Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation on Long Island Featuring the Photography of JR Aurature

Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation on Long Island

Two Organizations Doing Important Wildlife Rehabilitation Work
And How We Can Help featuring the Photography of JR Aurature (@AuratureWildlife)

Original Photography by JR Aurature
Success Stories from Organization’s Instagram
Written by Rich Nardo

The diversity of Long Island’s wildlife is dramatically underrated. From its year round residents to seasonal visitors, our bountiful habitats are full of beautiful creatures ranging from insects to mammals; birds to amphibians and lizards. That doesn’t even factor in the important marine ecosystems that exist along our shores and inland lakes, ponds, and rivers.

With so much life and vibrancy right in our backyards, it’s important for Long Islanders to be responsible guardians of our land. Our actions can have a myriad of consequences, and when they cause harm or distress to the other creatures who call Long Island home, it’s important that we proactively work to remedy the situation. Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers are integral to successfully assuming this responsibility.

This month, I wanted to highlight two organizations doing great work in this field - Volunteers For Wildlife in Nassau County and Sweetbriar Nature Center in Suffolk. I also wanted to highlight what we can be doing in our daily life to help protect Long Island’s wildlife. Luckily, JR Aurature (@auraturewildlife) has allowed me to feature his amazing photography to help show how remarkable and varied our wild neighbors are.

Sweetbriar Nature Center

Sweetbriar is situated on 54 acres of preserve in Smithtown. According to their mission statement, they are dedicated to “providing natural science education services for Long Island residents of all ages and engaging in natural wildlife rehabilitation services”. They are beloved throughout Long Island for their innovative and interactive approach to environmental education outreach and their events are a fun way to spend a few hours, no matter your age or interest level in conservation.

You can follow Sweetbriar on Instagram and they’ve highlighted several easy ways that you can help in their efforts on their website. They’ve also set up an awesome membership program, the details of which can be found here.

Here are some success stories from the rehabilitation work that Sweetbriar does!

If you are a wildlife rehabilitator you know that when you get in a wood duckling your heart drops a bit because you know that there is a good chance he or she is not going to make it. But this year, we needed something good to keep us going and this happened-our wood duck grew up and was released yesterday with its 2 adoptive mallard siblings! It's little moments like these that make what we do worth all the after hour feedings and late nights. Good luck little guy, we will miss you. Wood ducks are considered by many to be one of the most beautiful of all water birds, it is a member of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and swans. Wood ducks were actually near extinction at the turn of the century, but wildlife conservationists and sportsmen supported limitations on hunting wood ducks during the 1930s, which has thankfully resulted in a renewed population numbering in the millions. . . #Picturetokeep_nature#birdvideo #sharecangeo#yourstodiscover#opcmag#live_love_wildlife#country_features#pocket_birds#freehugs #naturevideo#naturee #audubonsociety #bbcearth #earthcapture #animalonearth #birds_adored #birdsandblooms #birdfeeder #birdfreaks #birdcam #discoverwildlife #naturyst #intobirds #nature_perfection #sweetbriarnaturecenter#nature_worldwide_birds #nature_sultans #nuts_about_birds #woodduck #woodducks

The storm that wasn't suppose to be bad wound up crippling sweetbriar for almost a week. Winds clocked at 100mph knocked over trees, power lines and displaced so many baby animals. We now have over 50+ orphaned baby squirrels and lots of other critters. Since squirrels nest in trees they are susceptible to loosing their nests in high winds, and at this time of year their babies are being born. Squirrels make their nests out of leaves. They build these nests up to 30 feet off the ground in the fork between a tree limb and the tree's main trunk, well hidden by the summer foliage. The single entrance is concealed, facing the trunk of the tree. A more stable and protected den is sometimes made in hollow tree trunks. Tree dens are used year-round, but are particularly necessary in winter. An adult typically has at least two different tree dens within its home range. While a female Eastern gray squirrel who mated in the summer may return to the tree den where her winter litter was born, it's more typical for her to find a new location for each litter. Litters born in tree dens are much more likely to survive than those born in leaf nests. . . #easterngreysquirrel #greysquirrel #nuts_about_squirrels #squirrel #squirrels #squirrellove #squirrelsofinstagram #squirrellife #squirrelsofig #ilovesquirrels #sweetbriarnaturecenter #pleasedonate #animalsaddict #animalfriends #animallove #animalsofig #animalsofinstagram #animalrescue #cuteanimal #EarthCapture #ignature #iloveanimals #notforprofit #rehabandrelease #smallanimals #wildliferehab#animalvideo #wildliferescue#squirrelwatching #squirrel🐿

Back in May we received 2 red tail hawk babies. Today they were released! They grew up so fast! It takes hawks between 18 months and three years to reach sexual maturity. They spend this time learning how to hunt. Because of their inexperience, juvenile hawks often eat road-killed animals. In the U.S., the red-tail got the name chicken hawk because young hawks often catch domesticated birds. Before modern regulations, chicken-owners use to kill hawks indiscriminately.

