Snapping Turtle

Our Largest Turtle

The Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is our largest turtle, with the exception of sea turtles.   They range from 12 to 18 inches long (30 - 45 cm) and weigh up to 30 pounds (66 kg).

Snapping Turtle (torontozoo.com)

The Snapping Turtle is easy to distinguish from our other native New Brunswick turtles by its size and morphology.  It is larger.  The Painted Turtle is often around 8 to 10 inches (12-25 cm) and the wood turtle is about the same size (although much rarer at this point).  The Snapping Turtle has a longer tail with a saw-toothed upper ridge and a much smaller plastron (bottom plate).  The plastron, in fact, looks incomplete.  It does not cover the entire ventral surface of the turtle like it does in the Painted and Wood Turtles.  

Snapping Turtles live in permanent fresh water ponds, lakes and rivers.  They feed on fish, invertebrates, amphibians, pond vegetation and sometimes young waterfowl.  Their range covers southern Canada east of the Rocky Mountains and southeastward through the United States to Florida.  

Snapping Turtles Laying Eggs [E Mills Photo]
 

Snapping Turtles usually travel long distances to find suitable sand in which to lay their eggs.  Shown above is a sand dune along Grand Lake where Snapping Turtles come annually to lay eggs.  Eggs are usually laid in late spring or early summer.  The female digs a deep hole into which she slides her body.  After 25 to 80 eggs are laid, she covers them carefully before returning to the water.  The incubation period ranges from 9 to 18 weeks.  In colder temperatures the hatchlings spend the winter in the nest.  

Snapping Turtle Eggs [Internet Photo]

The female Snapping Turtle has an unusual ability to store sperm from a mating for several seasons, using it as necessary.  This is a useful adaptive feature if the population is low and males are hard to find.  The shells on turtle eggs are leathery, not hard like bird egg shells.  This makes them withstand the pressure of the sand covering them.  

Snapping Turtle Laying Eggs [E Mills Photo]

Snapping Turtles are famous for their bites.  If you didn't know that, pay careful attention!  They can bite your finger off!  They can also whip their head around and bite you much faster than you think.  Their necks are much longer and more flexible than in other turtles.  Picking one up by the sides of the carapace (shell) is definitely not advised.  They can bite you there.  NEVER, pick one up by the tail.  That can injure the tail and spinal cord.  The proper way to pick one up is to cover it with a tarp or blanket.  Lay the blanket flat and when the turtle crawls on it, wrap it around the turtle and then move it off the road or out of harms way.  Another common mistake is to entice the turtle to bite a stick and then drag the turtle across the road.  This is harmful to the turtle, scraping and abrading the skin on the legs and underside.  If all else fails, it is possible to pick one up safely by the carapace by placing the hands around the carapace at the level of the hind legs.  Good luck!

 Snapping Turtles are very cold-tolerant.  Some individuals remain active under the ice all winter.  Most hibernate in the mud at the bottom of ponds.  They can go for up to 6 months without breathing air.  They have a special system for respiration called extra-pulmonary respiration.  They stick their heads above the mud at the pond bottom periodically and absorb oxygen from the water through the membranes lining their mouths and throats.  If this is not enough, they breathe anaerobically by using stored fats and sugars.  

As you can tell, these are amazing creatures.  They have adapted over eons to survive in harsh and varied environments.  We are lucky to be able to observe them in our province.  Watch out for them on the highways as they make their way to sandy areas to lay eggs or are returning to  favourite pond.  

Adopting Two Cats from Animal Friends is Twice as Nice!

During an extremely active kitten season, Animal Friends has been working diligently to admit as many cats and kittens as possible from a variety of sources. In an effort to do all that can be done, Animal Friends is filled to capacity.

That's why we are sharing the many, many benefits of adopting two cats - it's "Twice as Nice!" But we're not stopping there. When you adopt one cat between now and June 30, your donation will cover two feline adoptions!
 
