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Snapping Turtles On The Move!

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To see a Common Snapping Turtle this time of year is not unusual. In fact, baby turtles are actually active now! Many are hatching from their nests and making their journey towards a water source.  Inevitably, this means hatchlings might also be in harm's way! This was the case with a turtle found recently on our Black Course, roaming near our mowers and golf carts. While typically we leave wildlife where we find it, this situation was brought to my attention and the turtle was rescued.  How did the lone hatchling even get there? It is likely that 3 months ago, the mother made this location her nest site. Gravid (pregnant) females will deposit eggs in any sunny, sandy or dirt patch they can find. Sometimes it is in hidden areas, along a forest edge or in field. Other times, the nest site selected is along a road or in a parking lot (both vulnerable areas). When a female is ready to lay her eggs she creates an excavation cavity with her hind legs. Cavities are approximately 8 i...
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Great Horned Owl Adoption On Our Blue Course!

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Did you know that Great Horned Owls have such an intensive parental care instinct, that they are capable of fostering other Great Horned Owl chicks? That’s right! Owl adoption is a possibility among this species, when situations call for it. Here at Bethpage State Park we had this exact situation and were up to facilitating it!   It started when Sweetbriar Nature Center got a call that an owl chick was found helpless on a dog run in Selden, NY. Dog owners spotted a juvenile Great Horned Owl on the ground and immediately knew something was wrong. It was not attempting to fly and too young to be out of the nest, alone. When Sweetbriar staff arrived to  assess  the situation, they searched but were unable to reconnect the owlet with is nest or parents. The chick was then brought back to the center which operates as a wildlife rehab.  For two weeks, a caring staff monitored and fed the owl baby. Thankfully, no neurological damage was detected. The chick was healthy,...
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Learn About Groundhogs In Time For The Holiday!

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February 2nd is Groundhog Day! To most, perhaps it is a nonsensical holiday. To others, it intrigues by connecting folklore and tradition (from the Pennsylvania Dutch). Nonetheless, the holiday focuses our attention to a very important question: are we in for more winter or much closer to Spring!? If you believe in groundhog predictions, this year Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, thus declaring 6 more weeks of cold weather.  Groundhogs are a quirky, cultural American icon  While having a national holiday is more than most animals receive, I would still argue that groundhogs are wildly overlooked and underappreciated. These creatures provide value far beyond seasonal pop culture, and should be celebrated year round! Let me tell you why. For starters, groundhogs are the largest members of the squirrel family. Classified as marmots, these ground-dwelling rodents burrow massive networks! Through digging, groundhogs aerate the soil faster and bring nutrients to plant roots....
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Proudest Rescue Moment of 2025!

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November is for Nature Appreciation With Farmingdale's Scouts

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 Recently, Bethpage State Park hosted Farmingdale Girl Scouts for a fun-filled nature event in our Picnic Area. This marked the second year we had this troop visit in autumn, which offered another seasonal, colorful kind of day! To kick off our event, I started the group off with a sensory experience in our Picnic Pollinator Garden! Finding dried out flower heads and seedpods atop the stems, the scouts learned that the fluff part of the seed is an adaptation that helps with its dispersal. We picked some milkweed pods that noticeably had this fluffy feature, discussed how it took over in some areas of the garden and why continuing to plant and protect milkweed was so important!    This segued us into our next topic: the Monarch butterfly's lifecycle and their magnificent migration to Mexico for overwintering. I was impressed the girls knew quite a lot about this species, their needs, and their journey. It seems we have ourselves some butterfly enthusiasts (and possibly...
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