Video of Foster Kittens

Here’s a video of some of our little foster kittens; left to right - Clarita, Domino, and Yahtzee. Enjoy!

Kitten Movie

New Foster Kittens: Thor, Odin, Zephyr, and Loki

Loki	Odin	Thor	Zephyr

Our most recent litter of foster kittens contained four little boys. A gray and white kitten named Thor, an orange tabby with a little white named Odin, an orange tabby with a lot of white named Zephyr, and a little black and white named Loki. We got these little boys when we got a call from Rosi (the founder of Town Cats, the shelter we foster for). She said that  four kittens had been found near the dam in Morgan Hill, and that they needed immediate care. We met the man who had found them, and he gave us the kittens. They were in horrible shape. They were soaking wet, and very cold. Two of them, Zephyr and Loki, were doing so bad we didn’t think they would make it. The were stiff, and not moving at all. Thor and Odin were doing better, they were alert, but still very cold and wet.When we got home we gave them a warm bath, and dried them off with a blow dryer. Once they were warm they started to improve a bit. They were starving too. We tried to give them a bottle, but they ended up almost biting off the nipple. So we gave them some canned food, diluted and softened with kitten formula.

The more we got to know them the more we came to love their friendly, playful ways, and their wonderful personalities. Because they were so friendly, we are guessing they were dumped. They were way too social for ferals. I don’t see how anyone could dump such helpless, wonderful kittens. They are around nine weeks old now, when we got them they were around three. They have grown and changed, and it has been wonderful to be able to give them a second chance. Last weekend Thor and Zephyr were adopted at one of Town Cat’s adoption fairs. Hopefully this weekend Odin and Loki will also find great homes, although it will be very hard to say goodbye.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up!

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), which is hosted by the Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is coming up in a few weeks! This fun event goes from February 12th to February 15th. The point of the GBBC is to help scientists monitor bird species and bird migration through your area. Just watch some birds in your area for at least 15 minutes and submit your sightings to www.birdcount.org (or click on the ‘Great Backyard Bird Count’ button above). At that same website you can find a checklist that you can print out that has the species of birds in your area. Details you need to include in your submission is weather, habitat, place, time you spend bird-watching, and each species of bird you see, including how many of each species. To make sure that you don’t count the same bird twice, you should only count the largest amount of any species that you see at once during the whole time you are bird-watching. The more people who participate the better! So get outside and watch some birds from February 12th through the 15th, and have fun!

Adoption vs. Buying

When getting a new pet you need to decide where you are getting your pet from. You can chose between a breeder or a shelter. My dog came from a breeder, and my cats came from a shelter. I  think that adopting from a shelter is the kindest thing to do. Sometimes you’re saving the animal’s life, because many animals get euthanized if they can’t find homes. You’re also helping to reduce the number of homeless animals. Also, adopting is usually cheaper. After you get your pet it is a good idea to spay/neuter him or her. This will help to ensure that there are less homeless puppies and kittens in the future. Some breeders and shelters spay/neuter (as well as give needed vaccines) to your pet before you buy or adopt. 

Something Happened to the Scrub Jays

One day when I was checking on the nest, neither of the Scrub Jays were sitting on it. After that, I never saw them on the nest. I thought that possibly the eggs had hatched, but then I didn’t seen them going to the nest to feed possible chicks either. I knew something had happened when on a very cold, rainy day they still weren’t on the nest. Even if the chicks had hatched the parents would be sitting on them in weather like that. A couple days ago I found proof something had gotten the eggs; a crumbled egg shell, the right coloration for Scrub Jays lay on the ground. A predator had gotten their eggs, an intruding Western Scrub Jay or a Stellar’s Jay were the most likely candidates. They’re known for eating other bird’s eggs and young. A couple days later I found three more broken eggs inside the bush, but these were not Scrub Jays eggs. They were small blue eggs with brown speckles. A Robin’s eggs? Did the same jay that got the Scrub Jay’s get theirs? I don’t know, and may never know. I just wish that the baby birds could have survived.

