Sweetbriar Nature Center

Copper our ambassador red fox heard a strange noise and is investigating. Although Copper has lost his sense of vision, he still manages to find his food a get around in his enclosure. If you think he looks a little mangy, he was just treated for a sarcoptic mange. How you might wonder?Copper is always in his enclosure? Well, believe it or not, wild foxes visit copper after hours, we know this because he have seen tracks in the mud and snow surrounding his cage. Copper is ...definitely living in someone’s territory. Sarcoptic mange is probably the biggest killer of red foxes on Long Island, It is a highly contagious disease and can be easily spread to other animals, like Copper, thru a fence! There is another, much less common species of fox on Long Island the Grey Fox This is a much smaller animal, with a length of 30" to 45" as an adult. It has an overall grey color, though it also has some reddish patches of fur like it's larger cousin the red fox. The gray fox prefers less populated areas and is usually found in dense woodland, near swamps, and in other isolated areas. It is not urbanized like the red fox, but it can be found in dense thickets in suburban areas. Gray foxes are more retiring and more aggressive and will not tolerate red foxes. Gray foxes are good swimmers and excellent climbers, and can often be found high up on a tree sunning or trying to escape predators. They den at least 20 feet up in hollow trees and often use abandoned hawk’s nests. Earth burrows are also used. Keep your eyes and ears open and you might spot one, if not, Copper is here and serves as a fine example!

What do squirrels eat? Well, squirrels just happen to eat a lot of things. Squirrels are not picky eaters. Having expanded their palates, they’ve picked up some strange new eating habits as humans and squirrels have come to share more and more space together. In addition to the usual suspects: acorns, pecans, berries, and veggies, squirrels are accepting of food remnants discarded in parks, or anywhere for that matter. Things such as sandwiches, old lunch meat, burger scraps ...and pizza are just a few things squirrels may nibble on. Is nothing safe, nothing sacred? Fortunately, there are a few things that they simply do not prefer. Raw onions, for example, and raw garlic. They certainly don’t like hot pepperssuch as jalapeños, serrano peppers, anaheim peppers, these spicy varieties growing from bushes are logically passed over. In fact, pepper spray is widely used as a deterrent in gardens to keep squirrels from eating prized vegetables and fruit and even added to some bird seeds. In addition to what they don’t like, there are also things that squirrels shouldn’t eat; for example, dairy products, chocolate, junk food, candy, highly processed foods they may find in trash cans, and even many of the foods that they love such as sugary cereals would not normally be eaten by a squirrel in a perfect world. So, next time you see a busy critter hustling around, in the city, or in the garden, and you wonder what do squirrels eat, exactly? Well, just about anything. See more

Virtual yoga on Zoom to benefit the animals of Sweetbriar- Tuesday evening 6 PM, Friday evenings 6 PM and don’t miss the opportunity to practice live at Sweetbriar on Saturday mornings at 8:30 AM weather permitting. We meet behind the main house at the nature center. Register at @www.sweetbriarnc.org make sure you specify Yoga in the notes on PayPal. $10 per class.

Someone doesn’t like to be disturbed during the day. Flying squirrels are active at night year-round and are highly sociable creatures. They will eat and den together, especially during the cold winter months. Apparently there are even reports of flying squirrels denning with other animals, including screech owls and bats. I’m not sure how that works out when a screech owl gets hungry?

We are putting out the call for no longer needed large newspapers. We just need the newspaper print ones and not the ads or circulars that come in them. They can be placed in the front door vestibule of sweetbriar. Thanks everyone

Here is a peak into our Spooktacular event from last night! Join us tonight, tickets are still available at the gate! Online ticket holders can come at 7:pm and if you want to purchase a ticket at the gate please arrive no sooner that 7:45pm.

Cali, reminding everyone of the importance of eating your greens....It’s never to early to think about next summer. If you are only feeding birds birdseed, suet and nectar you might be missing out! There are many colorful summer birds that don't eat seeds and don't normally come to your feeders. You can attract them to your yard by offering fruit at your feeder. You might be surprised what other feeder visitors you may get throughout the year by offering fruits. Or even chicory as seen here, being eaten by Cali our ambassador Baltimore oriole. Who ever knew orioles liked greens???

