#FunFactFriday – Winter has almost officially begun, and we are seeing waterfowl arrive in ponds and lakes across the state. A smallish duck with a thin bill, the Hooded Merganser is the smallest of three merganser species. Adult males are a beautiful sight with their sharp black-and-white patterns set off by chestnut flanks and a fan-shaped, collapsible crest that makes the head look oversized. The black head has a large white patch that varies in size when the crest is raised or lowered but is always prominent. Females and immatures are gray and brown, with warm, tawny-cinnamon tones on the head. Mergansers are the only duck species that specialize in eating fish, but they also eat aquatic insects and crayfish that they catch by diving under the water. Their habitat ranges from the Northwest to the riparian forest in the Midwest to oak-cypress-tupelo forest in the Southeast. A cavity nester along wooded waterways, mergansers may also take advantage of Wood Duck nest boxes. Nestling Hooded Mergansers make a bold leap to the forest floor from their nesting cavity or box when they are only one day old. Photo by Stephen Ramsden.
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Senior Wildlife Biologist/ Federally Permitted Bat Biologist/ Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent at Stantec
Oh, hiii field friend! 🐍 Diamond-back water snake (Nerodia rhombifer) spotted basking on a wetland edge with Josh Kohler! Temperatures are warming up in some parts of the country so watch your step! 🥾 🐍 Non-venomous: Diamond-backed watersnakes are not dangerous to people or pets, but they will readily bite to defend themselves. These snakes are not aggressive and avoid direct contact with people and pets. 🐍 Found in and around freshwater lakes, ponds, marshes, swamps, and large streams and rivers, especially in the low country. Observed statewide except for in brackish and salt marshes of the coastal regions. 🐍 A medium-large snake 18 to 65 inches long. Pale gray-brown or tan above with dark brown or black crossbars alternating on the back and sides. Undersides are yellowish with small dark markings. 🐍 These snakes are not constrictors and overpower their prey by grabbing it in their jaws, hauling it to shore, and swallowing it after it has been subdued. 🐍 Diamond-backed watersnakes are typically nocturnal, but they may become more diurnal during the spring and fall. They perfer hunting in waters typically at night. #wildlifephotography #wildlifebiologist #wetlanddelineations #snake #nonvenomous #noperope #dangernoodle #fieldwork #louisiana #ecologist
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Program Manager Wildlife Conflict Resolution at HSUS: Wildlife Rehabilitator; Journalist; Economist: Master Naturalist: Humane Equipment Evaluator: exotic placement coordinator: kitten foster parent
two additional tips.... if you have to move a turtle off a roadway move them over too the side in which they were headed ( regardless of which side the water or beter habitat is) and if you can move them without having to pick them up and touch them please do that. I small flat shovel in your trunk or a floor mat from the car can be used to safely slide them across the road. Never move a turtle to a totally new ("better") area or take a wild turtle home as someones pet . #turtles #wildliferescue
Summer's here and our turtle friends are out and about! Be sure to slow down for all of our cold-blooded critters while cruising on the road. Desert tortoises (left) live in a variety of desert habitats. If you see a desert tortoise out in the wild, give them space and do not pick them up. They may empty their bladder when picked up or scared, and that loss of water can be fatal. Western pond turtles (right), found throughout the Pacific Northwest, often hangout near bodies of water and will occasionally choose roads to sunbathe on (other aquatic turtles, snakes and lizards do this too) to regulate their body temperatures. Please spread the word and be on the lookout. 🐢 #everyturtlecounts #wildturtleweek Photo of a desert tortoise by NPS and photo of a western pond turtle by USFWS
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🔥 Bonfire Night Hedgehog Safety Tips 🦔 Remember, November 5th isn’t just about fireworks and bonfires—it’s also about keeping our prickly little friends safe! Hedgehogs love to nest in piles of leaves, logs, and garden debris, which makes bonfire stacks a dangerous spot for them. Here’s how you can help: 1. Build your bonfire on the day - Assemble the pile right before lighting it, so there’s less chance of hedgehogs moving in. 2. Check before lighting - Gently lift and move sections of the bonfire to make sure there’s no wildlife hiding inside. 3. Use a torch & pole - Shine a light and use a pole to carefully sift through the pile. If you see a hedgehog, safely move it to a quiet area. 4. Keep pets indoors - This helps keep them safe and minimises noise that can disturb wildlife. Enjoy Bonfire Night while protecting hedgehogs and other wildlife. Spread the word and let’s make this night safe for all! 💚🦔 #BonfireNight #HedgehogSafety #WildlifeProtection #KeepHedgehogsSafe
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Leave the Leaves and Save the Stems! Let's work together to re-define what a beautiful landscape is. In our eyes, the most beautiful landscapes are the ones that support the most wildlife. One of the most valuable (and easiest) things you can do to support pollinators, invertebrates, and other wildlife is to provide them with the winter cover they need - fallen leaves and standing dead plant material. Many butterflies and moths utilize leaf litter as their overwintering habitat. A great example of this is the Wooly Bear Caterpillar; it spends the winter months burrowed beneath fallen leaves for protection. The seed heads on native plants provide crucial food throughout the winter for birds and other critters like toads and turtles. In early spring, seed heads can be pruned in order to create nesting sites for Carpenter Bees, Leafcutter Bees, and Mason Bees. In addition to all the great benefits for wildlife, leaf litter also serves as free mulch that suppresses weeds and fertilizes the soil as it decomposes. That’s why this year - and every year - we encourage everyone to #LeaveTheLeaves and #SaveTheStems