Here are just a few of the reasons to consider adopting two cats:

• Having a constant playmate to chase and wrestle with helps keep cats lively, well-exercised and healthy.
• Often, destructive behavior in pets can be traced to boredom. The stimulation of a companion can help to ward off inappropriate feline behaviors and scratching.
• Two cats will keep you laughing with their antics.
• Many cats are social creatures, and will happily groom one another and sleep cuddled together.
• People who work long hours, travel overnight or spend frequent evenings away from home will find a warm greeting upon returning, but without the guilt of leaving a beloved pet all alone.
• Two cats will bring their humans double the love. The only thing more heartwarming than the love of a pet is the love of two.
• They make great lap warmers in winter and will offer an endless supply of purrs and head butts.
• Adopting two cats actually saves four lives - the two you're adopting, and the two that will take their places on Animal Friends’ adoption floor who are then given a priceless second chance thanks to your adoption.

Having two cats doesn't require much additional effort. An extra food and water dish and litter box is worth the joy your instant family will bring. AnimalFriends' Adoption Counselors will work with you to find exactly the right cats – two that are compatible with you as well as each other.

Click here to view our adoptable cats right now, or stop by our resource center to meet them today and take two of our furry felines home for the cost of one adoption donation!

Warbler Watching

Warblers, A Birder's Treasure

Black-and-white Warbler

North American birders are lucky to have the wood warblers to study and enjoy.  The Americas are the only place in the world with such a colourful profusion of warblers.  We have so many that some of us take them for granted.  We must appreciate (and protect) the colourful little birds that flit through our trees in the spring, summer and fall.  They come to our country to breed where we have good habitat and lots of insects to feed upon.

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Most of our warblers belong to the family, Parulidae.  Most of our common warblers are of the genus, Dendroica.  We also have members of the genera, Vermivora, Parula, Mniotilta, Setophaga,  Seiurus, Oporornis, Geothlypis, Wilsonia, etc.  Many species are neotropical migrants (they move between North and South America).  For many that forces them to fly over the Gulf of Mexico, an often difficult task.

American Redstart

Most warblers are small songbirds.  Their colourful plumage in the spring is legendary.  Most have beautiful songs which fill up our spring and summer landscapes.  In the fall many warblers lose their colourful plumage and revert to dull yellows, grays, and greens, making them difficult to identify.  All species are insectivorous but some feed on fruit and nectar in the winter.  The few that overwinter here, often by accident, will feed on suet and dried fruit at feeders.  Most build a cup-shaped nest on the ground or low in bushes.

Northern Parula

Our warblers have experienced significant population declines in recent years.  It is believed the main reason is because of loss or fragmentation of habitat on both breeding and wintering grounds and during migration.  The heavy use of insecticides and nicotinoids on the wintering grounds is also causing declines.  Migration also causes high mortalities; the trans-Gulf flight, having to pass over large population areas, loss of good habitat along the route, etc.

Blackburnian Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Warblers are often hard to see among the tree leaves.  Some often prefer to perch high in large deciduous trees, making it even harder to see them.  As a result many birders make a concerted effort to learn their songs.  Each species has a unique song and when learned one can identify the birds just by listening.  That takes skill but is very satisfying when learned.

Cape May Warbler

Yellow-throated Warbler

The next time you step out into your garden or woodlot, take along binoculars and take a look at the warblers which are sharing your space.  You won't be disappointed!

Guest Post: Dede Rittman, Author of Grady Gets Glasses

Who doesn’t love dogs, and cats, and bunnies?

Animal Friends employees and volunteers do an extraordinary job of caring for furry friends in need, as I have seen firsthand.  I visit Animal Friends on a regular basis, recycling my newspapers, cardboard egg cartons, towels, and blankets (and they always need more- plus pet food donations!) I was very fortunate to “book” a book reading and signing for my new children’s book “Grady Gets Glasses” at Animal Friends- with new children friends and all of the bunny friends!  What an exciting afternoon!

