Red Creek Wildlife Center

Crows are not only a common decoration during the spooky season, but they are one of the most commonly sighted North American birds. To add to their general eeriness, the large flocks they are often seen in are known as murders. Despite the ironic label, these groups are a unique aspect of crow behavior, and play a vital part in their survival. Crows know that large groups can often be easy targets for predators, so because of this they designate some individuals in the group to act as a sentry to help alert the others of any danger in the area! Doing this allows these murders to eat and even roost in safety.

The American Toad is not just your run-of-the-mill amphibian with slimy and wart-like skin. Much like their froggy relatives, toads can extend their tongues to capture prey. Their tongues are used for more than capturing food, however. Toads use their long tongues to help them eat their own skin when they shed! Normal toad’s skin will peel off in one piece and will be caught under the tongue where the toad then proceeds to eat it. This is a great treat for them, and adult toads have the opportunity to do this up to 4 times a year.

Have you ever heard a blood curdling scream in the middle of the night and wondered if you were actually living in a horror movie? Chances are it’s not Jason coming after your neighbor, but most likely a Red Fox communicating with their mate or a trespasser on their territory. Although similar to dogs in many other ways, foxes are unique in that they have a wide range of vocalizations that are much shriller and higher pitched than those of dogs. The screams they often produce are done for a variety of reasons, ranging from mating calls and territorial disputes, to warnings or a sign of playing. All species of fox are capable of these vocalizations, but red foxes are the most notable being that they are more common than other species.

To continue our spooky animal week: One interesting creature that looks a lot scarier than it is is the Star-Nosed Mole. What is very unique about this mole is that it has a star-shaped nose with long fringes that help in more ways than giving this mole its name. Because moles are completely blind, they must rely on their other senses to help them survive. The fringes around their nose are used to help the mole navigate its environment and search for food, or even find their way out of trouble. Their noses have more than 100,000 nerve fibers that help them sense their surroundingsthat is 5 times more than the human hand!

Though this year is anything but normal, the chill in the air from October brings about the coolest and spookiest animals. With Halloween being right around the corner we want to tell you about some spooky creatures that make the dark even scarier. Owls are one bird that often come to mind when you think about creatures of the night. Most times, these birds of prey are heard before they are seen because of how well they blend into the environment they live in. All species of... owl have a variety of calls, and not all owls hoot as most people would think! Great Horned Owls will hoot, while Barn Owls may screechbut these calls are made for a purpose. When protecting their territory owls will release calls like this to ward off other owls seeking to take over their home area. Owls even have specific sounds for when they are upset, angry or frightened. This is just one very unique and eerie thing that these amazing creatures can do. See more

Wildlife rehabilitators are a special breed of their own, caring for orphaned, sick, and injured wildlife to be released back into the wild. They have proficien...t knowledge of all kinds of animals, from birds and bunnies to raccoons, foxes, squirrels, bats, and turtles, and they must have special permits for housing and handling of these creatures. Support their work and visit endroadkillpa.com/donate. See more

Give the Gift of Life Do you or someone you know love wildlife? Here’s an opportunity to give yourself, or someone you love, a special gift this Christmas that will impact the lives of the animals at Red Creek Wildlife Center. How it works... Each adoption packet is $30.00 Order an Adopt a Christmas Critter packet before November 10th. The packet will be mailed to you or the person of your choice around December 10th. Learn more here: https://redcreekwildlifecenter.com/?page_id=2775

At Red Creek, we don’t just receive the typical bird or mammal, but we also take in the cold and not so fuzzy amphibians and reptiles. In September, a young woman brought in an American Toad that her dog thought was a toy, resulting in a broken leg. She knew right away it needed help and did not hesitate to bring him to Red Creek. Although the leg was severely damaged, he had so much spunk we had to pad his enclosure to prevent further damage to his leg and foot. Toads and frogs are unique in that they have the ability to regrow limbs that they have lost. That is just what this little guy did! He regrew his leg so perfectly that today it doesn’t look like it was ever damaged. This American Toad was able to be released. He will hibernate through the winter now that he is home.

It’s been a long and trying year, but we made it through the busy season and things are finally slowing down. All of the babies have been weaned and most of our patients have been released. Because of the loss of our internship program and the reduction in volunteers, we haven’t been able to post much or give updates on animals. Now that things have eased up, we can get back to interacting with our supporters, rescuers, and fans. We plan on actively posting about patients fr...om this year, along with cool wildlife information that we hope you enjoy. The phone has been our biggest challenge, and we put a new phone system in place to help with that. To get updates, call our clinic, 570.739.4393, and select option 3. Please leave a message with as much information as you can. We will call back as we are able. This year took a real toll on our finances, as we had to hire more staff to make up for the loss of volunteers and interns. If you are able, please consider making a donation today to help us help the animals. Thank you for your support, prayers, and most of all, thank you for helping save our native wildlife.

Individual box turtles exhibit a highly variable shell pattern. This image shows some of the variation displayed by the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene c. carolin...a). Image courtesy of Seth LaGrange of The Bearded Biologist. Purchase the poster here: https://www.etsy.com/lis/804712560/eastern-box-turtle-print

Just another day at Red Creek

Short but sweet. Sharp-shinned hawk release. Larissa is one of our newest volunteers. Releasing is always exciting and heartwarming, and always memorable when it's your first! :-)