Volunteers for Wildlife

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Since 1982, Volunteers for Wildlife has been “dedicated to the preservation of Long Island’s wildlife and natural habitats through wildlife rehabilitation and education”. As the only wildlife center operating in Nassau County, they admit over 2,000 injured or orphaned wild animals every year. The number of animals they care for increases dramatically as Nassau County’s population continues to boom, placing people ever closer to the habitats that wildlife call home.

You can follow Volunteers For Wildlife on Instagram and you can donate or volunteer your time through the organization’s website. You can also “adopt” one of their animal ambassadors, providing needed support for their residents in need of care.

Here are some success stories from the rehabilitation work that Volunteers For Wildlife does!

These orphaned Eastern Cottontails are enjoying their meal of grass, dandelion greens, and hay. In a few more weeks, they will be old enough to return to the wild! #easterncottontail #cottontail #cottontailrabbit #rabbit #bunny #bunnies #babybunny #babybunnies #wildlife #orphanedwildlife #wildliferescue #wildliferehab #wildliferehabilitaton #wildlifecenter #volunteersforwildlife

Release back to the wild for this Laughing Gull! He/she was hit by a car and suffered from head trauma. The bird received treatment at our hospital for a little over a week and then was able to return home with a second chance. #wildliferehab #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferescue #wildliferehabilitationcenter #wildlife #longislandwildlife #gull #laughinggull

Painted Turtle release! 💚 #wildiferehab #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferescue #wildlife #turtle #paintedturtle #turtles #turtlerescue #animalrescue #animals #nature #volunteersforwildlife

How We Can Help Long Island Wildlife
Featuring the amazing photography of JR Aurature (@AuratureWildlife)

Shore Birds

Our shores are home to an incredible number of shore bird species, each playing an important role. Long Island hosts about 400 breeding pairs of Piping Plovers, which equates to about 20% of the Atlantic Coast population and over 10% of the global population. Least Terns, Roseate Terns, Common Terns, American Oystercatchers, Black Skimmers, and several migratory species also build their nests here.

Preserving the land where these species nest is the most important aspect of stabilizing shore bird populations. While there isn’t much we can do about predators or extreme weather destroying beach nesting areas, there are several things that we can control; including being responsible in our approach to beach development, as well as, recreational activities such as the use of vehicles on beaches and restricting pedestrian access to nesting areas.

Owls

Owls are widespread throughout Long Island. You can learn more about the various species of owl that call Long Island home in my previous blog #NTVArtists: Owls of Long Island Through The Lens of Shane Etter. While their populations are relatively steady, the increased interest in seeking them out, particularly by photographers who aren’t aware of the proper way to approach them, can cause stress for individual birds.

If you are going to photograph owls, particularly the beloved Snowy Owls that come to our shores in the winter, please be thoughtful in your approach. Fire Island and Beyond ran a great article a few years back on best practices that I would highly recommend reading before attempting to seek out these beautiful raptors out.

Egrets & Herons

The Great Egret is considered a symbol of wildlife conservation. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they were almost eradicated (95% of the population) from North America by hunters pursuing them for their beautiful plumage. They were also victims of habitat destruction and contamination due to sewage runoff in the middle part of last century. Today they have fully recovered and this success story has led to their silhouette being used in the logo for the Audubon Society.

While these birds are generally doing well population-wise, protecting the Long Island marshes where they nest and hunt is integral to making sure that stability continues. Marshes in general are some of the most important habitat in the world, and pollution is a major issue in these environments. If we are not careful about keeping them clean, we will continue seeing algae blooms that destroy life at every level of the marine food chain with consequences resonating throughout every aspect of our local natural world.

Raptors

Raptors represent another admirable success story spearheaded by conservationists. Their populations were decimated by the use of pesticides like DDT contaminating their food sources and causing damaging effects to their eggs resulting in fewer successful births.

Populations are rebounding, but much like the story of the Great Egret, that stability can change in a heartbeat. We need to be vigilant about the conservation of their habitats in order to continue building their success story.