The volunteers brought all of the bunnies into the room- with pens set up around them to keep them safe.  I read “Grady Gets Glasses” to the kids- while wearing bunny ears, of course!  The kids were very responsive to the rhymes and the rabbits- so, of course, I had to hand out Grady stickers!  And then, all of us went inside the penned areas to pet the bunnies!

What a fun afternoon!  The Animal Friends employees and volunteers kept a watchful eye on the small children, educating them about the care and petting of bunnies.  It was so sweet!  And the children truly enjoyed the book reading and their new (pretend) rabbit friend Grady, and their new real rabbit friends at the shelter.

Please invite us back for another reading!  Grady and I had a wonderful time!

“Grady Gets Glasses” coloring books are also available, and a new toy Grady is coming soon!

Dede Rittman
Author, Speaker, Teacher

Showy Orchis

Very Rare Orchid  (Galearis spectabilis)

Showy Orchis

A botanist friend and I found a rare orchid this week in Carleton County.  This is a difficult species to find and we were delighted to see it.

The Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis) is listed as S2, very rare.  It grows in limestone-rich soils
so is found on bottomlands and rich, deciduous woods.  Even in those specific habitats, it is rare.  It blooms in late May and early June.  Its range is from Minnesota and Nebraska east to New Brunswick and south to Arkansas and Georgia.  We found it in a shady, damp site.

The Showy Orchis is a small plant, 10 to 30 cm (4 to 12 in) high.  As seen above, our plant was around 15 cm tall.  The flower is delicate, about 2.5 cm (1 in.) long and has a magenta or pink hood with a white lip and spurs.  Anatomically the hood represents the sepals and lateral petals.  The flower has a faint pleasant perfume.  The leaves are a shiny, medium green and about 10-20 cm (4-8 in) long.

We noticed that the leaves are actually quite unique and located just 2 plants by looking first for the leaves.  They were growing among special ferns, Maidenhair, Goldie and Silvery Glade Ferns.

According to Hal Hinds (Flora of New Brunswick, p.641) this plant was first collected in New Brunswick by Rev. Mr. McKiel at Keswick in 1881.  Unfortunately it has never been relocated in Keswick.

Showy Orchis

The photo above shows a close-up of the delicate flower.  Notice the hood showing the stamens and pistil inside.  I think it looks strikingly like a woman with her hands thrown up in celebration.

Showy Orchis [E. Mills Photo]

Above is a close-up of another bloom.  According to Hal Hinds, the bloom looks like a 'helmeted conquistador sporting a beard'. What do you think?

This rare, unique orchid is one of our natural treasures.  I like to think the beautiful bloom with its gentle fragrance is a celebrating woman of the rich forest.

Animal Friends' Home-to-Home Adoption Program Presents Jake!

 

Jake is an 8-year-old Black Lab/Australian Heeler mix who is in search of a full-time home with lots of love to give! He is neutered and up to date with all of his vaccines. Jake is very well trained, house broken and loves to play with the other dogs and cats in his home. He is also great with kids and loves to run around and play fetch.

 

This handsome guy was taken into his current home when his previous owners were moving and were unable to take him with them. Instead of surrendering him to a shelter, family friends offered to take him in. Unfortunately they do not have the space to keep Jake. He is a wonderful dog and they would love to find him a great full-time home!

 

Jake would make a perfect companion for someone who wouldn't mind throwing a ball about a thousand times (although Jake is a good sport when it's quitting time). This dog is a professional when it comes to a good game of fetch. He will always drop the ball in your hand when he brings it back. Jake is always looking to please, he listens to commands very well and is just a big sweetheart.

 

UPDATE: Jake was adopted and has started his new life with a loving, new family!

 

 

 

 

Indigo Bunting

Bird Magic Comes in Blue

Indigo Bunting

This time of year some of our birds are spectacular, 'eye candy' in today's vernacular.  I recently had the good fortune to see three male Indigo Buntings.  I was attracted to them by their song.  They sound a bit like a goldfinch.  The song is roughly in 3 parts and some people translate it to, 'fire fire, where where, here here'.

