"I would rather save one of these hawks than have a hundred hens and chickens. It is worth more to see them soar, especially now that they are so rare in the landscape."
- Thoreau in his Journal, 13 June 1853
In late February, I attended the annual National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association Symposium in South Padre Island, Texas. The goal was to meet rehabilitators interested in building a research network with wildlife rehabilitation (rehab) data that can be used to study trends in wildlife health, such as wildlife recovery, the impacts of climate change, and emerging wildlife threats.
Tara Miller making contacts
Sessions ranged from hands-on veterinary workshops to talks on toxicology. Especially useful were discussions on the use of wildlife rehab data.
Many rehabilitators commented that the “baby season”, when wildlife centers receive an influx of abandoned young animals, has been occurring earlier than in the past. A shift to earlier spring births may be a mark of climate change.
A red fox kit at Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary in late February
When not in meetings and discussions, I enjoyed walking on the beach and watching dolphins and pelicans.
The beach at South Padre Island
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