Jessica Palmer - author - Recently Updated Pages

Peregrine Tales

jessicalittledeer — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:02:02 CST

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Critters' Corner

jessicalittledeer — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:59:30 CDT

Each picture will take you to a different page.
Warning some of the links may not be what you expect . . .

Something silly

jessicalittledeer — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:53:47 CDT

Jeremiah*
(Sung to the tune of Jeremiah was a Bullfrog)

Jeremiah was a squirrely,
A squirrely little girl.
She so neat cuz she's got four feet,
And she lives life in a whirl.

(Refrain)

Joy to the squirrels,
All the squirrely girls.
Joy to the wind that blows through the trees.
Joy for you and me.

Jeremiah ain't no lady.
She loves to have some fun.
She goes a squirrelin', a twirlin' and swirlin',
Cuz she is number one.

(Refrain)

Joy to the squirrels,
All the squirrely girls.
Joy to the wind that blows through the trees.
Joy to you and me.

(Refrain - one octave highter)

Joy to the world,
All the boys and girls,
Joy to the squirrels that fly through the trees,
Joy for you and me.

* Dedicated to Jeremaiah the Rock Squirrel

Ground Squirrel

jessicalittledeer — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:43:01 CDT

The ground squirrel of the American plains resembles the chipmunk. However as the name suggests, ground squirrels are landbound creatures.

	The prairie ground squirrel lives in large colonies underground. Similar to the prairie dog, they have their ecological niche -- reseeding the plains. They love their tunnels, which at Wild - n - Wooly were provided by tubes from paper towels. They kept separate tubes for a toilet to make sure they didn't foul their enviroment.
Like prairie dogs, ground squirrels stand guard over their dens. Here one acts as sentinel, ready to alert its brethren to danger or the presence of their caretaker bringing fresh food. __________ This family was released on a farm where they provided the base for a colony that now numbers in the hundreds.

News

jessicalittledeer — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:55:34 CDT

What's new in Jessica's world . . .

Jessica Palmer - writer

jessicalittledeer — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:07:29 CDT

In 2001, Jessica Palmer founded Wild-n-Wooly, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to the rehabilitation of wildlife. In 2009, Palmer received one of the highest compliments a wildlife rehabilitation, a personal invitation to practice he craft in a new state. Formerly licensed by the state of Florida and by the federal government's Migratory Bird Pemit office to provide specialized care for wild animals, we were asked to open our doors in New Mexico.

At Wild-n-Wooly, we treat sick, injured or wounded animals and return them to the wild. Often duties include caring for infants until they are old enough to fend for themselves, and sometimes, those babies return for a "bit of a snack," as the grackle does shown above.

We treat all kinds of animals, just go to our Critters' Corner page and click on some of the pictures. Our success rate is 80% with 8 out of 10 animals successfully returned to the wild. Below you can see one of our more recent releases . . .

Now Wild-n-Wooly has moved to New Mexico and found itself embraced in the welcoming arms of Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue. It is gratifying no longer to be working alone, but as a part of a larger group of like-minded individuals. Special thanks goes out to the group who have adopted me and made me feel at home.

This year seems to have been a bad year for New Mexico's American Kestrel and Barn Owl populations. Besides a fox, the first admits were all kestrels -- for a total of 8 juveniles. One with a broken wing was transfered to THE WILDLIFE CENTER in Espanola for surgery, while the remaining seven were released. For a few days they came to beg food, but eventually they realized they belonged in the wild. They can still be seen flitting through the trees in the adjacent pecan groves.

Barn owls have had a worse time. A recent storm resulted into the injury of 5 fledglings. The two located to the right were photographed immediately after they had been moved into a flying cage pending release. At this time, it would appear that they found the prospect of release a little daunting.

Saying farewll to the Florida Home of Wild-n-Wooly

Animal Wisdom

jessicalittledeer — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:48:35 CDT

Animal Wisdom explores the legends, rituals, symbolism and magical powers associated with over 70 of our most familiar, loved and revered animals, such as the wolf, owl, otter and raven. The book describes their traits and characteristics, their habitat, the myth, folklore and mystical traditions that surround them, and the medicine and healing power – including much from Native American tradition – associated with them. Animal Wisdom reminds us of the importance of human-animal affinity, of seeing animals as mentors who have a unique gift of wisdom for us.

"SOME BOOKS SHOULD NEVER GO OUT OF PRINT! THIS IS ONE!" Ruby Standingdeer

More Tales of Turkey Creek

jessicalittledeer — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:42:51 CDT

More Tales of Turkey Creek was inspired by the animals who have come through out doors at Wild-n-Wooly. Each have their stories and each have their tales to tell.