Scrub Jay on the Nest

The female Western Scrub Jay is on the nest now almost constantly. Once when I was watching her, the male flew in and fed her. He always the one who feeds her. I’ve only seen her leave the nest once! This break was very quick (lasting a minute at most) which makes me think she definitely has eggs. Whenever I come near she lowers crouches down lower in the nest and tries to not be seen, another reason I think she’s protecting eggs. The nest is in the heart of the bush and it’s pretty hidden by leaves and branches so I haven’t been able to confirm that there are eggs or get any pictures. 

Painted Lady Migration

This month the Painted Lady butterflies, scientifically known as Vanessa cardui, are migrating north through California from Mexico. There are huge numbers of these beautiful butterflies all around my house. Often I’ll see 30 at once! The blossoming plum tree in my front yard is a popular feeding stop for the butterflies. They also share it with Box Elder Bugs and Honey Bees. The most wide-spread butterfly in the world, they are small, orange butterflies with black, brown, and white spots. I think they are very pretty! Keep your eyes out for Painted Ladies!

Nesting Scrub Jays

In my yard I have a pair of Western Scrub Jays that I have been seeing for a few years. One year they nested in our Quince bush. It was really interesting to watch them! First they built the nest, consisting mostly of sticks and twigs. Then the female sat on the nest, lay her eggs, then incubated them. Mostly the female sat on the nest and the male brought her food, but occasionally they switched. Then a few days after their chick hatched something happened to it, I’m not sure what but one day it wasn’t in the nest. I assume a predator got it. The next year they nested in an Oak tree across the street. Once the chicks fledged they brought them over to our yard and that’s where they spent most of their time. It was really fun watching them squabble for food and learn different skills. This year they are once again nesting in our Quince bush. All they have done so far is build the nest and they female has sat in it a couple times. One day I was looking out my window and I saw one of them down on the patio. We have an old, torn-up door mat out there and she was plucking little fibers off of it and finding them on the ground around there. When she finally flew off her beak was stuffed with little strings and fibers. That’s all the activity so far but I’m keeping an eye on them.

Animal Photography

Animal photography is a very fun, but also hard hobby. Sometimes, you get lucky and happen to get a good picture that you weren’t even trying to get! My pets, foster kittens, and the wildlife in my yard and other places all make great photo opportunities. You can’t always get a good picture, some days you’ll get an excellent one, and other days it might be completely blurry.

Practicing being very quiet, so you can get closer to animals really helps. If they 

don’t realize you’re there, you can get a lot closer and get a better picture. Good equipment also helps. I have a digital Nikon coolpix L3. It has a zoom-in feature that lets you get a close-up picture without really being close. This really helps in animal photography!

 I particularly like taking pictures of my foster kittens. They are always napping or playing, and both of these activities make cute pictures. One of the pictures I have here is of a kittens yawning. These yawns make hilarious pictures. No matter what your favorite thing to take a picture of is, animal or not, photography is fun!

Healthily feeding your Parakeet

Just like humans, parakeets need a balanced diet to keep them healthy. If a parakeet just eats seeds, then they probably won’t be as healthy. Although it is o.k. for seeds to be the main part of your parakeet’s diet, fruits and vegetables are important. Calcium and vitamins are also important in a parakeet’s diet. Cuttlebones, which can be found in pet stores, are one of the things that can supply birds with calcium and many essential vitamins. Some parakeets prefer seeds, and sometimes even avoid fruits and vegetables. Here are some ways I have learned to sneak fruits and vegetables into a picky parakeet’s diet. Sometimes all you have to do is try different types of food.  Parakeets have likes and dislikes. For example, my two parakeets avoid bell peppers, Kekona will occasionally nibble on a carrot, they kind of like strawberries, and they both love broccoli. Another way to get them to eat fruits/vegetables is to hide the food they’re avoiding in their seeds. Broccoli is a good vegetable to hide in seeds. Tear or cut off the end of each stem coming of the floret. You should end up with pieces small enough to easily mix them with the seeds. Some brands of seed and some treats include fruits, veggies, and vitamins for your parakeets.