Wild Ontario

The forecast for next week has us missing warmer weather, so enjoy this photo of Indiana the Red-tailed Hawk from summer time

Just another reason to love Kestrels! Check out these photos of some of their amazing variation in tail patterns from UNT Raptor Research!

For today’s #TrainingTuesday we are proud to introduce our newest team members! This year we have added 9 brand new volunteers to our team: Trennon, Danica, Kali, Andrew, Amanda, Aleksander, Nathan, Annika and Ajay! Due to COVID-19 they have escaped our tradition of 7am in-person training sessions (and subsequent silly photoshoot!), however they are already proving to be so resilient and patient as we navigate online training. We hope it will soon be possible for them to begi...n their hands on training at the facility with their assigned bird! Welcome to the team, we can’t wait to see all the awesome things you will accomplish here! University of Guelph College of Biological Science University of Guelph U of G Student Experience University of Guelph - Experiential Learning

Happy Thursday! For today’s #TBT - Where Are They Now post we are catching up with WO alumni Dr. Samantha Salter! Q: When did you volunteer with WO? A: I started volunteering with Wild Ontario back when it was still Wildlife Education and Environmental Programs (WEEP). It was so long ago when I started, but I think I officially became a volunteer during the 2006-2007 academic year!... Q: What was your role at WO, which birds did you work with? A: I was lucky enough to be accepted as a volunteer to be a handler for Socrates the turkey vulture. My role was similar to the other volunteers I fed the birds and cleaned mews; presented and handled birds at education sessions, Cannon Day, and College Royal; helped with fundraising; and spent plenty of quality time with Soc. Eventually, I did help with handling some of the other birds (Whistler, Calypso, Einstein, and Kaila) at education days, but my heart always belonged to that turkey vulture! Q: What have you done since leaving WO, how has WO helped to prepare you for your career? A: In 2008 I was accepted into veterinary school, and in 2012 I graduated as a DVM and moved to the Yukon to work in clinical practice. Volunteering for WEEP/WO has definitely shaped the direction of my career. My eyes were opened to the bigger picture of wildlife conservation, ecology, and how the health of animals, humans and the environment are all so closely connected (at both an individual and a systems level). My experience at WEEP/WO also exposed me to working with new species, communicating with the public about science and animal health, and taught me a lot about hard work (I will never forget how cold my hands would get when prepping chickens in the winter for the birds to eat, but hey, no matter the weather they still had to eat!) Q: What are you currently working? A: Currently I work as an epidemiologist, after completing my MPH in 2016. I love my job because I get to use my big picture and ecohealth thinking as well as my technical skills and apply those to public health surveillance, evaluation, policy, and research. I still locum as a veterinarian occasionally as well, so that I remain in touch with clinical practice and continue with the hands-on, individual level work that is also so fulfilling! Q: What was your favourite part about volunteering with WO, or a favourite memory from your time with WO? A: Aside from all of the amazing friends I made and people I learned from, my favourite memory has to be those days where I would sun Socrates (either under the heat lamp indoors or outside on a sunny day) and he would preen my hair. It felt like we could just hang out forever. Those are the moments that just stick with you and remind you how lucky you are to work with animals like these. University of Guelph University of Guelph College of Biological Science University of Guelph - Experiential Learning University of Guelph Alumni U of G Student Experience Student Volunteer Connections

For today's #WhatsThatWednesday let's learn more about bird legs with Freyja the Red-tailed Hawk! Did you know bird legs are longer than they appear? Often we just see the tips of a bird's toes, like in this first image of Freyja (: Liz) Underneath all those feathers are much longer legs! In the second photo Freyja only begins to show us how much leg she has by exposing her knees. The rest of her leg extends backward to connect with her pelvis! ... That's a lot of leg! We most often see birds move from the puffy relaxed posture of the 1st photo to the more alert posture of the 2nd when they are investigating a change in their environment, such as a new person entering the bird's field of view! University of Guelph College of Biological Science University of Guelph U of G Student Experience

