June was a Successful Month of Wildlife Rescues!

As we know, with warm weather comes new life! Birds lay eggs that hatch and become fledglings! Mammals born to litters, stay close to their siblings while parents do the work of searching for prey! This bustling activity, this time of year, means that Bethpage State Park is no stranger to a huge amount of wildlife sightings; with that, often comes added responsibility on our part as a park! Sometimes baby animals require extra attention and a little human intervention, in the event they are injured or displaced from their nests. This month, we had two separate instances where this had occurred. Luckily, staff rose to the occasion to offer a helping hand and we want to share those moments with you:

The first wildlife rescue story took place on June 4th. An Eastern Screech Owl chick was found on the ground, early that morning, on our Green Course. It was noticed by park staff who were out mowing fairways by the woodline. John (a member of our maintenance crew) kindly made sure the young owl was left undisturbed until I, the Ecologist, got there. I managed to get the Screech Owl chick out of harms way and into a box in my office. It was a little spooked and lethargic (owls are nocturnal, after all) but otherwise seemed okay! I then called our raptor researcher Jim and together we looked around the fairway for a possible nest. Our understanding was that that the chick had accidentally fallen, as it was too young to be a fledgling.

Unlike the Great Horned Owls (who also live at our park in nests or artificial cones placed in the branches), Eastern Screech Owls are small enough to cavity nest.This means they dwell in hollowed out trees or holes in trunks.   

When we were unable to locate the nest after about an hour of searching, we realized it was time call the local wildlife rehabilitation center; they took the owlet right away. After some behavioral tests, they told us that the Eastern Screech Owl seemed to have some minor neurological issues. About a week later, we received an update that proper medicine and care did the trick! The owlet was recovering well and eating food provided. When ready, we are hopeful that the chick can be re-released back into our park which is GREAT NEWS!!!

If one wildlife rescue was not exciting enough, last week on June 18th, one of our newly hired staff members alerted me that he found a baby bat on our Black Course. Handled with the utmost care (rags, gloves etc.) the bat was also transferred into a box in my office. It was an Eastern Red Bat that was, at most, a few days old; it's eyes were still closed!

                      While young, it seemed to be moving around and fortunately had no sign of injury.

I knew that the center we normally take injured wildlife to wouldn't accept bats so I made multiple phone calls to rehab centers across the island. Finding one that would admit a bat was quite the challenge but eventually I was able to locate a wildlife rehab. It was important to save this little life so I got into the car and drove the young bat out East. Once at the center, the caregivers assured me that the little pup would be in good hands! 

ANOTHER HAPPY OUTCOME!

As a park, we feel committed to saving and protecting wildlife. We understand that the circle of life and "survival of the fittest" is always at play, however, this month we seemingly got lucky. Thankfully the young Eastern Screech Owl and Easter Red Bat did not become breakfast for a predator higher on the food chain! 

In the event that something similar happens to you while in your backyard or at a park please do NOT personally handle wildlife (mammals can carry harmful diseases). If you think you've found an injured or helpless animal always try and contact a professional. The Department of Environmental Conservation provides a local list for you to be able to find a center near you! 

 Post photography and writing by Yael Weiss.