Blog

stories from the Sanctuary

Yellow-bellied Slider education ambassador on CBS19

November 7, 2025

They say slow and steady wins the race, but this critter is typically the fastest to greet visitors at Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary. Meet our new Yellow-bellied Slider education ambassador! 💛

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October 29, 2025

They’re little. They’re furry. They’re social butterflies. They’re pest-control pros. Above all, they’re misunderstood. They’re bats, and it’s their special week! 🦇

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A fledgling Cedar Waxwing perches on a wooden slab, looking back at the camera.

September 29, 2025

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Cedar Waxwings are beautiful, spunky birds that quickly become staff favorites whenever they’re in care. We thought this month’s Critter Corner would be the perfect opportunity to share more about these spirited little masked bandits.

August 29, 2025

This month’s Critter Corner focuses on some extra special folks who have helped us care for 750+ critters this season. 👏

We’re highlighting our summer student interns! ❤️

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Four nestling Chimney Swifts peer up at the camera while hanging from an orange fleece.

August 1, 2025

We’re true Swifties at Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary! Now, we don’t mean fans of Taylor Swift (though, admittedly, some of our staff members certainly are). We mean fans of the original swift: the Chimney Swift! 👏

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June 24, 2025

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Well, summer has certainly arrived in full force! 🥵 This month, we’re sharing how our wild neighbors keep cool on sweltering days…without popsicles.

May 30, 2025

As birds flit to and from their nests, fox kits dash around their dens, and humans call the RWS hotline all day long, one species is taking things slow…very slow. Cumbersomely slow, in fact. We’re talking, of course, about the charming Common Snapping Turtle!

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Three Eastern Phoebes perch on a log. The middle one looks at the camera with its beak open.

April 29, 2025

There are new residents at Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary, and they’re neither orphaned patients nor education ambassador animals. They’re Eastern Phoebe parents-to-be!

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Allegheny Woodrat in an enclosure at Rockfish Willdife Sanctuary

March 27, 2025

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Spring has sprung, and all sorts of creatures are coming out of the woodwork…literally. 😆 One of those critters arrived as a patient earlier this month and inspired March’s Critter Corner. Meet the elusive and oh-so-charming Allegheny Woodrat! It began how most stories from the Sanctuary do: with a call to our wildlife hotline. ☎️ That […]

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