Apollo the American Kestrel had a serious case of the "food sleepies" after filling his crop during this training session! These photos are neat because you can see just how large a bird's crop can expand after eating a big meal, and Apollo gives us a good look at what a falcon's eyelid looks like in photo 2! : Farqd... University of Guelph College of Biological Science University of Guelph U of G Student Experience

Happy #TrainingTuesday! It’s the start of another semester, and around here that means new bird teams! We regularly shuffle our handlers onto new bird teams to give our volunteers opportunities to learn how to work with a variety of different birds, and to help our birds become resilient to working with a variety of handlers! ... In this video, Max is doing some trust building with Thomson the Great Grey Owl! : Max University of Guelph College of Biological Science University of Guelph U of G Student Experience

For today’s #SlowDownSunday Chinook is showing off some of her hunting adaptations while she rips up some enrichment! Look closely and you’ll notice: Long toes for snatching prey out of the air Twisting and pulling motions, for plucking feathers off her prey before eating... Her tomial tooth - an extra notch in the beak for snapping vertebrae and imbolizing her prey Her baffle - a bony protrusion in her nostrils that functions to slow down air as it enters her respiratory system while performing hunting stoops! Have we mentioned that Peregrines are the coolest?! - Liz

Happy Saturday, and good luck to all the #gryphons writing exams Einstein's exam advice for when you get stuck on a problem: try looking from a different angle! : Christa ... University of Guelph College of Biological Science

Some may think the hunting strategies of raptors are fierce - just wait until you meet a butcher bird aka Shrikes!

Happy #TrainingTuesday! One of the most important behaviours we teach our birds is crating! As a primarily outreach-based program our birds travel all across the province for programs Here Liz and Chinook the Peregrine Falcon demonstrate what crating and uncrating a bird looks like!

That was quite a snow fall yesterday! Most of our birds don’t mind the cold weather and live outside in all temperatures, but there are a few exceptions: Our Broad-winged Hawks Whistler, Quito and Moose need to come indoors overnight when temps drop below -7 Our Kestrels Artemis (pictured) and Apollo come inside when overnight temps drop below -15... Our Peregrine Falcon Chinook comes inside when overnight temps really get cold, around -20 or below! PC: Jean

Positive reinforcement training is not only reinforcing for the animal but also for the trainer! There’s no feeling quite like the excitement of watching an animal choose to engage in a behaviour you’ve asked for. Here Thomson the Great Grey Owl chooses to come out of his hide box and step up onto the glove for a food reward

sound on! Will we ever get tired of #slomo vocalizations? Never! Here Artemis the #AmericanKestrel is alarm calling after hearing a dog bark #SlowDownSunday ... #uofguelph #uofg #guelph #volunteer #cute #adorable #funny #raptor #birdsofprey #falcon

Arrow the cow...er Merlin is on the move! Watch as she fans her tail while approaching her target! DYK - a bird's tail acts like both the steering wheel and brakes? Birds manipulate the position of their tail feathers to help them turn and slow down in flight!

We have BIG news! Wild Ontario has joined the University of Guelph College of Biological Science's Department of Integrative Biology! We are so excited by what this opportunity means for the future of our program! For now, we are continuing our focus on offering U of G students a one-of-a-kind experiential learning opportunity, but stay tuned for more updates! https://www.uoguelph.ca//n/2020/12/wild-ontario-joins-cbs

Thomson the Great Grey Owl decided to lend a helping hand (talon?) while one of his team members tidied his house (aka his mew). Daily mew tidies are one of the chores our volunteers do during a session with their assigned bird. They pick out any leaves, feathers, pellets, leftover food etc. to prevent growth of potential pathogens that could make the birds sick. One of the many ways we practice preventative medicine with our birds!

