Animals and Pets

[Image description: a gray tree frog, Hyla versicolor, has gray and white camouflage which looks like birch bark. It is easy to see against the background of my hand and nearly impossible to spot when hiding in foliage]

[Image description: several bison are grazing in a paddock, but the young calfs are camera shy]

We took our friend to another farm in town today - they raise bison and mangalitsa pigs, and also do music and live theatre on the weekends. Their calves and yearlings were in the nearby pen and we were invited to go say hello from a slight distance.

Video: https://thebardingreen.me/spinach.webm

It is a very hot weekend here in Seattle, but we got some disc golf in before it was miserable

Hey folks! Tomorrow is one of those days when planning and preparation can save our furry friends a ton of anxiety and distress, so let's talk about some solutions we can have in place to keep them from stressing over the explosions in the sky.

Here is an article from Patricia McConnell (author of Control Unleashed and other force free training books) that goes over some things we can do or not do to keep our buddies below threshold. While the article is certainly about dogs, many of the guidelines (including about counter conditioning) can be applied to our feline furballs too.

What are your go-to's for making the 4th as comfortable as possible for your animals? Is your companion highly sensitive to noise? Share your tips and tricks for other folks to adopt if they haven't already made a plan.

[Image description: a frog the size of a US quarter rests on my wrist]

They stuck around just long enough to lecture me about amphibietiquette before leaving abruptly

Got to reading after visiting Klettsvik Bay, where Keiko was harbored for rehab and release.

Keiko’s Legacy, 30 Years after "Free Willy"

Timeline of life events, compiled by cofounder of the Orca Network. Both informative and fascinating.

Located in the Michigan.

I originally thought it was a young crow, but I'm starting to think it's a young grackle?

Where I need additional help / advice: the bird has an injured wing.

Problem TL;DR: found bird with injured wing. Called literally every place that could help, but all wildlife rehabs/rescues are full. DNR informed me that the only other option if I can't find a licensed rehabber is euthanasia. Bird is currently alert, eating, drinking, and climbing. I set up a secure space for them outside. I've now been caring for them for about 4 days now. I just.. need advice about what I should do from here.. I really have no idea if I am doing the right thing..

More details / backstory: I saw this guy stumbling across a busy road, wing drooping, nearly getting hit by cars. I ran out, shooed him into the neighbor's garden where there is lots of cover, and hoped he would survive the night.

The next morning, I couldn't stop thinking about the bird, so I went outside to go check the garden again, hoping he had flown away. The moment I stepped around the corner of my home, I saw him, hopping and flapping on the ground, being stalked by 2 cats that one of my neighbors let roam outside. I swooped in quickly, scooped up the bird, and popped it into a carrier.

I then called every wildlife rescue / rehab center in & near my area. Every single one of them either did not take small birds (raptors and owls only) and the ones that did accept small birds let me know that they were full and couldn't help me.

I called vet offices, shelters, triple-checked the DNR certified rehab list, put out inquiries for any private licensed rehabbers, even posted my plea on a local Facebook wildlife group.. no luck.

Called DNR & let them know, asking if they maybe had any more resources I could look into. Since I could not find any licensed rehabbers, they simply suggested I take it somewhere for euthanasia.

I'm.. at a loss. I put antibiotic cream on the problem area on the wing (attempted a wing wrap on the advice from a vet tech, but just could not get it to stay properly, not matter what, so I got rid of it), set up a large screen tent in a more secluded area behind my home, reinforced the base perimeter as best I could, built up a secure perch with branches starting from the ground up to the ceiling, and gave the bird food and water.

The bird seems very happy with the perch they don't need to fly to get up the highest place. They've drank plenty, and have been eating cat food soaked in water + bugs & worms I've dug up for them. They definitely have an appetite! And their bite has gotten significantly more painful since I first scooped them up. It was weak before, now it actually hurts sometimes! (I handle them carefully and safely only for wing-check medication).

I have NO intention of making this bird into a pet!! I just want them to be released eventually, and ak trying to make sure they don't get too comfortable with me. I'm just upset that the only alternative to a licensed rehabber is euthanasia.

Please.. I'm really conflicted on this. What should I do from here? Any advice is very much appreciated. Thank you.

[Image description: a brown and yellow duckling naps in the sun]

This is duckling number two for the year so far, hatched five days after the first. I'm keeping an eye on them because none of the hens seem to be claiming it yet. I would honestly rather not be a duck mom again, so I hope someone takes them under their wing.

I've taken to calling the first duckling "Una" and this one "Niji", but that naming scheme is likely to get dropped quickly since its uses are numbered

*Edit to update: one of the hens has taken little Niji in, I heard them making happy little peeps.

Please be nice, he is very awkward. Sometimes he gets lost in the kitchen and cries, and we have to help him lol.

Alt text: An image of a small black cat looking at the camera. He is making biscuits in his cat bed located beside a wooden crate of records.

He's in his vegan era

[Image description: a yellow duckling makes its way through violets and dandelions while flanked by two protective hens]

Other images showing them attempting to hide from the camera are here

[Image description: a yellow duckling shelters itself under a mother duck's wing]

We're crossing our fingers that its peeps will encourage its siblings and cousins out of their shells as well

we had graduation last night! we did some rally practice since all the dogs had already passed all the test items, and echo loved it. could not get her to look at the camera because she loves to look at me always, haha. very proud of this rescue pup who has exceeded my expectations when it comes to training. she really is the dog i've wanted since i was a teenager. ❤️

[Image description: our cat, Maeko, slowly slides off a cushion as the day gets warmer]

She normally sleeps in 'ball' or 'loaf' position but the AC was struggling to keep up and she phased into liquid

[Image description: two Small-eyed Sphinx moths mate while hanging from the underside of a honeysuckle bush]

Paonias myops making more pollinators for my gardens

[Image description: an American Toad rests on my hand, waiting to be put back]

I have no idea how this chonker escaped being noticed by the ducks that were around us, but they were placed into an area with more cover than my vegetable garden when their photoshoot was over.

Happy almost Wednesday my gender-nonspecific dudes

I am a first time pet owner as an adult so I don't know a lot but I want the best for my dog.

So my problem is that he breaths heavily when he sleeps and often he has these irregularities in his breathing and he twiches like he has nightmares.

Tonight he was sleeping in my bed while I was relaxing next to him and he started breathing fast and heavy and he was twitching a lot like he had some kind of a seizure. I woke him up and he was fine I hugged him, talked to him and pet him. Then he heard my brother eating and left to find him, so I think he is okay but I am scared that he has something or needs something.

Also we have him in this house about 4 months now. He usually sleeps in the living room (on the couch) alone but the last few weeks he is trying to sleep with as in our bedrooms (on our beds).

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!