Wallowology

06/01/2026

Larva In Your Ears Isn’t Good! Posted on May 17, 2026 by bigbird For the second year we have admitted a nestling Swainson’s Hawk with Black Fly Larva in it’s ears. Swainson’s Hawk 26-103 came from Baker City. Tricia pulled 16 larvae from its ears initially and one more the next day. We will ...

06/01/2026

06/01/2026

Join Joe and Bj from our field team and Denver Holt from ORI as they install our Great Gray Owl camera. Watch live https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq7JWmpzKy...

06/01/2026

You found something on the patio this morning. Small, dark, and you have no idea what left it. The size, the shape, and what's inside it tell you the animal — and what she's been eating.

Pea-sized round pellets near the garden edge — rabbit. Long and twisted with fur or seeds visible — fox. She left it on a raised surface like a rock or stump because that's how foxes mark territory.

Large and cylindrical at the base of a tree with berry seeds mixed in — raccoon. Rice-grain-sized and dark along the garage wall — mouse or vole.

🌿 The one most people don't recognize: a dark crumbly pile below the eave or shutter that shines when you look closely — bat droppings. They're full of insect exoskeleton fragments. Crumble one between your fingers (with gloves) and it glitters. Mouse droppings don't. That's the diagnostic.

The white splash on the car or porch rail — bird. The white part isn't separate from the dark part. Birds combine liquid and solid waste into a single deposit. The white is uric acid — the bird version of urine.

Eight animals. Eight signatures. The droppings are the field notes for everything that walked through the yard last night 🐾

06/01/2026

06/01/2026

Need a gift for your dad this upcoming Father’s Day? Adopt-a-Hawk (or falcon)! You can symbolically adopt a wild raptor banded as part of our research programs in honor of who may have gotten you into birds to begin with! With your adoption, your dad will receive a certificate that includes the species, the bird's stats and unique band number, date of capture, a photo of the species, and a bookmark! Use the code “PAPABIRD” at checkout for 30% off until June 14th: https://hawkwatch-international.myshopify.com/discount/PAPABIRD?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fadopt-a-hawk

This bird was handled for the purpose of scientific research under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey and in accordance with all state permitting requirements.

06/01/2026

Fifty years ago, a landmark law changed the way America protects its wildlife. But after five decades, the Endangered Species Act faces a question its original authors never anticipated: what happens when a law designed to save species becomes a barrier to managing them?

Lowell E. Baier, B&C Honorary Life Member and past president, reflects on the ESA's remarkable history, its hard-won victories, and the growing tensions that could shape its future.

Whether you're a hunter, landowner, or someone who simply cares about functioning ecosystems, this one matters.

06/01/2026