Blog – Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition

Nov 23 2019November 23, 2019

THE WILDLIFE DRUMMERS

3 minutes of reading

Is it a red-headed woodpecker or a red-bellied woodpecker? One would think that the names are self-explanatory, right? One has a red head and one has a red belly.

Nov 13 2019November 23, 2019

GIFT IDEAS THAT ALSO HELP TWRC!

1 minute of reading

The holidays are coming quickly. If you’re searching for that perfect gift idea, consider Reflective Jewelry. Use code “TWRC” and 20% of your purchase will be donated back to TWRC.

Oct 26 2019November 2, 2019

Who doesn’t love carving a pumpkin for Halloween? Instead of trashing them after Halloween, recycle them for wildlife. Make sure you only recycle pumpkins that haven’t been painted or decorated with items that can harm wildlife.

Oct 9 2019October 26, 2019

THREE BILLION LOST

2 minutes of reading

Recently, the journal Science published a study showing that we have lost more than 1 in 4 birds from the United States and Canada since 1970. That’s 3 billion! The study was conducted by scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology along with six other institutions.

Sep 19 2019September 19, 2019

PURPLE MARTIN MIGRATION

3 minutes of reading

Everyone looks forward to the arrival of the Purple Martins each year. Most of us think their arrival means spring is just around the corner. But, at this time of the year, no one really thinks about them anymore. Most people don’t know that they’re very busy getting ready to migrate south.

By Cheryl Conley, TWRC Wildlife Center I’m deviating from my usual articles about local wildlife and addressing an issue that should be important to all of us. It’s the plastic pollution of our oceans. Why should we be concerned? Plastic is killing our wildlife. Fish, seabirds, seals, sea turtles and marine mammals ingest plastics causing suffocation, drowning or starvation or they become entangled in it. Plastic was invented in 1907 and was considered a major breakthrough. Although not widely used in the beginning, now it’s everywhere we look. After all, it’s durable and lightweight, but it’s deadly to marine animals. Are you old enough to remember when milk was delivered in glass bottles? Remember when sodas were only available in glass bottles? Remember paper straws? Today when you order a drink in a restaurant, you get a plastic straw. Do you remember the introduction of plastic bags in grocery stores? Groceries were once put in paper bags, then we were asked if we wanted paper or plastic and now it’s plastic only. Grocery stores have row after row of products in plastic containers replacing what were once glass. It is estimated that 92,000 tons of plastic end up in our oceans every week. To help you understand how much that is, it’s 184,000,000 pounds! But where does all that trash come from? One would think that it’s coming from ships throwing their trash overboard. That accounts for only 20% of the problem. The other 80% comes from land-based activities. Ninety percent of all plastic trash that ends up in the oceans gets there by ten rivers that carry it there (none are in the United States). All of these rivers run through densely populated areas that don’t have adequate waste collection or recycling programs. Additionally, there’s very little public awareness that plastic is even a problem in these areas. Trash being blown away from landfills is also a problem. Plastic is lightweight so it doesn’t take much for the wind to blow it around. The trash collects around storm drains and ends up in our oceans. And then there’s the general public that still thinks it’s okay to throw trash out of cars or wherever they feel like disposing of it. There are several garbage patches floating in our oceans. Rotating ocean currents called “gyres” creates them and currently there are five of them in the ocean. One of them is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and is located in the North Pacific Gyre between Hawaii and California. It is the world’s largest collection of floating trash. The debris is spread across the surface of the water and goes all the way to the ocean floor. The latest estimate puts the size of this patch at twice the size of Texas! Eight percent of the debris is made up of plastic bags, bottles and other consumer products. So what can be done about the problem? Obviously, there are many situations that we have no control over but we can do our part. We can be responsible stewards of our environment and we can teach others to be as well. Here’s how you can help: • Participate in Adopt-a-Beach programs through the General Land Office in Austin. For more information, go to www.glo.texas.gov/adopt-a-beach/. • Use reusable bags when you grocery shop. • Go straw-free. They are now even selling re-usable straws that you can carry with you. Some even fold up. • Balloons are a big no-no. If you know someone planning an event with a balloon release, educate them on the dangers to our wildlife. • Tell your dry cleaner that you don’t need a plastic bag. • Cut up the plastic rings from sodas and beer. • Recycle. TWRC Wildlife Center is a 501(c)(3) organization in Houston. Since 1979, TWRC Wildlife Center has been committed to providing quality emergency care and rehabilitation for injured, ill and orphaned wildlife brought to us by the public. Through education, and engaging the public in wildlife-care programs, TWRC is making a difference for urban wildlife threatened by loss of habitat.

Aug 10 2019August 28, 2019

THE PLASTIC PLIGHT

4 minutes of reading

By Cheryl Conley, TWRC Wildlife Center I’m deviating from my usual articles about local wildlife and addressing an issue that should be important to all of us. It’s the plastic pollution of our oceans. Why should we be concerned? Plastic is killing our wildlife. Fish, …

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Jul 12 2019July 12, 2019

EVERYDAY IS TRASH DAY

3 minutes of reading

BY Cheryl Conley, TWRC Wildlife Center One of our Facebook followers recently posted that this bird “has a face only a mother could love.” Do you know what bird she was talking about? She was referring to the vulture. Vultures have no feathers on their heads …

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May 29 2019May 29, 2019

SHREW

2 minutes of reading

Although shrews may look like rodents, they actually belong to the insectivore family. While a shrew might eat some vegetation if necessary, their main diet is beetles, crickets, snails, earthworms, millipedes, scorpions, small snakes and birds, mice and even other shrews. Since shrews eat many unwanted insects, they can be beneficial in yards and should not be eradicated unless they become a nuisance.

Apr 5 2019August 28, 2019

THE KILLDEER A SKILLED ACTOR

3 minutes of reading

By Cheryl Conley, TWRC Wildlife Center A concerned citizen who came across a nest on the ground with eggs in it and an injured mama nearby contacted us via Facebook. The lady wanted to know what she could do to help. She posted pictures to …

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Feb 15 2019April 5, 2019

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM

3 minutes of reading

By Cheryl Conley, TWRC Wildlife Center The Houston toad was discovered in the late 1940’s but wasn’t named until 1953. John Wottring, an amateur herpetologist, heard an unfamiliar, high-pitched trill-sounding nighttime call in South Houston and it was discovered that the toad belonged to an …

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