Indigo Bunting

The male Indigo Bunting shown above is easy to identify, entirely bright blue.   The medium blue colour is intense, so  much so that if the light is not right, the bird looks black.  The blue colour on the back is a more cerulean blue and it sometimes looks iridescent.  The beak is large (it is a seed eater) and gray coloured.

This species is dimorphic (genders look different).  The female is a dull medium brown colour with faint wing bars and when in breeding plumage, she has faint streaking on the underparts.  See the female below.

Female Indigo Bunting [The Sibley Guide to Birds, p.547]

The Indigo Bunting is about sparrow-sized, 14 cm (5.5") long.  It normally feeds on the ground or in trees or shrubs on seeds, insects, forbs, buds and berries.  It prefers forest edges, grasslands with scattered trees, bushes and shrubs or scrub vegetation.  It builds its nest in bushes or thick vegetation within a few feet of the ground.  Its nest is a compact woven cup of leaves and grass in which it lays 3 or 4 white to light blue eggs, sometimes with brown or purple spots.

Indigo Bunting

Indigo Buntings are not regular feeder birds but they can be enticed to come in and feed with safflower, apple slices, suet, millet, crushed peanuts and fruit.

Morgan just wants to have fun!

Morgan displaying beaching play behaviour

Animal-rights groups always want to put a very negative interpretation on any of these activities animals display.  It is always considered that the animal is displaying some kind of suffering.  However, the animal behaviourist Dr Martha Kiley-Worthington, made a very valid point that whilst animals can display signs of “suffering” they can also display signs of “joy”. 

Recently the media have been feverishly displaying video of the behaviour of the young killer whale Morgan at the Spanish zoological collection Loro Parque at Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife, Spain.  Video footage shows the animal beaching itself on the platform surrounding its pool.  Various animal-rights groups – who are opposed to animals being maintained in zoological collections – immediately made claims that the animal was distressed and suggested this might be a suicide attempt.  However, closer investigation reveals that this is in point of fact play behaviour by this animal that she has displayed for quite some time and is not, as claimed, abnormal or a sign of self harm.

Morgan’s life has an interesting history.  She was rescued in an emaciated state from the Dutch coast and rehabilitated at Harderwijk Marine Mammal Park.  Because of her young age, it was decided that she could not be released back to the wild.  Moreover, it is believed that the social groups of whales she came from are resident for some periods time off the coast of Norway so she was a very long way from her original home.  The animal-rights groups tried three times in the Dutch courts to acquire this animal for an experimental release project.  Each time they failed to convince the judge that this was a feasible or indeed in the interests of the welfare of this animal.  The Dutch government decided that she should be relocated with other whales in an aquarium.  Since she moved to Loro Parque in the Canary Islands independent research has shown that she has a hearing impairment and may well be deaf which may explain why she stranded and had to be rescued.  Hearing impairment or deafness in a killer whale is extremely serious as they cannot hunt for food using echolocation or communicate with other whales.  This in itself would be a death sentence if she returned to the wild. 

Morgan’s full story can be found linked in the article below:

Morgan - The Rescued Female Killer Whale

Two animal keeping professionals who had worked with Morgan in the past responded on social media with the following comments.  These support the hypothesis that this animal is displaying play behaviour.  The first comment states:

“...I did observe this sliding out behaviour, not only in Morgan but in other whales as well, particularly Adán, and sometimes Skyla and Kohana as well. There were different reasons, what you have to realize is, these land areas the stage, the slide out, are part of the whales environment, they have access to these areas during sessions and in free time so will utilize them. A few reasons whales would slide out include principally, playtime, Morgan and Adan would often interact with one whale on the slide out and the other in the water, and then they would "drop in" on each other, almost like a game of hide and seek. Other reasons include inquisitiveness, if Morgan can't see the trainers as they are backstage, maybe discussing the plans for a show or evaluating how a show went, she would slide out and try and peek through the gap in the stage to see the trainers!  This slide out behaviour is in no way abnormal for her or the other whales.  The main times I spent around Morgan would be during playtime sessions with her, giving her enrichment or simply having fun whilst other whales were doing a show or a session. She did everything the other whales did. And she thrived in it as well, when it came to speed or high energy behaviours, Morgan would always be one of the fastest or the highest.  Morgan was part of the group, she is a very strong social animal that held her own within the group. She especially has a great relationship with Adán, the youngest whale. I compared it to two young children that just loved being in each other’s company playing around...”

