By Judy Ellal
The New Year means different things to different people: reveling and champagne or quietly reflecting on the past year and making resolutions. For those of us at the Cape Wildlife Center, January begins a year of reflection and celebration as we mark our tenth anniversary. Here are some resolutions to help the Cape's wildlife.
Check all trees and limbs for squirrel or bird nests before cutting. Trim branches near or over your roof to prevent squirrels and raccoons from accessing gutters and vents.
Plan a wildlife garden. If you'd like to provide a natural habitat for wildlife, this is a good time to do your homework. Go online or to garden centers to learn which plants are native to Cape Cod. You'll be surprised that some of them are considered weeds, but to the wild animals who feed on them, they're good food. Keep in mind wildlife's three basic needs: shelter, water, and food. Trees, shrubs, and thickets are great as nest sites and safe havens. Look for nectar-, seed-, and berry-producing plants. You don't need flowing water, but you should keep a birdbath clean and filled.
Cap or place an animal screen on your chimney. Make sure there are no birds or raccoon families living in it first. A chimney sweep can clean the chimney and install a cap or screen to let the smoke out, but keep animals from getting in.
Check inside and outside your buildings for wildlife entryways. A 1/2- x 1/4-inch space can allow a mouse, rat, snake, or bat inside your home, so making repairs now may save you from having to humanely evict a wildlife family later.
Feed birds responsibly. Provide birds with high-quality foods such as white proso millet, black oil sunflower seeds, and niger (or thistle) seed. Suet, a high-energy fat substance, is good for insect- and larvae-eating woodpeckers and chickadees. It's also important to keep your feeders clean to prevent disease transmission. Empty out the feeders weekly and soak them in a diluted (5–10 percent) bleach solution for a few minutes. Scrub, rinse, and allow them to dry before refilling with seed.
There's no year like the present year to start—or continue—helping wildlife!
Judy Ellal is a certified veterinary technician and wildlife rehabilitator at the Cape Wildlife Center. This article originally appeared in the Winter 2005 edition of Back to the Wild, the newsletter of the Cape Wildlife Center.
