Where's Aldo?
With warm sunny weather, I just can't resist taking a 20 minute break from my office to sit outside with Aldo the American Kestrel. These...
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Haley Selen
Jun 10, 20202 min read
Not Always Cold-Blooded
Whether meeting a snake in person or virtually via Zoom, "ectothermic" seems like a complicated word to drop in a snake program for...
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Haley Selen
May 11, 20201 min read
Focal Point
When I'm outside with a bird on my glove, I often get the feeling that I'm being watched. I turn to find Aldo the American Kestrel...
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Haley Selen
Feb 20, 20202 min read
Annual Exams
St. Paul may seem like a long way to drive for a simple vet visit, but The Raptor Center has some of the most raptor-savvy veterinarians...
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Haley Selen
Jan 23, 20201 min read
All in good (salamander) time
While the tree frogs are sleeping away the winter in the exhibit hall, preferring to ignore their worms, it seems Scuba the Tiger...
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Haley Selen
Jan 9, 20202 min read
A Surprising Weight Gain
Like most mornings, I asked Aldo the American Kestrel to step onto the scale. I adjusted his leather equipment, glanced at the numbers on...
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Haley Selen
Jan 2, 20201 min read
Entertainment
We regularly give the birds enrichment to keep them from getting too bored in their mews. Enrichment might take the form of training new...
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Haley Selen
Dec 5, 20192 min read
Target Weights
Wild animals can expertly camouflage illness or injury. Wild animals can also become underweight or obese. A scale reading is the closest...
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Haley Selen
Nov 21, 20191 min read
Reuse
While digging through the Museum's storage room, sometimes I just have to shake my head. I might find an oddly shaped piece of plywood,...
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Haley Selen
Nov 8, 20191 min read
Comfort Zone
With a hearty appetite this fall, Carson the Red-tailed Hawk will do just about anything to earn her food. Entering the office on my...
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Haley Selen
Oct 9, 20191 min read
Body Language
Wednesday was a picturesque, sunny day and I asked Aldo the American Kestrel to step on my glove. He readily hopped on and we circled the...
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Haley Selen
Oct 2, 20191 min read
Fall Hunger Pangs
With the leaves changing and the sun setting earlier, it is obviously fall. The birds know it, too, as they feel the urge to prepare for...
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Haley Selen
Sep 10, 20192 min read
Broken
"Did you notice that Carson's alymeri is broken on this side?" Despite Mollie's calm, quiet demeanor, her words stopped me in my tracks....
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Haley Selen
Jul 18, 20191 min read
Ice
With such warm weather lately, I figured the birds might like a cold treat. I left a few ice cubes on Carson's perch along with more...
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Haley Selen
Jan 24, 20191 min read
Chilly
Red-tailed hawks are a hardy species. While some move farther south for the winter, many red-tails choose to stay in Wisconsin as long as...
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Haley Selen
Jan 16, 20191 min read
Stages of a Good Bath
Aldo the American Kestrel seems to have bathing down to a science. There appears to be 7 essential elements to a good bath, something he...
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Haley Selen
Nov 28, 20181 min read
Zero Percent
One thing I love about the animal care community – from bird trainers to zoo keepers – is the ability to find delight in small, peculiar...
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Haley Selen
Nov 7, 20182 min read
Science of Behavior Change: Negative Reinforcement
Last week I wrote about positive reinforcement, giving a reward to increase a behavior, as the most important tool in training our...
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Haley Selen
Oct 24, 20181 min read
Weighing a snake
How quickly does a 5-year-old hognose snake grow? As animals with indeterminate growth, snakes continue growing throughout their life,...
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Haley Selen
Oct 11, 20181 min read
Aldo and the Mealworms
It was Aldo the American Kestrel’s turn for interesting enrichment this week. In the wild, over half of a kestrel’s prey can be insects....
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