Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary
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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary
@rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
96 followers 57 following 100 posts
A nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation facility helping Virginia’s native species and human communities.
🦊🐥🦆🦉🦇🦨🦝🐿🐢🐍⁣
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Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary @rockfishwildlife.bsky.social · Feb 5
*ahem* is this thing on? 🎤 Hey Bluesky! We're excited to be here and talk about wildlife rehabilitation, share heartwarming rescue stories, and pass along all of the critter facts you could possibly need to shout out at your next dinner party! Hope you'll join the wild side with us at RWS. 🐾
Two juvenile Virginia Opossums look at the camera while chewing their meal. They each have their mouths open, making it look like they are smiling.
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
🚨 Tickets are NOW ON SALE for our Sanctuary Soirée! 🎉 Join us on November 14th for a fun evening in support of our lifesaving work for wildlife. ⁣🐢
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Early bird pricing is only available through October 14th, so grab your tickets today! 🐣 ⬇️

🎟️ onecau.se/_catqa1
October 1, 2025 at 3:52 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Taylor Swift looooves opossums 🧡❤️‍🔥 We’ll be tuning into @newheightsofficial.bsky.social later to hear all about North America’s favorite marsupial! 😍⁣
August 13, 2025 at 3:43 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
A generous donor sent us these playnets from our Amazon Wish List, and boy, do our raccoon patients love them! 🥹🦝 Send these pics to someone who needs an extra reason to smile today. ♥️⁣
August 7, 2025 at 2:34 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Pride has 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 to do with conservation and helping wild animals! 🏳️‍🌈

Though Pride Month is drawing to a close, we celebrate all year long because we know that our earth and all of its inhabitants—humans and animals alike—are stronger when 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 is safe, protected, and heard. 💪⁣
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June 30, 2025 at 2:43 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Us today: 🥵😭🤬😓🫠🍦⁣
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The good news is that you can help keep your wild neighbors cool this summer! 🧊 Providing shade and fresh water are safe, easy ways to support backyard wildlife as long as you follow some simple guidelines. ⬇️
June 25, 2025 at 4:45 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Enrichment is a vital part of wildlife rehab. It’s what transforms an instinct into a skill. 🤓 For this fledgling Red-bellied Woodpecker patient, for example, we drilled holes in his enclosure logs and stuffed them with suet to encourage him to begin to forage independently. 💪♥️
A juvenile red-bellied woodpecker perches on a log across the floor of an enclosure. Its black and white striped back is towards the camera but it turns its head around to look at the camera with an open beak. The log it stands on has small holes along it, filled with yellowish suet and seed. There are leafy branches and a food dish out of focus in the background.
June 20, 2025 at 2:05 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
He’s not angry, just disappointed. 😖 What do you this juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk is so grumpy about? 😆
A juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk perches on top of a doorway, looking down at the photographer. It is inside a flight enclosure in the woods and trees are visible in the background.
June 18, 2025 at 1:44 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
How your email finds us this morning ⬇️🫠⁣
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Young groundhogs tend to be dramatic eaters! They’ll clean their bowl and then pass out surrounded by the scraps, showing off a full belly. Sounds like a great way to spend a morning, if you ask us. 💤⁣
A juvenile groundhog lays belly up on a green towel. Its feet are up in the air as it is fast asleep. You can see its two incisors poking out from its open mouth. There are scraps of food around him as he sleeps.
June 16, 2025 at 1:26 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Happy Father’s Day to all the songbird dads out there, feeding their babies every 30 minutes, all day long…and Happy Father’s Day to the human dads out there, probably doing about the same! 🤣♥️⁣
an Eastern Bluebird fledgling perched on a thin branch. Its yellow beak is open and looks at the camera. Behind it out of focus is a fledgling Carolina Wren. They are surrounded by leafy branches.
June 15, 2025 at 1:02 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
This Eastern Ratsnake arrived last Friday quite literally in knots! 😅 Read all about his rescue in our new blog post:

🐍 rockfishwildlifesanctuary.org/2025/06/12/e...
An eastern ratsnake is held up for the camera. Its head sticks out and looks at the camera but it is covered in tangled black netting a couple inches down its body. Its skin is dull and its eyes are cloudy. It is held by two gloved hands over a cardboard box. Three hands are pictured holding an eastern ratsnake's body. Two hands hold it securely against a towel and a third hand slides underneath the tangled netting clump still surrounding the snake's mid-section. The freed eastern ratsnake sits inside an enclosure, coiled up next to a pool of fresh water. It looks at the camera. The eastern ratsnake sits in a box on some paper towels on its way to be released. It is glossy and black with shiny, hydrated scales.
June 13, 2025 at 4:21 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Cuteness alert! ‼️ Our skunk playpen cam footage is here to brighten your day. 🦨⁣
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We already have 𝟭𝟴 𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗸𝘂𝗻𝗸𝘀 in care at RWS this season! The majority of these kits have arrived after their mother was hit by a car, sadly. We’re happy to give them the second chance they deserve. ♥️
Six striped skunk kits play inside of a large playpen draped with a white sheet. There is a tub full of dirt to play in and a cardboard box as a makeshift hide. This photo shows the skunks all standing to the right inside of their food dish while they eat. One stands in front of the camera showing off its fluffy tail. Six striped skunk kits play inside of a large playpen draped with a white sheet. There is a tub full of dirt to play in and a cardboard box as a makeshift hide. This photo shows two skunks to the right with their backs to the camera and one skunk exploring the tray of dirt. Six striped skunk kits play inside of a large playpen draped with a white sheet. There is a tub full of dirt to play in and a cardboard box as a makeshift hide. This photo shows one skunk digging in the tray of dirt and the other skunks exploring around the food bowl to the right. Six striped skunk kits play inside of a large playpen draped with a white sheet. There is a tub full of dirt to play in and a cardboard box as a makeshift hide. This photo shows one skunk looking straight at the camera with a piece of dirt on its nose. The other skunks are to the right around the food bowl.
June 10, 2025 at 6:47 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
We kicked off our new weekly Community Conversation segment on NBC29 yesterday! 🎉🎥 Our executive director enjoyed chatting about snapping turtle facts and myths with anchor Steve Rappaport. Tune in every Thursday around 4:45PM and hear what's new at RWS. 📺
June 6, 2025 at 8:45 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
We said what we said! 🤭 Wildlife myths hurt animals and the humans trying to care for them.
June 5, 2025 at 5:04 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Where did May go?! Oh, right, we were kind of busy. 😅 We admitted nearly 200 patients in May and have 𝟭𝟵𝟭 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘀 currently in rehabilitative care at RWS. 😮‍💨 That’s 191 animals receiving daily husbandry and treatment, some with 6+ bottle feedings per day! 🍼⁣
A juvenile Eastern Screech-owl sits inside a wildlife incubator. it is dark grey with a lot of fluffy lighter grey down. It looks straight at the camera with yellowish green eyes. Its beak is slightly open. White text above the picture says "When you realize it's already June"
June 2, 2025 at 5:29 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Mark your calendars! 🗓️ We are so excited to announce our Sanctuary Soirée at Pollak Vineyards on 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟰𝘁𝗵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱. 🥳⁣
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𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻! If you are an artist or business-owner interested in donating an art piece or experience, please get in touch! ❤️
May 30, 2025 at 4:43 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Look at this patient’s lovely pink tail! 😍