Songbirds

Songbirds might be the category covered in this article where people have the most direct interaction. A lot of Long Islanders love to watch the birds in their backyard, whether perched in trees or at their feeder, but its not always taken into consideration how our actions affect songbirds.

There are several things we can be doing to help songbirds in our own homes. To start, an estimated 1 billion birds die every year in North America from flying into windows, as they perceive reflections as habitat they can explore. The simplest step to prevent this situation is to install screens to break up the reflection.

Another way to help bird populations is to plant native species in your garden. These plants will not only add beauty to your yard, but will also provide birds with protective shelter, produce the right nectar, berries, and seeds for them to feed on, and attract the right insects that a lot of birds migrating through Long Island like to eat.

Mammals

Whether we’re talking deer, rabbit, chipmunks, or squirrels, a lot of Long Islanders consider a lot of our mammalian friends to be pests. There are issues with population control, garden destruction, and in the case of deer, considerable injury and car damage from collisions. That being said, they all play an important role in the ecosystem and we should respect that.

The compromise between conservation and protecting your yard starts with residents taking precautions to keep them off your property without harming them. For instance, allowing your dog to spend a lot of time in the yard could deter deer from entering. Also adding layers to your landscape architecture or plants that are taste-repellant can lead to them deciding it’s not a great place to graze. Garlic and hot peppers will help keep chipmunks, rabbits and squirrels out of the garden as well.

Bees

The importance of bees cannot be overstated. Reports say as many as one in every three bites of food we eat is the result of pollinators like bees. Everything from fruits & veggies (i.e - squash, cucumber, tomato or eggplant) to nuts, seeds, fiber and hay require the pollination process that are at the core of a bee's life. They are some of the planet’s most important species, but they face habitat destruction and population decline due to pesticides, herbicides and disease.

Important organizations such as the New York Bee Sanctuary are building wildlife refuges specifically to help bumblebee populations, but we can help in our own home gardens using a space as small as a window box. Creating a bee-friendly habitat just requires you to plant a few species - such as daisies or marigolds - that provide the necessary nectar to attract them. A good rule of thumb is that single head flowers generate much more nectar for them than double headed flowers. Avoid hybrid plants and flowers that were engineered to not seed, as they don’t produce the pollen bees require. You can also just do something as simple as only using natural pesticides and fertilizers to do your part in supporting any neighbors who are cultivating a more bee-friendly yard. For more info on how you can build a bee-friendly garden, check out this guide.

Thank you again to JR for letting me feature his work. His Instagram is one of my favorite feeds and it was an honor to work with him. Also, thank you to Sweetbriar Nature Center and Volunteers for Wildlife for providing mission statements and for the increasingly important work they do on a day-to-day basis. They could really use our contributions right now so, if you can, please donate to their cause or volunteer to help them out!

Additional References:

New York Audubon Society - https://ny.audubon.org/conservation/coastal-bird-conservation
All About Birds (Great Egret Info) - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Egret/lifehistory
Cornell University (How To Help Birds in Your Yard) - https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/seven-simple-actions-to-help-birds/
New York Bee Sanctuary - http://www.newyorkbeesanctuary.org/
The Honey Bee Conservancy - https://thehoneybeeconservancy.org/plant-a-bee-garden/

Conservation, Long Island Wildlife, NTVartistsRichard J NardoSeptember 8, 2020Long Island Wildlife, Long Island, Conservation, Wildlife Rehabilitation, Sweetbriar Nature Center, Volunteers for Wildlife, JR Aurature, auraturewildlife, Owls on Long Island, New York Audubon Society, Shore birds conservation, Piping Plover, Sanderling, American Oystercatcher, Black Skimmer, Bird Watching, Wildlife Photography, Snowy Owl, Great Horned Owl, Eastern Screech Owl, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, Green Heron, Marshland Conservation, Long Island Raptors, Bald Eagle, Bald Eagles Long Island, Osprey, Osprey Long Island, Red Tailed Hawk, Merlin, Cedar Waxwing, Songbirds, Song Bird Conservation, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Belted Kingfisher, Barn Swallow, White-Tailed Deer, Fawn, Deers Long Island, Chipmunk, Eastern Cottontail, Coexist with Nature, Honey Bee, Bumblebee, Bee Polination, Bee friendly Garden, New York Bee Sanctuary, All About Birds, Cornell University, They Honey Bee Conservancy, Rich Nardo, NTVLIComment

Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation on Long Island Featuring the Photography of JR Aurature