Wildlife                  View our Slideshow! We do some long distance critter ID for a lady that runs Furry Friends Haven a no-kill cat and dog shelter in Utah. She recently asked to link to our site and asked that we link to hers. See we have spread our tentacles far and wide ;-).  Actually I love no-kill shelters and wish our HS would get about doing something effective.  Check out www.furryfriendshaven.com . In addition to the many trees and other plantings that owners John and Suzanne Gregoire have added to restore and enhance the habitat since they founded it in 1986, there are also several ponds that they helped to establish, all of which are teeming with life. Numerous nesting boxes for kestrels, wood ducks, and others are fully occupied as well. Among the sanctuary's ever-increasing array of wildlife inhabitants are 220 avian species, several reptile and amphibian species, white-tailed deer and red and gray foxes, red and gray squirrels, coyotes, skunks, opossum, three bat species, several rodents, including deer mice, meadow voles, and house mice, two mole species, woodchucks, chipmunks, and many species of butterflies, dragonflies, and damselflies. The land is now protected as perpetual wildlife habitat through a conservation easement with the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust. The Wildlife Land Trust perpetual easements consider wild animal welfare and ecosystem protection before and above any human considerations. Unlike many other land trusts, the land is preserved for the exclusive needs and use of wild animals and not people. The sanctuary is closed to public visitation. While the many habitat improvements at Kestrel Haven draw more species every year, the unique natural assets of Schuyler County create a home to a variety of wildlife. Kestrel Haven biologists have documented the special areas in each of the County's townships and created baseline lists for many of our "wild" neighbors. While the Natural Assets information is available at the County Planning Office as part of the Schuyler Comprehensive Plan, the basic lists are presented here, and a copy of the full report is available on our publications page. These lists are updated as needed but at least once a year. They currently include: Birds of Schuyler County, Dragonflies and Damselflies, Butterflies, Mammals, Fish and Mollusks, Rare Native Plants, Amphibians and Reptiles and Trees. As the County's weather station of record, we also present a Precipitation chart which includes both rain and snow totals. At Kestrel Haven we have conducted daily "point counts" of bird species present since October 1986, as well as, compilations of flowering dates for wild flowering plants and a complete biological inventory of trees, shrubs and the many critters that also call this sanctuary home. One example of the use of point count data is the average Arrival date charts for selected bird species. A comprehensive list of the four letter alpha codes for bird species can be found at this website. Feel free to download the lists which are in PDF format for your personal use. In return, a donation to our work would be appreciated. See information under How You Can Help and thanks!