In the pink

The squirrel brought in Sunday is hanging in there but he has a long road ahead of him. He sleeps in an incubator where the temperature hovers around 90 degrees.

His eyes will remain closed for another month or so

He's fed with a formula designed to meet the dietary needs of wildlife, which are different from those of cats and dogs. Because squirrels are fed only 5% of their body weight in one feeding, they have to be fed every two hours. He gets 1cc of formula at a time.

We don't know how he ended up outside the nest. It could be the mother, faced with too many babies for this time of year, pushed him, or maybe he fell.

It's not hard to love a baby squirrel. But you have to love it enough to return it to the wild. It can't be treated like a pet: It's not something to cuddle or to comfort with words. It shouldn't become accustomed to the sound of human voices. Sometimes that means biting your tongue. To survive in the wild, it has to remain wild.

New Arrivals

I saw my first baby squirrel of the season yesterday. It’s what we call a “pinky” because it lacks fur.
This one is about a week old. It was caught by a cat, so it will have to be treated with antibiotics because the bacteria in a cat’s mouth can be deadly.
Squirrels usually have two litters a year. The first litters are born between February and April; the second litters from July through September.

Project Learning Tree

I spent part of Friday and most of Saturday at the Kathleen Clay Edwards library for a Project Learning Tree program. Topics included urban forestry, urban planning and creating a sense of community. We talked about the places that give us a sense of belonging. We hiked along a trail, identifying trees and wildlife. We talked about ways to make our communities more appealing. But the most important part of the program is how to convey that information to children.
Project Learning Tree is part of the state’s Environmental Education Certification Program, (http://www.ee.enr.state.nc.us/certification.htm) geared primarily to teachers. It requires 200 hours of training and seminar, culminating in a project to help the community.
I’ve enrolled because I believe teaching is part of a journalist’s job. And because I hope in some small way to share my love of nature.