Category Archives: animals

WMEO 9 – GOOD NEWS ALERT- Shell‑ebration on Cape Cod

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🐾 Sea Turtles Released on Cape Cod!

Anchor: Banner, WMEO Nature Desk

A person wearing gloves and a light blue shirt with a logo gently holds a sea turtle near a coastal area, preparing to release it. Several people stand nearby, some taking photos, as part of a wildlife conservation effort to return rehabilitated sea turtles to the ocean.Good evening, viewers. Banner here with a splash of good news straight from the shores of Cape Cod. The New England Aquarium has just released four rehabilitated sea turtles back into the ocean after months of specialized care. That’s right — Dumpling, Jumble, Lucky, and Old English are officially back where they belong: gliding free in the Atlantic!

These Kemp’s ridley sea turtles — one of the most endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act — were rescued last winter after washing ashore cold, weak, and injured. Thanks to the dedicated staff at the Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, each turtle received treatment for pneumonia, dehydration, and trauma. Now, they’re healthy, strong, and ready to swim again.

 

Field Correspondent: Balboa, Reporting Live from the Box

Thank you, Banner. Balboa here, tail twitching with excitement! Scientists from the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life have fitted Lucky and Dumpling with tracking tags to monitor their adventures — collecting data on habitat, behavior, and survivorship. And yes, some of these turtles will appear on the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Tracker, so the public can follow their journey in real time.

That’s right, folks — you can cheer them on from your couch while they paddle toward new horizons. WMEO calls that science with heart.

Banner (closing)

With 38 turtles released this summer, the ocean is feeling a little more hopeful tonight. From the WMEO newsroom, we salute the rescuers, the scientists, and the turtles themselves — proving once again that compassion makes waves.

End of bulletin. Please resume your regularly scheduled purring.

 

The Cats’ Labor Day Travel Demands Have Arrived

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Labor Day Weekend: Should You Travel With Your Cats?

(A WMEO Special Report)

Labor Day weekend is creeping up, and plenty of folks are gearing up for a road trip. If you’re a cat parent, that means facing the annual dilemma: pet sitter or pack the furr‑babies and hit the highway?

Some cats are natural road warriors. Kurt and Gary? They’ll probably hop in the car, buckle their imaginary seatbelts, and enjoy the ride. The Oreo crew — Pudding, Olive, and Onyx — might be a little more dramatic about it. And Nanake? Well… he’s done cross‑country travel before, with results best described as “memorable” and “requiring emotional support snacks.”

But what about Banner and Balboa?

Two Cats, Two Very Different Travel Personalities

Banner and Balboa have never left the house since the day you brought them home. The vet doesn’t even get the privilege of seeing them in a clinic — Ross Veterinary House Calls comes to you. And even then, Balboa must be sedated or he’ll stage a full‑scale meltdown worthy of a Broadway revival.

His annual routine:

  • Receive his “calming potion”
  • Get gently escorted to the bathroom so he can’t hide in seventeen impossible places
  • Spend the next hour looking like a tiny, confused marshmallow

He’s a sweetheart, but he’s also a certified fraidy‑cat. A road trip? Absolutely not. He’d unionize before you even backed out of the driveway.

Banner, meanwhile, would probably try to take over the GPS and declare himself “Navigator Supreme.”

The Cats’ Official Labor Day Travel Demands

Since I couldn’t get a straight answer out of either of them, I asked what it would take for Banner and Balboa to agree to travel with me. They immediately produced a list — and I swear they had it ready in advance.

  • At least 16 nap breaks during transit (We’d be lucky to make it to the end of the street.)
  • Unlimited treats at all rest stops (I foresee two car‑sick kitties and one very unhappy driver.)
  • Mandatory belly rubs, pending mood (Their mood changes every 4–6 minutes.)
  • A proper travel litter box — the hotel bathtub does NOT count (Honestly, fair. The bathtub is not a sandbox, no matter how much they insist.)

They warned me that failure to comply would result in unionization, followed by a strike, followed by dramatic flopping and pointed glares. Honestly, I believe them.

So in my house, the answer is clear: I’m calling the pet sitter… or just staying home.

What about you? Are your cats road‑trip ready, or are they already drafting their own list of demands?

The Wolf Hollow Quest: Paused, Not Abandoned

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A group of five gray wolves resting together on a snowy forest clearing, with one wolf standing while the others lie in the snow.

The Wolf Hollow Expedition Is Back on Hold

I’ve been exploring my options to visit Wolf Hollow. Wolf Hollow is a wolf sanctuary located in Ipswich, MA. It was conceived in 1988 and became a state‑ and federally‑licensed 501(c)3 non‑profit organization two years later. Wolf Hollow opened its gates to the public in September of 1990.

Discovering a Sanctuary Close to Home

I first became interested in Wolf Hollow when I was searching for a place to photograph wolves. I’d been to Yellowstone, where tourists sometimes get lucky enough to see wolf packs in the wild. I wasn’t one of the lucky ones. I’ve seen gray wolves in zoos — they always looked so sad — but I still haven’t captured a photo that reveals the true wolf essence.

I heard of a sanctuary in New Jersey, but weather interfered with that trip, and then life got in the way. Closer to home, I learned about Wolf Hollow.