More Tales of Turkey Creek was written from the animal's perspective. It is a book for the young and the young at heart, and all those people who love animals, but don't take my word for it. Click on sneak peak, and see for yourself.

All proceeds from this book go to helping us keep our doors open, and as the work goes on, the stories will continue . . .

The rest of the book is available as a download. Just click on donate and we will send you the password that will give you access to the text.

And enjoy . . .

Turkey Creek

jessicalittledeer — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:39:17 CDT

CRITTERS’ CORNER

Turkey Creek was a magical place. It was as its name suggests a stream that wound its way through the countryside. Through farmland and pastureland. Through fields of grain, with big, fat round bales of straw and hay, and green paddocks dotted by the distant figures of horses or cows grazing. Turkey Creek had many moods.

Sometimes it went creeping or crawling lazily over its cradle of sand. Sometimes it laughed and babbled on a bed of stone as any self-respecting brook should do. And other times, after a particularly heavy rain, it ran angry and wild--spreading across the ground and claiming the fields as its own. Then the earth would turn to mud.

The land it traveled through was a varied as the creek. Sometimes hilly, rugged even in places. Elsewhere as flat as the Kansas plain could be. Often it would disappear entirely into marsh land where ducks and geese would gather. Everywhere it went trees shrouded its banks, often in narrow bands that quickly gave way to ragged grassland. Meanwhile coppices sprouted in the vales and grew to thick and tangled woods where the stream was fed by many springs and tributaries so small they did not merit a name.

The Kansas prairie had been largely tamed by farmers, or so they thought until Mother Nature chose to assert herself in wind and storm, tearing man’s creations quickly asunder. Due the creek’s capricious course, much of the surrounding area had never been put to plow, for water was a valuable resource.

And as every body knows, land that remains untouched still retains much of the old magic, so it was that Critter’s Corner was an enchanted domain. . .

Animal Wisdom Video

jessicalittledeer — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:15:31 CDT

Squirrel

jessicalittledeer — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:02:18 CDT

	This time we will follow the tale of two sisters who came in together, after their mother had been hit by a car. One brave soul, who later was known as fatty, became so hungry. that she climbed down from the nest and tried to suckle on a woman's toes.
Fatty was the largest of the two. She was uninjured and had the healthiest appetite. While her sister (seen below) was the runt of the litter, and eventually became named, Little Sister, since she was always the smaller of the two. Little Sister came in with an eye injury, a torn cornea, that required treatment with a special opthamic ointment.
	You can see the swelling in the eye in the photo to the left, while (above) Fatty looks "bright-eyed and bushy tailed." The girls were bottle fed for six weeks, and after a few more weeks, they were moved outside into a large pen in preparation for release. The pen with a specially designed trap door allowed them to come and go as they pleased.
	Free at last, Fatty went through a transitional period that many new releases do, especially if it is as soft release where the animal continues to be monitored by its carer. They will return for food until it is time to mate. Fatty had three litters of babies. She introduced all her offsprint to the Wild and Wooly feeders, although they never approached the human carers. In this photo, 'Fatty' has lost her baby fat and is looking pretty sleek.

Fatty and Little Sister were fox squirrels, the largest of all the squirrel species. All totalled, there are nine different sub-species of the Sherman fox squirrels. The Florida fox squirrel is black with white ears, although pockets of white fox squirrels exist. The Florida fox squirrel is considered threatened.

The most common American squirrel is the grey squirrel. It is smaller than the Sherman fox squirrel, but larger than the red squirrel. In some areas of the U.S. the territories overlap. However in England, the grey squirrel is rapidly pushing out the native red.

White tail deer

jessicalittledeer — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:17:24 CDT

	A day-old fawn is about the same size as a cat. It has no scent when its born. The best protection the mother can provide is to stay away. Most babies that arrive are not abandoned, but left alone by its mother as its best defense against predators, if not well intentioned people. Their dappled coat allows the fawns to blend into many backgrounds.
The fawn will nurse several times a day. In a rehab setting they get goat's milk. Unlike raccoons, they are not fussy eaters and readily take to the bottle.		The fawn (pictured above) wears a halter since it had to be moved inside for the July-4th celebrations. Deer are such nervous animals that even the very young can have heart attacks if subjected to the fireworks which are the normal part of Independence Day festivities

Female white-tail will stay with their mothers for the rest of their lives, becoming part of her herd. Except during the birthing season when does will separate the herd to raise their young.

The male will remain with his mother for about a year. The yearling may join a herd of other adolescent males. Later in life, he will live alone -- except during the season rut.