Happy #FunFactFriday! Have you ever wondered how animals such as birds lose fingers through evolution? Well, new findings are bringing us closer to the answer! See more at the link below! https://www.bbc.com//uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-54448

Just when you think an owl’s eyes can’t get more fascinating! Read more about new discoveries in owl night vision below https://www.sciencealert.com/dna-molecules-in-owl-eyes-may-

Time for another #ThrowBackThursday post! Today we are following up with WO alumni Denise! Q: When did you start volunteering with WO? A: I started volunteering in 1989, during my first year in the BSc. Wildlife Biology program at the University of Guelph, when Wild Ontario was the Wild Bird Clinic and part of the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC). I had heard about Dr. Hunter’s amazing volunteer program while in high school and couldn’t wait to become a volunteer myself. I t...Continue reading

Happy #ThrowbackThursday! Today's Where Are They Now post features Kerry! Read all about her experience down below! Q: When did you first get involved with WO? A: I first got involved in WO in September 2010 during my M.Sc. program at the University of Guelph, and stayed involved until fall 2016.... Q: What was your role at WO, which birds did you work with? A: I started my training as a bird handler with Calypso the peregrine falcon. I spent the bulk of my time at WO working with Einstein and Socrates, and those two birds probably hold the biggest space in my heart! But I was also lucky enough to work with Whistler and Apollo, and each bird taught me something new. Throughout my time, I volunteered as both a team handler and a team lead, and participated in many educational programs across the province. Q: What did you do after your time at WO, and how did your experience at WO prepare you for your career? A: During my time as a WO volunteer, I went on to complete my veterinary training at the Ontario Veterinary College in 2017. Since then, I've been lucky enough to work with a variety of captive and wild birds in my role as mixed animal veterinarian, and my experience in WO has helped in many aspects of this career. Practically speaking, I gained a strong understanding of avian anatomy and husbandry, which has been applicable across the different species I've interacted with. I also gained a strong foundation in communication doing programming in WO, which I rely on every day communicating with clients and the general public. Q: What kind of work do you currently do, or have done, since leaving WO? A: This year, I started my PhD in wildlife health and disease, with a specific focus on the health impacts of plastic pollution on Ontario bird species. I'm also still working part-time as a primary care veterinarian. There's no doubt in my mind that WO helped cement a life-long interest in wildlife conservation and research, and has helped shape my career to where it is today. Q: What was your favourite part or a favourite memory from your time with WBS/WEEP/WO? A: WO has led to life-long friendships, with some truly wonderful people who wouldn't have entered my life otherwise! I'm so grateful for the relationships I formed with the other volunteers (and the birds, of course!). A specific memory that will stick with me forever, is the first time Socrates the turkey vulture started "preening" my hair while on glove. He was a remarkable, intelligent individual, and gaining his trust wasn't easy. The experience of forming a bond with an animal as smart and discerning as a vulture is something that continues to drive my passion for wildlife conservation to this day. University of Guelph Alumni University of Guelph - Experiential Learning U of G Student Experience

Sound on! #WhatsThatWednesday - No, it’s not a #BaldEagle it’s Indiana the #redtailedhawk! As our facility is located in the The Arboretum, University of Guelph sometimes wild #raptors fly by for a visit. On this day Indiana was bravely defending our building from a wild Red-tailed Hawk that was a little too close for comfort ... #DYK - in movies sound bites of Red-tailed Hawk calls are often dubbed over clips of Bald Eagles? It’s true! Bald Eagle calls are not quite as majestic as you might think, so Red-tailed Hawk voice actors are often used instead Listen closely next time you watch a movie featuring a Bald Eagle - you might just notice the sound doesn’t quite match up! #uofguelph #uofg #guelph #volunteer #scicomm #sciencecommunication

Today’s #WhatsThatWednesday covers a common question we get when people meet Mowat the Barred Owl - Why are his eyes black? This is a really great question, and one that no one really knows the full answer to! What we do know is that dark coloured eyes are most common in nocturnal owls... Crepuscular & diurnal owls tend to have yellow or orange eyes (Thomson the Great Grey Owl pictured for comparison). Therefore, a possible hypothesis says that darker eyes help nocturnal owls with camouflage : Bryce