Happy New Year from all at the Chittering Wildlife Carers Inc. (CWC). Summer is well and truly upon us and with it hot, dry conditions. There are many things we can all do to assist our native fauna to survive and thrive during our hottest season. Here are some considerations:
• Leave shallow bowls of water out on the ground in a shaded and safe place for the birds, bees and lizards in the vicinity of your garden.
• If you have a bird bath, place sticks, stones or pebbles in it to assist the smaller creatures to drink and then escape the water.
• Please check these vessels daily, and refill with water on a daily basis if possible.
• If you have a cat or a dog, please keep an eye on them when they are outside as bobtail lizards are vulnerable to attack from our domestic pets. If they appear to be very interested in something in the garden, have a look to check it is not a lizard – or a snake!
• If you find a feathered baby bird on the ground, please initially observe it to check if the parents are in the vicinity – it may be just learning to fly. If possible, place it in a pot and put the pot in a limb of a tree nearby. The parents will attend to it from there.
• It might be tempting to throw your apple and pear cores out of the window as the thinking is the insects etc will eat it, so it’s not really rubbish. But what happens is the fruit attracts rodents, which attract birds. Nocturnal birds especially, see the tasty rodent eating courtesy of a vehicle’s headlights and will swoop down for it. It is then maimed or killed by the passing vehicle.
Of course, at all times of the year please take extra care when driving during dawn and dusk periods, as our Kangaroos and Raptors are out foraging at that time. If you find any injured wildlife in the Chittering vicinity, please call our dedicated volunteers on the number below. We can advise and assist with information and problem solving.
If you have any rescued wildlife in your possession, please get it to a vet asap, or again, call the CWC on the number below. We hope you enjoy a safe and animal friendly summer.
The CWC has a lot of ongoing expenses regarding animal care. We need to pay for veterinarian care, joey formula, insectivore and other baby bird foods and many other sundries on an annual basis. Giving to the CWC is made easy by making a bank transfer. Please email our Treasurer for your tax-deductible receipt: ashlee.martin@live.com. The account name is the Chittering Wildlife Carers Inc. The BSB is 633000 and the account number is 131834012. Thank you.
