TEXAS WILDLIFE NEWS

At TWRC Wildlife Center, conservation is the name of the game! We exist to educate the public about environmental conservation, how it relates to our native wildlife, and why it is so important. This month, we are bringing awareness about local (Texas) endangered species!

Did you know that recently, there has been another type of raptor sighted at various locations throughout North America that almost dwarfs our national symbol? Not only that, it shouldn’t even be here since it’s from a different continent entirely! Read on to learn more about the Steller’s Sea Eagle, a bird that has lately been taking the birding community by storm.

Wouldn’t it be cool to catch sight of a majestic marine mammal off the Texas coast, other than our beloved bottlenose dolphins? Did you know there have been several sightings of Florida manatees off the coast of Texas recently? Read the full article to learn more about the manatee sightings and what we can do to enjoy the presence of manatees and other coastal creatures for centuries to come.

Ever wonder how you could make further use of the pumpkin you carved or decorated, besides throwing it in the trash when the holiday has passed? Ever wanted to try your hand at recycling the pumpkin pulp and seeds somehow? Read on for some creative and unique seasonal ideas!

Halloween: the time of the year when carved pumpkins cover our porches, decorative spider webs spread from tree to tree, and bat silhouettes fill our yards and houses. It’s the one time of the year that we can go all-out spooky, but at a significant cost to our native wildlife. With Halloween right around the corner it’s important that we all do the best we can to protect our native wildlife from dangerous decorations and dangerous stereotypes. Read on to learn how you can help.

Squirrels, squirrels everywhere! At TWRC Wildlife Center, the fall season has been nicknamed “baby squirrel season”, and for a good reason. Why is that? Find out what baby squirrel season looks like at TWRC, how to identify the squirrels in your backyard, and how important these adorable critters are to the environment!

When I was little, my grandmother would take us outside early in the morning to watch the nature around our lake house wake for the day. We would see flocks of purple martins flying overhead or flying fish jumping high out of the water. It was all incredible, though, one animal always stood out to me in particular—the Great Blue Heron.

Blue jays, mockingbirds, and barn swallows, oh my! Baby bird season is in full swing here at TWRC Wildlife Center, and we’ve got lots of awesome avian suitemates! There are some things that are necessary for all of them, like proper caging and perching to minimize damage to feathers and legs, a calcium supplement for their diet, and live insect enrichment to teach them how to properly hunt. But there are distinct differences as well, which is important to keep in mind when involved with their care.

As the weather warms up, more of our wildlife is on the move.  This can include, to the fascination or horror of some: snakes!  There is some good news about this fact: snakes provide free pest control services and the majority of them are mostly harmless to people and pets.

How do birds know when to migrate? Or when to build their nests and lay their eggs? How do sea turtles revolunteer which beach they hatched on? And how in the world do our backyard bugs know when to “wake up” from their winter slumber? Maybe it’s magic, maybe it’s not. All I know is, everything we know about the natural world is changing, and it’s changing fast. The planet is heating up faster than it ever has before, and humans have played an undeniably large role in this drastic change.

So many of us in the Houston area are still assessing property and landscaping damage from the “February 2021 Freeze”. While many trees and plants are beginning to bloom again, some generally zone-hardy plants succumbed to the storms and hard freeze over several days.

We all know the story of Rocky Balboa, right? The underdog who had little to no chance of winning? And he didn’t win, not at first. But neither did he give up. And neither did the people who cared about him. In the face of setbacks and disappointments, he finally triumphed. Defying all expectations, he beat the odds and became a champion. No, we're not talking about Sylvester Stallone's fictional movie character. We're talking about the journey of a tiny baby opossum during a worldwide pandemic.

Around 5:30 pm on Sunday February 21, Nick M. of the West University area of Houston, witnessed a baby squirrel fall from a nest... A story of how one caring rescuer reunited a mother with her baby squirrel.

February, the shortest month of the year. But that speaks nothing to its extraordinary qualities. Many of us look forward to the last month of winter, when the sun rises a little higher in the sky each day, when signs of springtime begin to grow, and when love spreads like pollen through the air. What better way to celebrate this month, and Valentine’s Day, than a glimpse at some of Mother Nature’s most extraordinary, lifetime “lovebirds”?

It’s a brand-new year! For many of us this is a chance to start fresh, create a new routine, or just simply, be better. At TWRC Wildlife Center, we are always looking for ways to be better, especially when it involves our wild friends. Join us this year in our resolution to help wildlife by choosing sustainable, wildlife-friendly options.

Have you ever spotted a critter that seemed out of place, somewhere it’s not normally found? If so, more than likely it was a bird. But why birds? Birds are much more mobile than other animals, with many of them being migratory. So, it’s no surprise that they might easily find themselves out of their normal ranges. It is not known precisely why lone individuals end up hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles away from home... Truly a fun and entertaining read! Find out which birds have been spotted in odd places, and what could be causing it.

Who isn’t in awe at the sight of the majestic symbol of our country soaring overhead? The bald eagle is indeed a majestic creature, awe-inspiring due, in part, to its rarity. Although, not so rare anymore is the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Read about their population decline in the 1960s, their impressive comeback since then, and where you can find them around Houston!

Believe it or not, the holidays are almost upon us, bringing winter along with them. This means wildlife will be trying to find ways to keep warm and scrounge for food. As a result, you may find them venturing closer to human residences. Wildlife will be looking for a place to spend the cold winter.

I almost missed what a thunderstorm had left in my front yard while I was carrying in my takeout: a tiny bird’s nest lying on the grass. I approached with fingers crossed, and I found two baby birds that had fallen victim to the downpour. Only one was still breathing. Over the next two hours, I hatched a plan to save the little guy’s life.