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Chartered Landscape Architect | Landscape strategies/ masterplans/ plans | Discharge of landscape conditions |
Remember to Check Your Bonfire for Hedgehogs! As the nights get colder and we prepare for bonfire season, let's take a moment to remember the little creatures who may be hiding in our firewood. Hedgehogs are known to nestle in piles of leaves, logs, and garden debris as a place to keep warm and safe – and unfortunately, this means they may end up inside our bonfires without us realising. To keep hedgehogs and other wildlife safe, here are a few steps you can follow: 🔎Check – Before lighting, carefully move any logs or leaves to ensure no animals are hidden inside. 🍂Rebuild – If possible, try building your bonfire on the day you plan to light it to give less time for animals to sneak in. 🔦Use a Torch – Use a torch or flashlight to check for any movement or signs of wildlife before lighting your bonfire. Together, we can make bonfire season enjoyable for everyone – including our little hedgehog friends! Stay safe, enjoy the celebrations, and remember to check your bonfire before lighting it! #BonfireSafety #ProtectWildlife #HedgehogAwareness #BritishWildlife #CheckYourBonfire
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Remember to Check Your Bonfire for Hedgehogs! As the nights get colder and we prepare for bonfire season, let's take a moment to remember the little creatures who may be hiding in our firewood. Hedgehogs are known to nestle in piles of leaves, logs, and garden debris as a place to keep warm and safe – and unfortunately, this means they may end up inside our bonfires without us realising. To keep hedgehogs and other wildlife safe, here are a few steps you can follow: 🔎Check – Before lighting, carefully move any logs or leaves to ensure no animals are hidden inside. 🍂Rebuild – If possible, try building your bonfire on the day you plan to light it to give less time for animals to sneak in. 🔦Use a Torch – Use a torch or flashlight to check for any movement or signs of wildlife before lighting your bonfire. Together, we can make bonfire season enjoyable for everyone – including our little hedgehog friends! Stay safe, enjoy the celebrations, and remember to check your bonfire before lighting it! #BonfireSafety #ProtectWildlife #HedgehogAwareness #BritishWildlife #CheckYourBonfire
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🚫 Myth: Wolves are dangerous to humans. ✅ Fact: Wolves rarely cause harm to humans. You're far more likely to be struck by lightning than injured by a wolf! Many still mistakenly associate wolves with the "Big Bad Wolf" from outdated folklore and fairytales, but this portrayal is far from accurate. Wolves are sentient, self-aware, and highly social animals with distinct cultures and personalities. Generally cautious, they usually avoid humans. Ironically, humans have posed a far greater threat to wolves than wolves have ever posed to us. Between 2002 and 2020, researchers recorded only 26 fatal wolf attacks worldwide. Yes, *worldwide*! Of these, 14 were related to rabies. In North America, only two fatal attacks occurred over an 18-year period. With nearly 60,000 wolves in North America (most of whom live in Canada) and 15,000 in Europe living alongside hundreds of millions of people, such incidents are extremely rare. Like many large carnivores, wolves play a crucial role in preserving ecological and evolutionary processes that benefit biodiversity and humanity. Regrettably, due to habitat loss and human persecution, wolves now occupy approximately two-thirds of their historical range worldwide and less than 10% of their historic range in the contiguous 48 United States. We need wildlife advocates like you to help us change deeply rooted misconceptions and to #ProtectAmericasWolves. Join us in our mission of compassionate coexistence: 📧 Join our E-Team and get updates on our Protect America's Wolves campaign: https://lnkd.in/exCDeVHf 🐾 Become a member of The Coyote Collective, a monthly giving community that supports Project Coyote’s mission to protect wild carnivores and promote coexistence: https://lnkd.in/eCAtb3cq 🐺 Share this message to spread the word! #MythBusting #Wolves #RelistWolves #CompassionateCoexistence
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Shark Specialist | Author | Science Communication Writer | MSc Evolution, Biodiversity & Conservation
Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) are a potentially dangerous species of shark to be in the water with. Their common name not only refers to their stout appearance, but was also given to describe their nature, as bull sharks can be potentially aggressive. However, as you can see from this footage, if you are well-trained and take precautions, bull sharks can be a delight to see in the wild. Whilst they can be seen worldwide in warm, shallow coastal waters, bull sharks can also be found in some surprising places…. Their ability to tolerate a broad range of salinities (aka “euryhaline”) – from salty oceanic waters, to brackish estuaries and even fresh water – means they can also also be found far inland in rivers and lakes, where they sometimes surprise swimmers. Bull sharks are easy to identify, as they are broader and stockier than many of their close relatives, and have a small, broad, flat snout. They do not have an interdorsal ridge and their second dorsal fin is smaller then the first. One of the largest of all the requiem sharks, bull sharks reach sizes up to 4 metres from nose to tail. The females reach larger sizes than the males, as this species is “viviparous” (live bearing), and the female must gestate a litter of up to thirteen pups for around 12 months before giving birth in shallow, coastal lagoons.
