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  Earthplace
  10 Woodside Lane
  PO Box 165
  Westport, CT  06881
  203-227-7253
  info@earthplace.org

  Building Open
  Monday-Saturday 9 AM - 5 PM
  Sunday 1 - 4 PM
  Admission
  $7 adults & children over 12
  $5 children 1-12 yrs & seniors

  Grounds Open Daily
  7 AM - Dusk
  Admission to grounds free

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  events notices!



  

  formerly The Nature Center
  for
 Environmental Activities

 

 

 

ANIMALS AT EARTHPLACE 

View a Movie about the Animal Care Program at Earthplace
If you are experiencing problems playing the movie, please download the free latest Windows Media player

  Earthplace maintains a varied collection of "species ambassadors".  The CT Birds of Prey outdoor display cages and many of the animals in the indoor Animal Hall house wildlife that cannot be released due to their injuries. These creatures include two bald eagles, a peregrine falcon, red-tailed hawks, an American kestrel, several types of owls, two little brown bats, a turkey vulture and a black vulture, monk parakeets, blue jays, a mockingbird, an Eastern copperhead snake and a black rat snake.  Click on a picture below to enlarge it.

Meet our Animal Ambassadors

Rabbits

Two new animal ambassadors have made their debut at Earthplace. The Animal Care team took great effort in choosing these very special additions. We chose to adopt a bonded pair of neutered adult rabbits because rabbits prefer the company of other rabbits.  Apollo is a brown and white male Dutch rabbit born on 1/21/07. Athena is a larger black and white female rabbit who was born in November 2006. 

Common Raven
With a massive bill and a wedge shaped tail, ravens are the largest passerines (perching birds). A purple metallic sheen can be seen on their jet black plumage. With a wingspan that can exceed four feet, their acrobatic flight is legendary. Much larger than their relatives, the crows, they are known for their intelligence and complex social interactions.

Although they are found on almost every continent, common ravens are a species of special concern in Connecticut.  Common ravens are primarily scavengers, eating a variety of animal foods, including amphibians, small mammals, birds, reptiles, and carrion. Common ravens are usually found alone or in pairs, but where food is abundant, they may forage in larger groups.

Edgar was discovered with wing and leg injuries in Vermont. Although the bird has regained its strength and recovered from its wounds, he does not appear able to fly so Edgar has joined the Earthplace live animal ambassador collection.

Bald Eagle Bald Eagle Peregrine Falcon Turkey Vulture Black Vulture
Barn Owl Great Horned Owl Barred Owl Red-phase Screech Owl Grey-phase Screech Owl
Sawwhet Owl Great Horned Owl Red-tailed Hawks Kestrel Common Raven
Monk Parakeet Mockingbird Yellow-breasted Chat Blue Jay Ring-necked dove
Little Brown Bat Little Brown Bat Black Rat Snake Northern Copperhead Snake Corn Snake
         
         
 

The Animal Hall also houses several domestic animals which are part of the teaching collection, including a python, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, doves and turtles. 

Rabbits Guinea Pig Ferrets Rock Dove
 
Python Box Turtle Wood Turtle  

The Smilow Family Foundation Ecology Resource Lab holds more animals, including some local reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects.

American Toad Madagascar Hissing
Cockroaches
Honeybees Tarantula
 
African Clawed Frog Bullfrog Tadpole Dace  

Earthplace is home to an assortment of non-releasable wild and domestic animals, many of which act as species ambassadors.  Federal regulations prohibit the possession of migratory birds, eggs, feathers, nests or parts thereof, without special permits.  As an educational facility, Earthplace maintains the many permits to keep certain migratory birds, as well as reptiles, mammals and non-migratory birds, as part of a teaching collection.

View a Movie about the Animal Care Program at Earthplace
If you are experiencing problems playing the movie, please download the free latest Windows Media player

The Mary Eason Swett Wildlife Care and Rehabilitation Program is one of the largest in Connecticut. Staffed by licensed wildlife rehabilitators and trained volunteers, the program accepts over 700 injured, abandoned or orphaned wild creatures annually. The program's goal is to rehabilitate these animals to a healthy state and return them to their natural habitat as soon as possible.


A wild turkey, year-round visitors to our sanctuary


Male turkeys displaying their feathers for females

 
Wild black and turkey vultures can often be seen near the outdoor bird cages or flying over the Museum building.


White-tailed deer

 

In memory of a special friend:  Kish, an American bald eagle