By the end of the first summer, deer lose their spots. The female will measure somewhere between 3 and 4 feet at the shoulder. Mature males may reach 5 feet. Deer in the north are larger than their southern counterparts.

It is believed that the deer pictured here was a mixed-breed, both mule deer (or black tail) and white tail, for where their paths cross the two species will often interbreed.

In a rehab setting, deer may spend their first winter in captivity, for about the same time they are ready for release winter is upon us, when life is harsh and grazing is sparse. Release time also coincides with the hunting season, and in some states where deer are hunted with bow and arrow, hunting season follows hunting season.

When this happens, the rehabilitator keeps them over winter and it becomes the deer's job is to put on as much weight as possible before spring release.

Songbirds

jessicalittledeer — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:40:56 CDT

This grackle may not look the part, but he is a hero. He was raised with Dirty Bird (seen below) and once when the blue jay sat stunned by the great outdoors, it was plucked from its perch by a Mississippi Kite. The grackle rammed the kite as it was trying to take off, causing it to drop the blue jay and saving Dirty Bird's life. Here, the grackle shown just starting to develop the fine irredescent feathers that distinguish of the male of this species.

This blue jay suffers from a genetic defect, lacking the oil glands it needs to keep its feathers smooth and hence, flight-worthy. It got its name, Dirty Bird, from its scruffy appearance. Worse it could not tolerate rain, caught in one downpour it nearly died of hypothermia Because it could not tolerate cold, it could not be released. This blue jay found a permanent home in the aviary at Carey Park Zoo.

Each animal has its story to tell and each bird its song. Dirty Bird and Black Bird grew up together, and each were characters. Blackbird, the grackle, tended to charge to make sure that he was fed first. It was this trait that brought him into Wild-n-Wooly as he charged over the edge of the nest and onto the ground. Finally in desperation after returning the grackle back to his nest, the concerned family brought him in for rehab. He continued this habit which often meant that -- until he learned how to fly -- that he spent much of his time on the floor of the facility.

Dirty Bird presented another set of issues. He was born genetically challenged -- lacking essential glands that he needed to survive in the wild. He had other problems too. Simply stated, he was not too bright. He was rescued when he fell from the nest. His rescuer kept him for a few days and then he fell into a water dish and nearly drown. Later he broke his wing. That's when he arrived at Wild-n-Wooly and was housed next to Blackbird.

The wing was set, but Dirty Bird seemed to lack some sense of self-preservation. For example, he tried to fly despite the wrapped wing. Needless to say he did not make it far and had to be rescued. The wing though healed well and Dirty Bird was able to achieve some semblence of flight, albeit clumsy. At which time, he was at age of release and was put out in the soft release cage with the grackle. The first time Dirty Bird figured out the door that allowed him access to the outside world, this blue jay was plucked from his perch by a kite.

The second time he quite literally flew into the jaws of a cat, and it was the warning cries of the grackle that alerted the rehabber to the danger, so Blackbird saved Dirty Bird's life more than once. Eventually, though, the two had to be separated. Dirty Bird went to the zoo. Blackbird was successfully released, although he came back for visits usually to beg for food.

Due to their raucous voices, most people do not associate either grackles or blue jays with songbirds, but according to government classifications used in wildlife rehabilitation both species qualify. Other birds not noted for their song, like the hummingbird and the cardinal, are also considered songbirds.

		A ruby-throated female lacks the red coloring of her male counterpart.
The mourning dove	Northern Cardinal (male)	Hummingbird
The American Robin is larger than the British bird of the same name.

Wild-n-Wooly

jessicalittledeer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:44:30 CDT

Wildlife rehabilitation has one purpose to rescue, care for and then return animals to the wild.

Wild-n-Wooly treats hundreds of animals a year.

Birds from the smallest -- hummingbirds, finches and other songbirds -- to the large predatory birds or raptors, such as: red tailed hawks, great-horned owls, barred and barn owls to the more diminuative Mississippi Kite and the American Kestrel.

We also care for mammals--arboreal squirrels like fox squirrels, ground squirrels or chipmunks, marsupials like opossums, raccoons, fox, bobcat, skunks and deer.

Each species has its own needs in terms of food, nutrition and housing. Often they require medical treatment. They may need antibiotics to cure an infection, or require a pin or a splint on broken leg or wing.

Whatever they need, we see to it that they get it.

How can you help? Read on . . .

The important word is read. As both founder and author, Palmer has dedicated the proceeds from her books to Wild-n-Wooly. 100% of all profits on those books those inspired by her work with wildlife go to supporting wildlife.

If you want to help, read. . . .