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Since their reintroduction into Yellowstone in 1995, wolves have not only changed the behavior of other animals, they've also restructured the land and the flow of water—all for the better. 🐺🌱 Left unchecked, 🦌 deer and elk overgrazed much of Yellowstone, stripping its vegetation. Through hunting, the wolves not only thinned out the weak but forced the grazers to stay on the move, allowing trees in certain valleys to grow five times their length in just six years. This caused the number of migratory and songbirds to increase in Yellowstone. Beaver populations also grew because beavers like to eat trees, and like wolves, they too change their surroundings. Reptiles, otters, ducks, fish, and amphibians all benefitted from the dams that beavers 🦫 built. In some areas, wolves reduced the coyote population by about 40%. This meant more rabbits and mice, which in turn benefitted other predators like badgers, foxes, hawks, and eagles. There are even more bears 🐻 now because they scavenge on wolf kills and pluck berries from regenerated shrubs. And the rivers changed because of the wolves too. By keeping grazers off the riverbanks, there is now less erosion, and therefore, stronger soil fertility, which means more flowing water. All this in just 25 years. We have a lot to learn from wolves. 🎥 Comfort Theory | Filipe DeAndrade, Project Coyote and #CaptureCoexistence Ambassador | Brian Moghari #Yellowstone #Wolves #GrayWolves #CompassionateCoexistence #WildCarnivores
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The collection spot. Solution: Nutrient management at the source via innovative solutions for Our Waters & Our Soils. Proactively acting locally drastically lessens the burdens inflicted on the Mobile River Basin. OurWaters.org #Sustainability #Survivability #Circularity #Innovation
did u know ? ALABAMA is America’s Amazon "Hidden away in the heart of the Deep South, one of the nation’s greatest wildernesses is being destroyed, bit by bit, in a silent massacre. There are more species of oaks on a single hillside on the banks of the Alabama River than you can find anywhere else in the world. The Mobile River Basin makes Alabama home to more species of freshwater fish, mussels, snails, turtles and crawfish than any other state. The contest isn’t even close. For instance, Alabama is home to 97 crawfish species, while California, three times the size of Alabama, has but nine. There are 450 species of freshwater fish in the state, or about one-third of all species known in the entire nation. The system’s turtle population is even more singular. The Mobile-Tensaw Delta estuary system has 18 turtle species, more than any other river delta system in the world — more than the Amazon and more than the Mekong, both extraordinarily biodiverse ecosystems. You won’t find people chaining themselves to trees to protect this place, or national environmental groups using pictures of it to sign up new members, because few know it exists. And yet, here it is — the Mobile River Basin, one of the richest in the world in terms of the sheer number of species and types of habitat. The major rivers and thousands of creeks feeding into this basin together form the largest inland delta system in the United States, second only to the Mississippi in how much water it dumps into the Gulf of Mexico. The river system, the fourth-largest in the country in terms of water flow, stretches from the northern edge of Alabama to the Gulf, draining parts of four states, and encompassing hundreds of thousands of acres of forest, from Appalachian hardwood stands to haunted cypress swamps. A dedicated band of locals know it for the incredible hunting and fishing it affords. But few know it for its greatest distinction. That’s a shame, for this is America’s Amazon, far and away the most biodiverse river network in North America." One of America’s great wildernesses is being destroyed, bit by bit, in a silent massacre https://lnkd.in/gcwQdeYe
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