10 more Doves and 1 Sparrow

      I released ten Doves and one Sparrow for the hospital yesterday. I went inside my house for one minute, came back out to make sure they had flown away and a feral cat had showed up out of nowhere. I was  unable to catch the cat, but I did scare the whiskers off of it.
     One Dove was still sitting on the ground when I walked out after dark to check on them. So at least I know the cat didn't come back. I recaptured this Dove as it is just very fat and not injured. I think as soon as it loses some weight it will be able to fly then I'll re-release it.
     If some native animal like a Hawk or Raccoon attacked the Dove I'd just look the other way. But for a feral cat to eat one means war. For every hour I spend helping to raise native speices I spend 10 hours fighting exotics.

Earlier at the Hospital...
     I took the baby Gopher Tortoise out to a field to graze. At fist it was shy but as soon as I put it on the ground it chowed down. I've noticed most Gopher Tortoises eat for about a half hour and then stop and this tiny baby did that. I had to pick it up three times while it was eating becuase extoic/invasive Fire Ants (Solonopis invictas) kept finding the baby and attacking it. You know I stommped those Fire Ants.
     I hand fed the one adult Gopher Tortoise we have left, the Spurthighed Tortoise, Red Legged Tortoise some watermellon and the Emu some grapes. These animals eat more healthy than I do.
     I swept some of the side walks and took the recycling cardboard.
     I took home the above mentioned Dove and Sparrow.

Recycling

     Today I fed the two Gopher Tortoises, the large Spurthighed Tortoise and the Red Legged Tortoise all a few pieces of water mellon. They all know me well and come to me as soon as I approach. It was a cloudy day and I observed the Box Turtles for awhile. The Box Turtles come out when the sun is not very hot. The River Cooter with the badly cracked shell has been taken to a vet. They want to secure the shell in place before trying to seal it.
     I collected a pile of cardboard and a large bag of plastic, both for recycling. Recycling is not only good for the environment, it also means BTN has to empty their dumpster less often. Each time they empty it they have to pay. The University I take the cardboard to, makes money on it. This creates a demand for recycling.

A Newborn (hatched) Gopher Tortoise

     I visited on Friday evening to see if I could help out. I cleaned the large bird cages (Bald Eagle, 2 Barred Owls, Turkey Vulture, Great Horned Owl). I hand fed the Emu some blueberries. 

     I hand fed Water Mellon to the Spur Thighed Tortoise, Red Legged Tortoise and two adult Gopher Tortoises. One of the Gopher Tortoises' was so sweet it climbed up into my lap. 

    There is a new baby Gopher Tortoise. It is still mostly yellow meaning it is very recently hatched from the egg. I held it in my palms for a long time warming it up. It slept there only occasionally looking up at me. As I was warming the baby tortoise there a Raccoon was trying hard to untie my shoe. 

10 Doves are Released

     Today 9/8/9 I fed the two remaining Gopher Tortoises some watermellon. They know me well now and come to me as soon as I come near. I fed the large Spurthighed Tortoise and Red Legged Tortoise too. All these animals get regular (more healthy) feedings by the staff. I'm just hand feeding them for the tortoise's enrichment/entertainment/socilization. The Box turtles on property are not as friendly yet.
     I captured the ten best flyers from the Dove enclosure and took them home for release. On transport I covered their cage with a dark sheet and didn't play the radio. I didn't want to do anything that might scare them anymore than they already were from riding in a car. I take my Water Snake and (Snapping and Box) Turtles in the car often just for short rides. Just to get them used to the experience. So when I take them to do classes they don't arrive all freaked out.
     I released the Doves right by my front door. There is lots of native Beauty Berry and Sycamore Tree seeds close by. In fact these are the plants I've been taking seeds off of to train these same birds to eat native foods. I someitmes brake off branches so the birds at the hospital would see the seeds on the branch rather than in a feeding tray.
     I also found some lost keys that were dropped when someone was looking for a large Spurrthighed Tortoise that has been seen in a close by neighborhood.
     I also picked up a pile of cardboard for recycling.

A Broken Turtle Shell

     We have a large River Cooter Turtle with a long zig zag crack across the back of its shell. I'm researching how to repair the shell. I know how to use fiberglass, I've repaired surfboards before. I need to solve the problem how to keep the liquid curing fluid from seeping into the wound. This would block the shell from growing back together again.
     While recycling cardboard I found a female Green Anole. I check the cardboard before putting it into my car. I've found everything from Green Anoles, Black Widow Spiders, Fever Moth Caterpillars, Roaches, Fire Ants, Ear Wigs and other interesting creepy crawlies.