Spring is baby bird season. From chickadees to juncos, robins to crows, baby birds are hatching everywhere from nests in trees and bushes – even on the ground! Baby birds are especially vulnerable as they leave the nest and learn to fly. Help keep them safe by joining the Baby Bird Brigade!
What’s the Baby Bird Brigade, you ask? We’ll tell you! Being a Brigade member means being on the lookout for baby birds. You keep your cats and dogs away from them, and remind others to do the same. You also know that, while baby birds sometimes need rescuing, most should be left alone because they’ve got watchful parents nearby.
Springtime is not just for the birds! As the days get longer and sunnier, insects of all kinds are returning to work.
Did you know that our province is home to somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 different kinds of insects? Each one has an important role to play in the ecosystem. Some, such as ladybugs, help defend plants by eating the insects that feed on them. Others, such as bumblebees, help fertilize plants through pollination. You may not consider yourself much of a bug person, but bee-lieve us – the world needs insects!
Time to test your insect IQ! Can you identify what types of bugs are in the photos above? Send your best guesses to kids@spca.bc.ca, using the subject line “Insect ID.” Get four or more correct answers, and you’ll be entered in a draw to win a copy of the book Bugs Up Close by Diane Swanson. This contest is open until May 30, 2016 to all BC SPCA Kids Club members. Remember to include your name, age and city with your answers, too.
Not a Kids Club member? Sign up today and you’ll never miss out on any fabulous contests like this one again!
Want a sneak peek at wildlife you may never have the chance to see otherwise? Check out our Critter Cam!
Wild ARC, the BC SPCA’s wildlife rehabilitation centre on Vancouver Island, cares for orphaned and injured wild animals until they’re ready to be released back into the wild. The Critter Cam allows Wild ARC staff – and us! – to watch the animals without disturbing them. How cool is that?
Right now, the camera is spying on three orphaned river otters in a large outdoor pool pen. Can you spot them all?
(Missed the otters? The Critter Cam changes views depending on who’s in care, so keep checking back for new animal action!)
Last winter, a young raccoon arrived at Wild ARC in desperate need of help. He’d been hit by a car and his lower jaw was broken. Unable to eat, he wouldn’t have survived long in the wild.
Luckily for him, the amazing staff at Wild ARC have lots of experience treating injured wildlife. He was given pain medication and a special diet soft enough for him to swallow.
As his jaw began to heal, the raccoon started to feel much better. Wild ARC staff moved him to a large outdoor enclosure where he could build back his strength. His diet was changed to harder foods too. The staff needed to make sure he could eat the same sorts of things he’d find in the wild.
Finally, after nearly three months in care, the young raccoon was fully recovered. On his release day, the staff brought him to a forested area near to where he was first found. As soon as his kennel door was opened, he climbed right up a tree and had a good look around. He was happy to be home again!
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Last winter, a young raccoon arrived at Wild ARC in desperate need of help. He’d been hit by a car and his lower jaw was broken. Unable to eat, he wouldn’t have survived long in the wild.