From The Avian Reconditioning Center for Birds of Prey

Meet Barkley, our newest education ambassador!

Barkley, an Eastern Screech Owl, arrived at ARC late last year after being found on the ground with a clouded left eye. While the exact cause of the injury remains unknown, it was likely an impact that resulted in internal damage. We monitored him closely as the eye began to collapse, watching for any signs of infection.

During his recovery, Barkley was evaluated for flight but struggled significantly. He frequently missed perches, flew in circles, or landed on the ground. Due to his permanent vision loss, it was determined that Barkley could not hunt or navigate effectively in the wild, making him non-releasable.

As you can see in the photo, Barkley is perfectly named, as he camouflages into the trees quite well

Der Rolladen geht wieder!

Audubon Center for Birds of Prey

Rare patient alert! We received a Barn Owl in the Raptor Trauma Clinic last week. Since 2020, we have admitted only 16 Barn Owls. This owl's initial check-up found signs of dehydration, neurologic issues, and anemia. The cause of injury is unknown, but the patient is stable and receiving treatment.

Barn Owls are the least-common owl species found in Florida, and they are a welcome sight for farmers and ranchers: When nesting in the trusses of a barn, a pair of adults can consume up to 1,000 rodents in a single nesting season, making them an excellent form of pest control. Like many raptors, this species' reliance on rodents as a food source makes them susceptible to secondary poisoning, or poisoning from eating a rodent that has consumed rodenticide. The use of rodenticide is one of the causes of this species' decline, along with loss of habitat.

They are sadly rare here in Pennsylvania too. I hardly see any of the local rehabs getting them. The landscape is just being changed too much for them in so many places.

Old-web-nostalgia is bringing back the classics.

From Raptors Rise Rehab Center

Just a little bonding time with her new foster parent.

Barred Owls

cross-posted from: https://ani.social/post/30998433

Artist's Twitter

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/58854363

Rana temporaria is an “explosive breeding” frog, meaning that they reproduce in a brief window of the year, and thousands of frogs gather in one area at the same time. In these species, the males often significantly outnumber the females and harass and coerce them into amplexus, which is the technical term used for mating in amphibians. Research prior to Dittrich's study suggested that female frogs in explosive breeding species are passive during the mating process, but she found the exact opposite.

In fact, Dittrich wasn’t initially studying the behavior of the females at all. The experiment she ran was to determine whether male frogs had a size preference when selecting mates — that is, did they prefer a larger- or smaller-sized mate? In the experiment, one male was placed in a box filled with 5 cm (2 inches) of water and two females of different sizes, and their behavior was recorded via webcam for an hour.

“But they didn’t show any size preference,” Dittrich said.

Instead, Dittrich noticed three behaviors that the female frogs repeatedly used when they wanted to avoid mating: physically rotating away, mimicking a mating call and tonic immobility. Rotating away from the male was the most common strategy — since amplexus must occur with the male behind and on top of the female, the females would flip onto their back to push the male frogs underwater. Dittrich recorded that behavior in 83% of amplexed females, and it was almost always the first attempted strategy.

If rotation was unsuccessful, 48% of the amplexed females began mimicking mating calls, as if to communicate, “I’m a male frog, not a female frog.” The tonic immobility was a last resort — 33% of amplexed female frogs stiffened their limbs, with “arms and legs outstretched from the body after being amplexed by a male.”

Interestingly, smaller frogs were more likely to go into tonic immobility than larger frogs. Dittrich theorized this might be because tonic immobility is not a conscious condition, but a response to high levels of stress. Smaller females could be younger, less experienced and more prone to high levels of stress than larger females, and thus more likely to show tonic immobility.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2023/11/18/frog-playing-dead-mating/

As an American I'm curious what it's like if you need to go to the doctor and how much you pay from say a broken arm to general checkup. Also list what country please