Tidewater Wildlife Rescue

07/16/2025

What a great rescue!
Conner started out as a transporter and moved up to rescuer after our spring rescue training. He recently not only became on of our permitted rehabbers but also joined our hotline team. He has been a huge asset to the team.
This was his first owl rescue and he did great!

Conner transported the owl to a raptor rehabber. Nothing was broken thankfully but there is a wound on the wing. So Conner took the owl to the vet for the rehabber for an exam.

You can join our team too!
We always need transporters, rescuers, hotline operators and rehabbers. If you’re interested, please text Meredith with Evelyns Wildlife Refuge at 757-434-3439

07/14/2025

I’m sure most of have heard of garden spiders. Other common names are black and yellow garden spider, yellow garden spider, writing spider, garden orb weaving spider, corn spider, zigzag spider and banded garden spider.

This is the time of year you start seeing them more After feeding on insects all spring and summer, they get big and very noticeable in fall, just before they lay their eggs and die.

One of the most distinctive features of garden spiders are the black and yellow markings that often appear as bands or spots across their abdomen. Only female garden spiders have these colors though, along with a white or gray cephalothorax (front part of the body). Males are significantly smaller, with a thinner abdomen, and have a duller red-brown color. Because of their larger size and bright colors, female garden spiders are noticed much more often than male garden spiders.

Another distinctive feature of garden spiders is their webs. They have the classic spiral rings and radial lines that most people envision when they picture a spider web. But then they have a zigzag of silk running through the center.

Even though they may look frightening, they are actually harmless. They are not poisonous and they aren’t aggressive, they’ll leave you alone as long as you don’t bother or provoke them. In the rare cases that garden spiders do bite, the bite will feel similar to a bee sting, with only minor pain and swelling. (Unless you are allergic)

Not only are garden spiders harmless, they are beneficial by eating insects, including many common pests like mosquitoes and wasps.

Garden spiders live, on average, for one year, although some females can live for several years if they live in areas that don’t have hard frosts (a frequent killer of garden spiders). Garden spiders typically spend their entire lives in one area, so your yard may be the site of an entire garden spider life cycle!

Garden spiders reproduce one to two times a year. The male garden spider dies immediately after mating and is sometimes eaten by the female. After mating, the female lays several thousand eggs which she covers in brown silk. The eggs hatch in the spring or fall, and the baby garden spiders (the vast majority of which won’t survive to adulthood) either stay in the area or get carried by the wind to new places.

They play an important role in the ecosystem and keeping insect populations down, so there’s no need to worry if one of these spiders makes its home in your garden! Enjoy them. ❤️🕷🕸

07/13/2025

Serenity, one of our hotline volunteers / rescuers went on a rescue to remove a common garter snake from netting.
While carefully removing the netting they were rewarded by being able to witness the momma garter give birth.
Garter snakes give live birth. They are considered ovoviviparous, meaning the eggs hatch inside the mother's body, and the young are born live.
Once born, the young garter snakes are independent and left to fend for themselves, including finding their own food.

All snakes were accessed for no injuries then released. ❤️

07/11/2025

This Saturday!!!!

Tattoo fundraiser for EVELYN'S WILDLIFE REFUGE / Tidewater Wildlife Rescue being held by thrillerstreettattoo!!!

Choose from designs based on locally rescued critters!

First come, first serve.
Designs begin at $100
Arms & legs only

Tattoos
Ambassador animals
Raffles
Food by Lee’s Food

All while supporting our local wildlife 🦊🦆🦇🦉🐢🐍🦎🐇🦝🦫🦦🦨🐿️

Some of the designs below:

07/10/2025

Yesterday was quite depressing to say the least. It’s hard enough getting the calls on a daily basis for injured animals that are technically accidents. But the ones that are maliciously on purpose are the definitely the hardest.
Yesterday we received a call from a local apartment complex in Virginia Beach stating someone was actively shooting geese.
We immediately reached out to Department of Wildlife Resources and to our rescuers to get on the scene.
It was horrible to say the least.
We immediately found 3 deceased geese. We then found an older gosling alive but in very rough shape. One injured goose was actively bleeding but was able to get in the water for safety.
The rescue team worked vigorously to capture her as well as check other geese in the area for any injuries.
One of our senior rescuers immediately took two injured geese to the vet. On the way one passed and the other was so severely injured she needed to be euthanized.
All rescuers on the scene were some of our long time senior rescuers. Rescuers that have seen many horrible scenarios, but this scene hit them hard.
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources was amazing. They were on the scene within minutes. Even though the residents couldn’t identify the shooter, they started investigating all leads. We have high hopes they will solve this case and get justice for these poor geese.
If anyone has any information leading to the capture of the monster who did this, please reach out to us privately.

07/08/2025

07/04/2025

Annually on Fourth of July families and friends gather to fire up the grill, swim and play outdoor games. The real excitement, of course, comes at night. Once the sun starts to dip below the horizon, the fireworks will start.
When the fireworks go off, wild animals are known to run in blind panic. Animals such as deer charge into roads, increasing the number of animal-related accidents. Nesting birds are known to abandon their nests in the confusion, leaving their flightless chicks alone, sometimes to die. Some birds have been known to fly into buildings while in panic.
Even after the event is over, fireworks continue to cause harm to wildlife. The smoke from the explosions can cause damage to birds’ respiratory systems. Chemicals and debris pollute ponds and lakes for weeks, which can drive the death toll steadily upward.

However, there are ways for everyone to help:

Minimize the noise: The noise is the key in these events. Choose quieter options to avoid disrupting wildlife too much.

Choose fireworks with minimal waste: If you can’t clean up after it, maybe you shouldn’t shoot it off. Try to pick fireworks you can swiftly and easily dispose of after the display.

Steer clear of areas with a heavy wildlife population: If at all possible, try to shoot off fireworks in areas with as few wild animals as possible.

Laser shows: Similarly dazzling, laser shows are far less disruptive to the environment.

Dazzlers and sparklers: Opt for lesser impactful options like dazzlers and sparklers. It’ll result in slightly less noise to startle wild animals.

Drive slowly: Animals are going to be running scared. Be prepared to brake suddenly and avoid collisions.

Hope everyone has a SAFE and HAPPY 4th of July. 🇺🇸

07/02/2025

Attention all Kroger shoppers.....lol 😁
With the upcoming holiday many of you will be shopping for your 4th of July barbecues. This is a great opportunity to help the animals while doing just that.
If you are a Kroger shopper and you have a Kroger Plus Card that gets you those wonderful discounted prices.......Please take a moment to go under your account and add Evelyn's Wildlife Refuge as your non profit organization to earn community rewards.
You can benefit EVELYN'S WILDLIFE REFUGE simply by shopping at your favorite neighborhood Kroger store.

https://www.kroger.com/account/enrollCommunityRewardsNow

07/01/2025

A CHANGE IS COMING!!!!

We are excited to announce a change is coming to our hotline name as well as our logo!

Tidewater Wildlife Rescue will be changing to Eastern Virginia Wildlife Rescue.
We hope to have everything changed over by September 1, 2025.

‼️‼️The phone number will remain the same‼️‼️

This change reflects how we have expanded in not only serving the Tidewater area but Eastern Virginia. While our name may be changing, our commitment to providing top-quality service with exceptional customer service remains the same.

We want to thank all of you for your continued support!