Memorial to our Cougar

Our staff would like to say good-bye to a member of our wildlife family.

Dago the Cougar died July 27, 2010 at the age of 18.

He came to us in October of 1992. He had been confiscated by authorities as an illegal pet. At that time he was suffering from malnutrition and joint problems. He had life-long hip issues because of this. Dago in 1993

He will be greatly missed by staff and volunteers, as well as by all of the thousands of visitors who have been coming to see him for the past 18 years.

Dago in 2009

See WLS goslings and ducklings!


More Trail Reports:
May 10
-False Solomon's Seal blooming along Chipmunk Trail
-Rose-breasted Grosbeak carrying nesting material and working on nest
-Yellow Warblers singing right outside Nature Center
May 8
-91 species of birds seen and heard
May 6
-Orchard Oriole seen and heard near Director's residence
-Summer Tanager (female) seen by staff and visitors, a rare visitor to this area
May 5
-17 species of warblers seen and heard

Trail Updates
May 4
-Vole impaled on sharp twig by a Shrike
-Nashville Warbler climbing through twigs and singing
-Palm Warblers all over the trails
-Wild Strawberry blossoms
-Blue-gray Gnatcatchers chasing each other
-Beautiful Scarlet Tanager male in Hussong Woods
-Rose-breasted Grosbeak singing in the apple blossoms
-young male Baltimore Oriole singing and bouncing through leaves
April 21
-A pair of Blue-winged Teal on Hussong Marsh
-Hermit Thrush jumping on snags
-Ruby-crowned Kinglet bouncing through branches
-Eastern Phoebe catching insects
-2 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers chasing each other
-Stinging Nettle growing up
April 20
-Cabbage butterflies fluttering
-Ferns coming up in the marsh (fiddleheads)
-Trout Lilies blooming
-Jewelweed leaves peeking out of the forest floor
-Woodchucks out eating, then scurrying to their burrows
-Lesser Scaup diving by the floating boardwalk
-Yellow-rumped Warbler
April 19
-Brown Thrasher bouncing around under the brush
-Blue-gray Gnatcatcher flitting from branch to branch
-Painted Turtle sunning on a log in Hussong Marsh
-Bluebells blooming along the trail
-bumblebee buzzing near the ground
-waterleaf leaves growing in the woods
-mayapple leaves have flower buds nested between them, ready to blossom soon
-violets blooming all along edges of trail
-dragonfly hawking insects on the boardwalk
April 14
-Cedar Waxwings in the trees
-A pair of Wooducks flying across Hussong Marsh
-Dragonflies mating at Whirligig Pond
-Lots of mosquito pupae wriggling in Whirligig Pond
-An Osprey circling overhead-Leopard Frogs calling
-May Apple leaves and buds along Hussong Trail

Kicking off the 2010 Season of our Urban Fishing Program

On Earth Day we kicked off the 2010 season of our urban fishing program with the planting of 1,500 rainbow trout into Manger Lagoon.

We reinstated the fishing program last April after the restoration of the lagoon was complete. To date, more than 10,000 fish have been planted in the lagoon.

The following is what you need to know about our program:

• Program is open to children ages 15 and under as well as handicapped or disabled adults
• Fish caught can either be kept or released back into the lagoon
• Children ages 15 and younger can fish without a license, but adult anglers will need a license and if they plan to keep any fish caught, will also need an inland trout stamp
• Sanctuary staff is on-hand on Sanctuary grounds, but the program is not supervised, so adults are encouraged to attend with younger children
• State urban fishing regulations and city ordinances are in place and will be enforced by State DNR wardens and by the Green Bay Police Department

We'd like to thank Don Renard, Renco Machine and the Green Bay Area Great Lakes Sportfishermen who have made the fish stockings and the urban fishing program possible.

We can't wait to see everyone fishing at the lagoon!

