminators: Don’t Poison Their Food!”

Pet Body Armor Protects Against Wildlife

Hawks, coyotes, bobcats— and in some areas, wolves and bears— can be scary for owners of pets and working animals. But killing wildlife is inhumane, ineffective, and often illegal as a method of protecting pets. So what’s a pet owner to do? The best way to protect pets is to keep them either indoors orContinue reading “Pet Body Armor Protects Against Wildlife”

Predators Aren’t Evil

We don’t call rabbits cruel when they eat clovers. We don’t call squirrels cruel when they eat acorns. We don’t call our children cruel when they eat cereal, or even call our dogs cruel when they eat beef bones. Yet predators, in nature, get a bad reputation. I have seen people who consider themselves toContinue reading “Predators Aren’t Evil”

Rodenticides Hurt Wildlife

The most common forms of rat poison are anticoagulants (poisons that cause uncontrolled bleeding). When a rodent is poisoned, it usually goes outside to die. There, it become slow, easy prey for snakes, foxes, hawks, owls, raccoons, and even your neighbor’s cat. We understand that live traps and snap traps don’t always work in casesContinue reading “Rodenticides Hurt Wildlife”

Who You Callin’ Chicken Hawk?

In our area, many people still use the old term “chicken hawk” to refer to redtailed hawks, Cooper’s hawks, and sharp-shinned hawks. This term is a misnomer. Although these birds will occasionally opportunistically prey on chickens that aren’t properly secured, chickens comprise only a tiny portion of their diets and are generally larger than theirContinue reading “Who You Callin’ Chicken Hawk?”