Transportation Troubles and the GoWithGuide Detour

Their website doesn’t provide ticket pricing, so I’ll need to do more research. Since Wolf Hollow is located in Ipswich, transportation is a challenge. I contacted GoWithGuide and was given the name of a Salem‑based guide. I emailed him with what I was looking for, but he chose to pass.

At this point, I think I’ll need to plan a car‑rental day.

Weather, Timing, and the Photography Challenge

As much as I hate the cold, I also think winter might be the best time for photos. With overcast skies, the lighting should be soft, and the wolves’ winter coats should be in full glory.

Checking on Wolf Conservation Status

I was concerned about the status of the sanctuary, since there seems to be a lot of turmoil in the conservation world these days. The Endangered Species Act is being slowly stripped and downgraded by the current administration. But my research showed that despite years of political back‑and‑forth over wolf protections, gray wolves are currently listed as endangered in most of the United States, including all of New England. Sanctuaries like Wolf Hollow continue to play an important role in education and conservation.

A February 10, 2022 federal court ruling reinstated ESA protections for most wolf populations after a previous nationwide delisting attempt. The 2026 USFWS update confirms that this protection remains in place.

Putting the Trip on Pause — Not Canceling It

So once again, my quest for a wolf portrait has to be delayed — but I’m not giving up. I’m just sidelining it for a bit until I can get all my ducks in a row.

More Reality Behind the Shot- The One that Almost Got Away

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A small Atlantic puffin floating on calm gray-blue ocean water, holding several silver fish crosswise in its colorful beak.

Red fox kit Monday afternoonFinding Gems in the Tedious Work

This photo‑tagging project can be tedious, but every so often it hands me a little miracle. That special shot I thought I’d missed.

I’ve been digging through older folders — the ones full of “not bad, but not good enough” pictures I skipped over during my first sort — and I’m finding gems I never appreciated at the time.

Why I Take So Many Photos

When I’m out on a photography excursion, I take tons of pictures. Way more than anyone needs. Birds and animals don’t pose on purpose, and sometimes I’ll see “The Money Shot”… only for the lighting to shift or the subject to wiggle out of frame. It’s hard work, but it’s also exciting. My adrenaline spikes, my heart races, and I’m basically running on pure wildlife‑photographer joy.

The Not‑So‑Fun Part: SortingBreaching Whale

Then I come home, load 200+ images into Lightroom, and the real work begins. I do a quick pass to eliminate the truly blah or out‑of‑focus ones, narrowing it down to the handful worth polishing. This part isn’t fun, but I do get lost in the art of “imaging.”

Why I Keep the “Almost” Photos

The good news? I rarely delete those second‑tier pictures. Time changes my perspective, and sometimes one of those “almost” shots ends up being exactly what I need for a post.

And that’s how I found him — my little puffin with a beakful of fish.

 

 

Award Winning Photo from the Internet

The Inspiration Behind the Shot

This photo earned an international award years ago and was one of the inspirations behind my puffin photography trips. If you do a Google search for puffins with fish, the web is full of these photos. On Machias Seal Island, I saw puffins returning with their catch, but the best I managed was a mouthful of shrimp. That was my last puffin trip.

Shrimp, Its what’s for dinner

A Foggy Day, a Rocking Boat, and a Forgotten Puffin

But while reviewing older shots from the Egg Island tour — yes, the foggy day on the rocking boat — I found a picture I’d kept only because it showed how tiny puffins look in the vast open ocean. This time, though, something caught my eye. A tiny detail. A shape.

It wasn’t so much “How did I miss that?” as “How did I see it now?” Sheer luck, maybe. Or just the magic of looking at a photo years later with fresh eyes.

Zoom… Zoom… Zoom

I zoomed in. And zoomed. And zoomed.

There they were. Fish.

My little puffin had a mouthful of fish after all.

Polishing the Shot That Waited for Me

I sharpened, cleaned up the color, and cropped the heck out of it. It will never be a gallery‑sized 16×20, but a small 5×7 will work beautifully. And sure, it would never pass even the first round of a photo contest — I had to zoom in way too far — but I don’t care.

I love my little puffin. I thought this was going to be “the one that got away.” Turns out he was waiting for me all along.

 

WMEO Special Report- Black Cat Appreciation Day Confusion

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MEO SPECIAL REPORT

Late last night, chaos swept through the WMEO newsroom. Papers flew, chairs toppled, and Balboa — our black‑furred co‑anchor — went full house‑panther berserker mode.

Why? Because yesterday was Black Cat Appreciation Day, and WMEO failed to appreciate the black cat.

A black cat with bright yellow eyes lies stretched out on a wooden mantel beneath a wall‑mounted television, with a small red digital clock beside it and plants visible in the background.

Balboa, deeply committed to dismantling anti‑black‑cat superstitions (and to earning bonus treats), waited all day for his tribute. When none appeared, our usually mild‑mannered co‑anchor went postal, launching a dramatic protest with teeth, claws, and interpretive rage‑dancing.

An emergency archive check uncovered the truth: Dusty (Deborah) has always celebrated August 18, not the 17th. The newsroom calendar listed the wrong date, and Balboa did not take the oversight lightly.

Mom corrected the calendar, restored order, and soothed the newsroom. No humans suffered injuries, and the WMEO schedule now reflects the proper date for 2027.

WMEO issues heartfelt apologies to Balboa, Champion of Black Cat Awareness.

End of WMEO Breaking News Alert. Please return to your regularly scheduled chaos.