Come to Sweetbriar Nature Center all ghoulies, ghosties, and other Halloween creepies for an evening of fun and excitement. Enjoy eerie animal presentations, a ghostly graveyard, creepy games, scary music, and spooky night trails. Great for ghouls 8 years and up. Refreshments are available for purchase ... Social distancing rules apply even outdoors. Wear a face mask when around other people. No Bathrooms will be available How much: $15 per person -Tickets can be purchased online at sweetbriarnc.org A small amount of tickets will be available at the gate day of. . Virtual Yoga via Zoom!Monday-9:30am....Tuesday-6pm....Friday- 6pm.... Saturday-8:30am every week. Join us, destress and help support the animals at Sweetbriar. Register on our website www.sweerbriarnc.org We need the help!

Last chance to get a Sweetbriar T-shirt from our fundraiser! Only two hours left.

Check out Tulip, her sniffer is working overtime! Everyday we give her a new box of smells from the wild, she loves it! Opossums are notorious foragers and have 1,188 olfactory senses earning them the No. 3 spot as having one of the best sniffers. Coming in second are rats who even beat mice in this particular ranking, due to their 1,207 olfactory senses. Finally, the undisputed king of animal sniffers is the African elephant with its almost 2000 olfactory senses! By comparison, humans have 396.

Legislator Robert Trotta unexpectedly found this baby chipmunk while gardening at his home. It was barely moving when he arrived at our clinic. Baby chipmunks leave their dens when they are approximately 2 months old and is one was not quite old enough to be out. She will stay with us until Spring. Now to come up with a name??? Recently, scientists have discovered the gene that makes the color contrast in a chipmunks stripes. By studying the chipmunk and the African striped m...ouse (both have stripes running down their backs), they found a gene that causes skin cells to lose their colors, creating an area of a light color in the fur rather than its surrounding darker color. This gene normally makesthe pigment, or color, of their light-colored bellies. Scientists believe that over time, this gene evolved to create the light color of the stripes on their backs. They also believe that the stripes help both creatures avoid the sharp eyes of their predators. So, the next time you see a chipmunk, you’ll think more than just seeing a cute furry rodent. See more

The most common mouse in a houseis, well, a house mouse. It’s not native to the United States, but it’s been here a long time, having spread all over the world many centuries ago from Asia. But this baby mouse here is known as a white footed deer mouse. These mice-are much less apt to get into your house compared with the house mouse, they lead interesting lives and actually help keep ecosystems thriving. You can find signs of this nocturnal creatures in the wild, especiall...y in winter. One way to find them can be found in an old bird’s nest. As winter approaches, the white-footed mouse works diligently a few nights to build a dome over (the nest) and arrange a soft lining. On cold snowy days, white-footed mice may just stay snuggled in those bird nests, but when there’s a break in the weather, they’ll come out to munch on seeds, nuts, fruits, and buds. They also eat insects and snails in warmer months. Surprisingly, the white-footed mouse is solitary in winter. One adorable thing I would like to share is that white footed deer mice have been known to use their front paws to drum on a dry leaf or reed producing a buzzing musical sound. Scientists aren’t sure what purpose this serves, but their predators including owls and foxes in winter who can hone in on the noise and pounce to catch a meal. Any way you look at it, all creatures big or small deserve a place on our planet. See more

Go to www.sweetbriarnc.org for more information

Spooktacular on Friday 10/23 and Saturday 10/24

Winter migration is happening! Unfortunately this migrating bird was caught by a cat and will have to wait a few more weeks until its tail grows back and it has finished a round of antibiotics, then, it can continue on its journey southward. Did you ever wonder how migrating birds find their way. Biologists have long known that they use the sun and stars to navigate. More recently they have discovered that birds possess an internal magnetic compass. It’s possible that a chem...ical mechanism based in the eye provides the compass, allowing them to see the earth’s magnetic fields, while magnetite (a magnetic mineral) receptors in the beak provide the map. The compass may detect the direction of the magnetic field, while the map detects the strength of the magnetic field, and by integrating both types of information the birds can find their way home, whether across a featureless ocean or a large land mass. At the present time we have a good basic understanding of at least some of the senses of birds, but the best is yet to come. See more