As summer winds down, I've gotten to chance to see more of the inner workings of Greenwood.  I know I've said it before but "it takes a village" to run Greenwood Wildlife Rehab.  When sick, injured or orphaned animals first come to Greenwood, they are greeted by intake staff who gather necessary information and then assess each animal's situation and create a plan for his/her rehabilitation.  I forget why this Common Poorwill was brought in but the staff was told he couldn't fly.  Imagine everyone surprise when he flew a bit during evaluation!  Later in my visit, I heard about a volunteer extraordinaire who was collecting flies for the Barn Swallows!  He was catching so many the Barn Swallows were surrounded by them -- fascinated, but not quite yet sure how to catch them.  Apparently, once a Barn Swallow demonstrates he/she can catch a fly, then it's time to be released.  A necessary and not so glamorous, but much appreciated,  job is cleaning!  Volunteers clean the common areas such as the bathrooms, volunteer break room and hall ways as well as the cages and outdoor pens for squirrels, birds, raccoons and waterfowl.  Another never ending job is that of the cook and dishwasher, too.  Anyone who as raised a child knows they eat and make messes.  Animals are no different and the staff at Greenwood keeps busy making sure the facilities are safe and comfortable for everyone.  Thank you to all the behind the scenes volunteers that help Greenwood care for so many animals!

I wasn't able to visit Greenwood for the entire month of July and missed it!  Lots of animals have been released since I last visited and many more are close to being wild again! There are, however, plenty of songbirds still coming and needing help.  Each songbird gets fed about every 40 minutes so they keep the staff quite busy!  This picture was my favorite of the day.  These barn swallows were in a large enclosure surrounded by dark mesh.  They typically live in dark places (barns, caves and under bridges) so these birds were quite content to hang out.  I was amazed that my camera was able to focus on them through the mesh and that my flash (pointed away from them) gave enough light for the picture!  It was so neat to see them so close up!  The other birds are House Sparrows, a House Finch,  an American Goldfinch, a pair of Rock Doves, and a Violet-green Sparrow eating a Greenwood raised meal-worm!

Outside, the large enclosures were brimming with raccoons!  They are almost ready to be released and they were quite content to play in the kiddie water pools and with each other.  There are covers over the enclosures to keep them out of the sun and to help them become wild (and not habituated to humans).  I hid behind a tree to get a quick glimpse but as you can see, I got caught!

This Western Kingbird was also in one of the big outdoor enclosures with netting.  I tried to take a picture of it through the netting, like the barn swallows, but quickly realized it was trying to dive-bomb me!  I took it as a great sign that it was a WILD bird and I was too close to its space (even though I was outside the enclosure).  I quickly left and  was thrilled that it kept its instincts through its stay at Greenwood!

Last but not least I got to meet the  Golden-manteled Ground Squirrel.  She was growing up fast and was also getting ready for release. 

Greenwood is now preparing for the next round of baby squirrels!  Just a reminder that even though the summer is winding down, the work at Greenwood continues.  Thanks Greenwood for all of your efforts to give these animals a second chance!