Statement by Loro Parque regarding Morgan’s behaviour.

A second animal keeping professional observed:

“...Back in 2012 - 2013 when I worked with her we saw her playing a lot on land with the other whales. She is so extremely agile on land it was incredible...”

In a similar vein, Dr. Kelly Jaakkola, the Director of Research for the Dolphin Research Center (DRC) was asked about this beaching behaviour and responded:

"Morgan is not nearly the only animal that does this. At Dolphin Research Center, our young dolphins often beach themselves for short periods of time. In fact, they make a game out of it. I have no reason to think it's any different for Morgan", she explained. "I see no more reason to worry about that than I do when a human child who knows how to swim jumps in a pool… and then comes back out again, all on his own. This is a trained behavior. Morgan does it all the time, for medical check-ups, public demonstrations, hearing tests, etc. She knows how to get up and how to get down, and once she's learned that, it's not "unusual" for her at all."

It has always been a problem when a facility is open to the public and people can freely take photographs or video.  The animal-rights movement  have a habit of taking relatively straightforward and innocent video footage and turning it into some kind of distorted narrative which the naive media then unthinkingly distribute.   

Animal-rights groups always want to put a very negative interpretation on any of these activities animals display.  It is always considered that the animal is displaying some kind of suffering.  However, the animal behaviourist Dr Martha Kiley-Worthington, made a very valid point that whilst animals can display signs of “suffering” they can also display signs of “joy”.  Whilst this may seem an anthropomorphic statement, it puts in context the reality of the situation.  The animal-rights supporters always want to label any behaviour they see displayed by animals in captivity as aberrant and disturbed.  Whereas the reality might be very different as far as the animal is concerned.  Loro Parque could, of course, try to dissuade Morgan from displaying these behaviours.  However, this in itself would be wrong as she obviously enjoys (finds pleasurable) presenting these behaviours. Moreover, on many occasions these are interactive displays between the other whales or her trainers.

One final point that needs to be repeated, the animal-rights activists who continue to protest against Morgan being in a Spanish zoo have an underlying agenda.  As mentioned above, these groups and individuals want to acquire Morgan for a cruel and ill-conceived experimental release project.  Therefore, they are using every tactic to try and discredit Loro Parque and its high standards of animal husbandry at every opportunity using misinformation and sometimes blatant falsehoods.

The Facebook page dolphinaria.truth has also produced a video and links of Morgan's beaching play behaviour HERE.

Further reading

Intentional stranding apprenticeship and social play in killer whales (Orcinus orca)

Do dolphin commit suicide in captivity?

Recent video of Morgan swimming with other whales at the park

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Rare Flycatcher Welcomed Back

The Olive-sided Flycatcher was once fairly common in New Brunswick.  It is now listed as an uncommon summer resident and migrant.  It prefers coniferous and mixed woods especially along the edges of streams and bogs. 

Olive-sided Flycatcher [Kathleen Spicer Photo]

The Olive-sided Flycatcher is a medium-sized flycatcher, about 19 cm (7.5") long.  It is just a little bit larger than a phoebe.  Although it could be mistaken for a phoebe, it is darker in colour and sports a distinguished-looking vest of dark gray.  The Olive-sided perches on the tops of trees and snags from which it vocalizes its unique, "Quick three beers".   The phoebe, on the other hand, perches lower to the ground and often is seen flipping its tail.  The olive-sided sometimes shows white patches on the sides of the rump but often these are covered by the wings.  In the photo above, taken at Apple River, NS,  you can see the dark gray vest and a hint of the white rump patch.