Opossums sometimes get a bad rap for their “rat tails,” but that tail represents an important feat of evolution. Also, we love native rats. 🐀
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Opossums have prehensile tails, meaning their tails can grasp. It acts like a fifth hand as a result. ✋
May 28, 2025 at 5:15 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Please enjoy these four Carolina Chickadee patients being adorable. You’re welcome. 💖
May 26, 2025 at 5:48 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
This former patient and her lovely moss hat would like to wish you a very happy #WorldTurtleDay! 🐢 She has since been released back to the wild, where we hope she's currently thriving.
A Eastern Box Turtle is half-burrowed in some reddish wood chips. Her head is underneath a clump of sphagnum moss. She looks directly at the camera with slightly squinted eyes. Her beak position looks like she is smiling.
May 23, 2025 at 3:53 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
It’s a feet up, belly out kind of day. Do ya agree? 💤⁣

These two hoglets were initially both admitted to RWS as lone orphans! 😮 They have now become fast friends in rehabilitative care, as you can tell. 🥹 ⁣

#WildlifeRehab
Two juvenile groundhogs are pictured. On the right is a round female groundhog laying on her back and looking up at the camera. Her big, full belly is round and she's hoisting her two back feet up into the air, displaying her long paw pads and nails. The male groundhog on the left is smaller and on his belly, tucked underneath the female's side as if trying to burrow under her.
May 19, 2025 at 1:36 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Need a Friday pick-me-up? Look no further than these two adorable fox kits! 🦊💖 Learn all about their story in our new Patient of the Month blog post. ⬇️

🔗 rockfishwildlifesanctuary.org/2025/05/16/r...
A young red fox kit the size of a football curls up on a white sheet inside of a blue plastic tote. He looks up at the camera with brown gray eyes. Cream text on green background says “from lone orphan” and a dotted line arrow leads to the next slide. A grid of 4 photos, all screen grabs from the fox playpen trail camera that monitored the two kits’ first meeting. They get progressively closer to one another before a playful pounce and a sweet nose to nose touch at the end. White text at the top says “fox cam footage.” The two red fox kits lay down flat on the floor of the playpen after playing all day. They are exhausted from so much fun. Continuing from the first picture’s caption of “from lone orphan,” a white arrow leads to the words “to messy, sleepy BFFs!” On a green background at the bottom of this final picture.
May 16, 2025 at 4:35 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Now THOSE are some perfect ears for eavesdropping. 👂👂 What kind of gossip do you think this cutie is picking up? 🤫⁣
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#WildlifeRehab #Opossums #BigEars
A young opossum Joey balances on a log and looks at the camera head on. It has large black and white ears and a bright pink nose with whiskers going out in all directions from its snout. There is an opossum on the bottom of the enclosure in the background.
May 15, 2025 at 8:15 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Our executive director, Sarah Cooperman, had the pleasure to chat with 29News WVIR's Erin Brown last night about RWS's busy baby season and upcoming projects. 🎥 Check out our Community Conversations segment at the link below! ⬇️

www.29news.com/video/2025/0...
Community Conversation: Sarah Cooperman with the Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary (5-12-25)
Executive director Sarah Cooperman
www.29news.com
May 13, 2025 at 1:52 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Baby birds are here! 🐣 We’ve been so busy feeding them every 30 minutes that we haven’t posted about them. 🤣 Currently we are caring for:

♥️ 5 Eastern Bluebirds
♥️ 3 Carolina Wrens
♥️ 1 White-breasted Nuthatch
♥️ 2 Eastern Phoebes
♥️ 2 American Crows
♥️ 1 adorable teeny House Finch ⬇️

#BirdNerds
A small House Finch nestling the size of a dollar coin sits in a nest of white tissues. It opens its yellow beak to reveal a large red mouth. It has gray downy fluff along its head.
May 8, 2025 at 1:46 PM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Raise your hand if you wish you woke up in the triple decker opossum pouch this morning. 🙋😭⁣
A three tiered sewed hammock hangs from the top of a small wire crate. Two juvenile opossums peek out from the top two levels.
May 5, 2025 at 11:42 AM
rockfishwildlife.bsky.social
Today's the day! 🥳 Swing by our baby shower at Selvedge Brewing this evening from 4PM-7PM this evening. Bring a baby season wish list item and get a drink ticket from Selvedge! 🍺
May 2, 2025 at 3:18 PM