The Bald Eagle is doing great! She has been moved out of recovery to the flight pavilion so she can start building strength and muscle tone. She has to be encouraged to move at this point; at the end of the video clip there is a broom that gently moves toward her--that is simply part of the physical therapy session. She does not fly yet, but is gaining strength in her legs through running and flaps her wings to build flight muscle. This process will eventually involve her flying from one end of the enclosure to the other. We will continue to work with her and still have hope that she will make a full recovery.

OTHER NEWS from the sanctuary:

One of our volunteers photographed the first known batch of goslings this season on April 15!!

Trail Updates

SOME OF THE SPRING ACTIVITY ALONG OUR TRAILS:

April 2
-A pair of Eastern Phoebes catching flying insects
-Brown Creepers crawling up and down trunks

April 5
-Mourning Cloak butterfly fluttering through the woods
-Hermit Thrush bouncing around on fallen logs
-Wood Frogs calling along Hussong Marsh
-Tree Swallows swooping and diving for insects
-A Cabbage Butterfly fluttering around a patch of blue Scilla; an American Goldfinch singing up above see short clip below

April 8

-Wild Turkey tracks in the snow
-A pair of Sandhill Cranes standing together on a small patch of the trail not covered with snow
-A pair of mature Bald Eagles circling over Hussong Marsh
-A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker circling around a tree trunk
April 12
-A male Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle Warbler) zoomed past and perched on a branch close by
-A pair of Song Sparrows in a small tree along a boardwalk
-An Eastern Comma Butterfly sunning itself along the back fence of the deer yard
-Virginia Bluebells ready to bloom along Hussong Trail
-Trout Lily leaves all over Hussong Woods

Eagle Update #1-- February 17, 2010
Here is the surgical story of the Bald Eagle from our partners at Gentle Vet Animal Hospital...

Friday, February 12 was a typical day at Gentle Vet Animal Hospital until the staff of the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary arrived with an injured bald eagle. The bird had been hit by a vehicle in the Crivitz area. She was very weak, and did not put up much of a fight, which is not normal for eagles, even sick ones!

Dr Gray was concerned that this bird might have multiple injuries, and could also have other health conditions which had weakened her so that she wasn’t able to avoid the passing car. He and the technicians gave the eagle a complete physical exam, and collected a blood sample for testing in our laboratory. Dr. Gray found a severe wound to the eagle’s left elbow; most of the skin had been peeled away.

View of left wing xray

view of right wing fracture

X-rays showed another serious problem; there was a fracture of the lower part of the radius bone in the right wing, just above the wrist. The skin was not broken in this area, which was good news. But in order to fly well, eagles must have nearly perfect function of their wings, and the fracture was close to the joint.
By the time the exam and x-rays were done, the blood results were also finished. We could see that the bird had no signs of internal bleeding, and no organ damage. This was good news, but we still had a very shocky bird.
Dr Gray considered the options, and decided that the best course would be to stabilize the eagle for a few days, then perform surgery to close the skin wound and repair the fracture. He prescribed antibiotics and pain medication, and bandaged the eagle’s wounds. The bird returned to the Wildlife Sanctuary for treatment over the weekend.
On Monday, February 15, we were delighted to see a much stronger eagle! The bird was much more difficult to handle, which is a good sign for her, but a challenge for the staff! Dr. Gray anesthetized the eagle, placed an intravenous catheter, and had her prepped for surgery. All during the surgery, Cindy, a Certified Veterinary Technician, monitored the eagle’s vitals signs and controlled the gas anesthesia. After an hour and a half, the eagle was sporting four stainless steel pins in her broken radius, and the wound on the other elbow had been closed. It took thirty stitches just to close that wound!
Things are looking good, but we are in the difficult “watching and waiting” period. The bird looks great, but it will be several more days before we know how well the skin wound heals, and several weeks before we can tell how well the fracture heals. Dr Gray is continuing to monitor her closely, and we’ll keep you posted on her progress!
The Staff of Gentle Vet Animal Hospital