For less than $3 you can feed most animals for an entire day.

Coon's corner

jessicalittledeer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:29:43 CDT


The infant raccoon fits into the palm of the human hand. At this stage, they reveal their relationship to the dog, as distant cousins. Their little tummies and their digestion are delicate, and they don't adapt to changes in formula will.	Although they will continue to suckle, raccoon add solids when they are three months old. At which time, they become omnivores. They eat many of the same things that you like to eat.	A raccoon may continue to nurse for almost six months. Most of the infants raised at Wild - n - Wooly have a fondness for fig bars. Here one develops the skills it will need in the wild as it sneaks up on it quarry and stalks the wild cookie.


Most people think raccoons are clean animals, but they're not. They are very tactile animals. Here one spills some water to make mud. They like the feel of it, and will play in it for hours.	Slow to develop, the young raccoon stays with its mother for up to a year. This means they must be kept at the rehabilitation facility over winter.	Spring comes eventually and freedom comes too. This raccoon was released on a farm where the owner agreed to watch over it, and if it fell on hard times to feed it.

The Hawks

jessicalittledeer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:26:34 CDT

	Red tails inhabit all regions of North America. Some have adapted to city life, making thier nests in the high rise apartments across from Central Park in Manhattan. This hawk was admitted to Wild-n-Wooly with a concussion; the injury was so severe that the eye was full of blood. Note the difference in color. A wing injury on that same side suggests that the bird misjudged the distance when it pulled out of a dive and slammed into the ground.
The American Kestrel is commonly called the sparrow hawk, although it is an accipiter, or falcon. It is smallest of the native raptors. When full grown, the male exhibits blue plumage while the female maintains dull brown coloration as protection when she sits on the nest. This juvenile is just starting to develop the characteristic blue cap. The American Kestrel eats insects and small songbirds.
	There is little to distinguish the young juvenile Mississipp Kite from other hawks, accept its size. Its plumage remains a dull brown until it is about a year old, at which time, it will don its adult attire, a lovely dove grey. Because of its size and its coloring, the Mississippi Kite is often mistaken for pigeon or a dove from afar. Do not be fooled. The Mississippi kite is is a true buteo (hawk) and not an accipiter (falcon). They are fierce parents and think nothing of attacking a human that comes too close to their offspring or nest. Newspapers carry stories of a people sent o the emergecy room following an attack by protective kite parents.
Every attempt is made to create as natural an environment for our residents. Perches are made of branches, cleaned and changed periodically. Hanging baskets and large plants simulate a woodland environment, or how it might appear from the canopy of trees. And in this indoor aviary, natural-light bulbs mimic the sun, providing the required number of hours of light needed by raptors each day.
	Admissions are seasonal, and some years are bad years for certain species. 2008 seems to be a bad year for red-shouldered hawks. The red-shouldered hawk smaller than a red tail, is a skittish, nervous and highly vocal bird.

Great horned owl

jessicalittledeer — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:15:33 CDT

	The great horned owl is one of largest raptor. It is one of the most wildly distributed birds. It has adapted to many environments. This owl came in with severe head trauma. The black discoloration around the eye indicates brousing.
The great horned owl is one of the largest raptors. It is a protected species, and federal law requires that it is kept in special cage. The great-horned owl is one of the most widely distributed, for it has adapted to many diverse environments from woodland to grassland, mountain or swamp.
	A nocturnal bird, the great horned owl sleeps during the day, making her not the most cooperative of all photographic subjects. Most owls like the screech and the barred owl are nocturnal, but not all owls are. Some like the "eagle owl" are diurnal (awake during the day). And most accidents occur at dawn or dusk before an owl's eyes have had a chance to adjust.

Barred Owl

jessicalittledeer — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:53:42 CDT

	The hatchling means a recently hatched bird--a few days old. The hatchling owl arrives as a ball of white fluff. Despite their size, they need to two to three times more food than an adult bird. When they begin to develop colors, they are called nestlings. (<-pictured here)
When the hatchlings arrive, they can barely stand, but they grow quickly, doubling and tripling in size in a matter of weeks. Here the owl is getting ready to fledge. It makes short flights, and even when stationary, they will hop about on thier branch and flaps their wings. By this time, the bird has begun to develop the distinctive bars from which the species get their name.
	In its transport carrier on its way to release. The owl is fully flighted and has provent itself capable of the hunt, having successfully captured live food while on the wing. This was not an easy lesson. It had many false starts, such as the time owl, after loosing his precious dinner, found himself being chased around a pen by a mouse.

Dolphin's Lullaby

jessicalittledeer — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:45:56 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.