WASHINGTON — 草莓传媒 recently explained how聽your old聽Christmas tree could be used at some of the aviaries in Maryland state parks. On New Year鈥檚 Day, we聽got a look inside one of those aviaries to meet some of the creatures that would benefit from such a donation.
Before you can enter the aviary at Cunningham Falls State Park, you鈥檒l be asked to step into a footbath — a preventive measure to make sure avian flu doesn鈥檛 reach the birds of prey that are part of the Scales and Tales program.
鈥淲e have several turtle species, we have owls, hawks and a bald eagle,鈥� says park manager Ranger Mark Spurrier, ticking off the types of wild animals housed here. He then points to the turtles.
A gargantuan snapping turtle sits in an enclosure that鈥檚 the size of a baby pool. Fish swim around the enormous snapper, and Spurrier鈥檚 clearly amused by the awe the animal鈥檚 size inspires.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a big guy. He鈥檚 about 80 pounds, and his shell is about the size of a serving dish for a turkey,鈥� he says. The turtle seems much larger, and is poking his head up from the surface of the pool.
Spurrier explains that when the snapper鈥檚 pen has to be cleaned, the big reptile is taken out鈥攚ith some effort– and gets to walk around for some exercise. He聽says the big male isn鈥檛 too aggressive. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been in this program for a very, very long time so he鈥檚 used to being handled.鈥�
There鈥檚 a stinkpot — that鈥檚 not an insult, it鈥檚 the name of the turtle. The stinkpot releases a musky odor when handled, a defense mechanism. There are also some Maryland terrapins, and a handful of 聽snakes. All of the animals come to the Scales and Tales program as rescues from injuries, or pets that couldn鈥檛 be returned to the wild.
Uno, the Red Tailed Hawk — he has one wing — is a veteran of the program. He鈥檚 quiet and calm as Spurrier tells his story. The 聽hawk, like many others here, had been hit by a car and his wing was surgically removed.
Spurrier says mice and voles are attracted to litter tossed from cars, and in turn, the hawks are attracted to the rodents. 聽鈥漈hese guys鈥� Spurrier says, indicating Uno, “they鈥檙e watching for the mouse, they鈥檙e not watching for cars, and they fly right into the path of the vehicles. A lot of red tailed hawks get hit by cars.鈥�
They鈥檙e not alone. It was believed the had been hit or grazed by a bus while diving for a meal.
Spurrier says Uno鈥檚 a wonderful ambassador for the wild kingdom: when crowds learn about him, they see the direct impact that human behavior has on the natural world around them.
Meanwhile, the screech owls, Ash and Maple, named for the tree bark they most closely resemble, depend on camoflauge to escape attacks from larger birds of prey like Great Horned Owls. Spurrier explains that when spotted in聽 the daytime, you may see them with their eyes closed, but it鈥檚 likely they are wide awake. They are just hoping you won鈥檛 notice them.
鈥淲hen聽 you look at him, what鈥檚 the thing that stands out the most? It鈥檚 those big yellow eyes,鈥� he noted. The eyelids have the same tree-bark-like patterning so that when their eyes are closed they blend in with the surroundings.
Spurrier says that thanks to development, these creatures have less space with which to roam, guaranteeing more聽human-wild animal contact. 鈥淪o we have to do things a little differently if we鈥檙e going to coexist with these animals.鈥�
