What is an everyday encounter?
An everyday encounter is one without direct conflict. These are interactions with wildlife that are driven by curiosity or a desire to help. These include interactions like finding a turtle in the road or wanting to identify an unknown bird song.
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I found a turtle on the road...
After a hard rain or sometimes on a sunny day, turtles will wander onto roadways. Turtles can live decades to centuries, but are no match for traffic. They have a small home range but will move for breeding season, to lay eggs, and to find shelter for winter. Stopping to move a slow-moving turtle out of danger is a gracious act. Be mindful of your own safety, keep a firm grip on the center of the turtle’s shell, and move the turtle in the direction it was headed, placing it off the road. Never pick a turtle up by the tail. Wash your hands after and share the sighting on iNaturalist or HerpMapper.
I found an injured animal...
If an animal is clearly wounded or injured, call a wildlife rehabilitator for advice on how best to help the animal. Do not attempt to heal the animal yourself. It is illegal to keep a wild animal without the proper license and, without veterinary training, you may ultimately harm the very animal you are trying to save. Keep your own safety in mind, too. Wildlife are equipped with claws and teeth and have no way of knowing you are trying to help them.
I found a baby bunny…
Most baby wildlife do not need rescuing. Often, watching the animal from a distance for a while will help you decide if it is injured, abandoned, or just a wobbly young animal. Eastern cottontail bunnies are only in the nest for about three weeks. If you find a nest in your yard, mark the nest and avoid mowing grass near it. Walk pets on a leash until the rabbits have moved on. If you find a bunny with its eyes open, it is fully capable of surviving on its own.
Read more about what to do if you find a baby animal. If an animal is clearly wounded or injured, call a wildlife rehabilitator for advice on how best to capture, transport, and get the animal to them. Remember your own safety when deciding to help. Young animals still have sharp claws and teeth and can carry diseases.
I found a baby bird...
Most baby wildlife do not need rescuing. Watching the animal from a distance to decide if it is injured, abandoned, or just a wobbly young animal. Move a baby bird with only a few feathers back into its nest. Keep it in a covered, warm spot while finding the nest to help keep it from getting hypothermia. If the baby bird has most of its feathers and is sitting on the ground, it is likely a fledgling waiting for a parent. Young birds will spend days to weeks as fledglings.
Read more about what to do if you find a baby animal. If an animal is clearly wounded or injured, call a wildlife rehabilitator for advice on how best to capture, transport, and get the animal to them. Remember your own safety when deciding to help. Young animals still have sharp claws and teeth and can carry diseases.
I found a young fawn...
Most baby wildlife do not need rescuing. Watching the animal from a distance to decide if it is injured, abandoned, or just a wobbly young animal. Mother deer will leave young fawns alone to avoid attracting predators for the first few weeks of their life. The mother will return a few times throughout the day to nurse the fawn. If you find a fawn curled up somewhere that looks healthy, leave it alone and avoid checking on it.
Read more about what to do if you find a baby animal. If an animal is clearly wounded or injured, call a wildlife rehabilitator for advice on how best to capture, transport, and get the animal to them. Remember your own safety when deciding to help. Young animals still have sharp claws and teeth and can carry diseases.
A bird is calling, and I want to know what kind it is...
If the bird is still calling or can be heard calling at a regular time, you can download Cornell’s Bird guide app Merlin and use the app’s built-in sound ID tool. Alternatively, you can take a recording of the bird and try uploading it to Cornell’s online sound identifier. If you’d rather learn the bird’s identity the old-fashioned way, you can hear plenty of bird calls on Voice of the Wild, Illinois Extension’s wildlife identification podcast.
I found a swarm of big green beetles hovering over grass...
You have very likely found Green June Beetles (Cotinis nitida) that are searching for mates or for suitable locations to deposit eggs, both activities that send the beetles flying low in meandering loops over grass. These big green beetles are native, and it is a spectacle to see them congregate. These beetles are harmless though they are considered turf pests.
I want to feed geese or ducks...
While it may be tempting to feed your local population of geese and ducks, especially as a family tradition with children, it can harm water quality and the birds. Fed geese and ducks will linger and pollute sidewalks and waterways with their feces. The excess nutrients can lead to harmful algal blooms. Most people will feed birds flour-based products that do not provide proper nutrition. If geese regularly eat bread instead of their natural diet, it can cause their wing bones to develop incorrectly, called angel wing syndrome, and they cannot fly. If you really want to feed birds, do so with lettuce or frozen peas, but it is healthier for us to not feed them.
At Extension, we help people find solutions to life's challenges. Connect with Extension staff in your area for research-based information and solutions. Extension staff on the natural resources, environment, and energy team focus on issues related to wildlife and human and wildlife interactions.