Olive-sided Flycatcher

The photo above shows the Olive-sided Flycatcher I recently saw on Grand Manan.  It was singing from the top of a balsam fir in a rather remote forested area.  It was probably a migrant and will likely breed in northern New Brunswick.  Its song attracted us to it.  

The Olive-sided Flycatcher breeds in the boreal forest throughout most of southern Canada.  It winters mainly in the Andes in western South America.  A few winter in southern Mexico.  

 

Olive-sided Flycatcher

The two photos above show the brownish-gray back and the rather short tail.  

Population numbers of this species are described as 'near threatened'.  Because of habitat loss primarily on its wintering grounds, there have been very noticeable declines in numbers of this species since the early 1960s.  Because of their scarcity, a birder in New Brunswick is always excited to see and hear one!

Why 'Kitten Season' is Much More Serious than It Sounds

At Animal Friends, each spring marks the beginning of what is known by many as ‘kitten season.’ And it’s not as fun as it sounds.

Between late spring and early fall, thousands of kittens are born in our region to stray and feral cats that are becoming active after a long winter. From April through August of 2015 alone, Animal Friends brought in 385 kittens.

With such an influx in cats in need of immediate help and a limited amount of space, volunteers and resources, kitten season can be a difficult time for any shelter.

The sudden spike in the cat population this spring means many residents will likely encounter a litter of kittens in a window well, in a bush or in a garden. When this happens, there are several important things to bear in mind.

Do not attempt to pick up or move a litter of kittens.
Mother cats can often leave their kittens alone for up to three or four hours while they are out finding food or searching for a new location. If you’ve been watching a group of kittens and are not sure if the mother is returning, try sprinkling baby powder in the area and looking for footprints. Kittens should never be taken away from their mother.

If you're certain a litter is abandoned, know what to do.
While the best-case scenario is always to bring a mother and her kittens to the shelter together, this is not always possible with stray litters. Keep in mind that kittens require a constant source of heat and must eat every two to four hours. They cannot drink dairy milk or water so it is always important to have a plan before taking in a litter of kittens. When in doubt, always contact a shelter to ask for instructions.

Once the kittens are in our care, the fight is just beginning.
Many stray kittens are often exposed to fleas, upper respiratory problems and countless other medical complications. With very fragile immune systems, kittens under four weeks old require 24-hour supervision and must receive deworming and flea treatments every two weeks. When they reach two pounds, they are spayed or neutered, helping to proactively decrease the number of stray and unwanted animals in the area. Once they reach a weight of 2-1/2 pounds and are given a clean bill of health, kittens are ready to be adopted.

The road to adoption for a stray kitten is certainly not an easy one and without aggressive spay/neuter programs combatting overpopulation, this journey will only become more difficult. By continuing to provide education and valuable resources to pet owners, Animal Friends is helping to end kitten season once and for all.

You can get involved with Animal Friends this June by sponsoring a spay/neuter, attending some cat-themed June events, or donating an item on Animal Friends’ Amazon Wish List. And remember, June is Adopt a Shelter Cat Month so stop by Animal Friends and you just might find the perfect furry friend!

A Message from our President & CEO

Dear Friends,

From the steadfast dedication of our staff and volunteers to the unwavering support from caring, generous people (like you!) it’s clear how deep the compassion runs at Animal Friends.

And, if we could run on compassion alone, Animal Friends would forever be without want or need. But, this is not the case … and is my reason for writing you today.

We have not yet maximized our 50-cents-on-the-dollar, up to $40,000, match for 31 Days of Compassion. We still need to raise approximately $10,000 to take full advantage of the challenge!

With that in mind, I am thrilled to announce that we are extending 31 Days of Compassion through Fri., June 10. In doing so, I know every dollar of this generous challenge will be successfully matched. But we can’t do it without you.

Please, click here to donate generously today.

In appreciation,

David J. Swisher
President & Chief Executive Officer
Animal Friends