Hamilton Mansion.

Great news for the historic Woodlands Cemetery and Mansion and all those who participated in their latest ambitious fundraising effort of raising $218,000 to restore the Hamilton Stable, the only remaining outbuilding from the 18th century.

“The Woodlands community contributed over $218,000 to restore the stable’s façade – which means you helped secure an extraordinary $612,000 challenge grant to restore the [Hamilton] Mansion from the William B. Dietrich Foundation,” reads a recent message by The Woodlands Executive Director Jessica Baumert. The McLean Contributionship, Connelly Foundation, and Wunsch Foundation also provided generous support of this project.

Photos courtesy of The Woodlands.

In a addition to the restoration of the Hamilton Mansion and Stable, the re-construction of the Cryptoporticus has resumed. The contractors have been numbering each brick before removing them from the sagging arch (pictured right). Then, the 18th century bricks will be put back in their original location using a mortar.

The Woodlands also announced some new and annual programs taking place this spring (the Woodlands is located at 40th and Woodland).

Sunday, April 12 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Your West Philadelphia House: How old is it? Who lived there?

Join The University City Historical Society at The Woodlands for a “how to” workshop, and learn to research the history of your own West Philadelphia house! Uncover your house’s story!Cost: Free to members of University City Historical Society or The Woodlands, $10 for non-members. Make your reservations here.  Continue Reading

More West Philly Local readers had encounters with wild turkeys roaming the streets this week and sent us photos. This one was spotted in front of the Penn Vet School yesterday.

Photo by Michelle Lorraine Eckert.

And here’s another sighting earlier this week near the trolley tunnel.

Photo by Jeannette Bennicelli.

Bartram’s Garden, a home to many wild turkeys over the years, has posted this message on their Facebook page after learning about turkey sightings on West Philly streets:

It appears as though the Bartram turkeys have expanded their search for a suitable mate onto the streets of West Philly. Not sure that they’ll find the kind of turkey they’re looking for on Baltimore Avenue or at the 40th Street trolley portal, but mating season does crazy things to a lonely turkey.

By the way, for those who don’t know yet, the West Philly turkey has its own Twitter account, which appeared in 2013 after the first sightings were reported here:

Jesus. West Philadelphians turn into paparazzi when they see a turkey wandering in the middle of the street. I was just going to @Wawa

— West Philly Turkey (@WPhillyTurkey) March 26, 2015

Photo by Jennifer Wegner.

Wild turkeys are back in the hood! A reader spotted this one this morning on Baltimore Avenue. Another reader reported a sighting at the 40th Street trolley portal. These guys always seem to show up in the spring. The previous sightings in the area were reported in the spring of 2013.

UPDATE: The photo below was taken this morning at 38th and Woodland.

Hey, Watch Out Dude! (Twitter photo @engelser)

There was a great hawk sighting yesterday morning near 43rd and Larchwood. The bird felt pretty comfortable on a fence and seemed completely unfazed by the people gawking at him/her.

By the way, the hawk positioned himself awfully close to a Tom Wolf sign.

Some of you may remember last summer’s Firefly Night held at the historic Woodland Cemetery’s grounds. Following this fun tradition, The Woodlands is kicking off a series of free events this week that would help bring local residents closer to nature and enjoy each other’s company. Nature Nights will take place on June 26, July 24, and August 21, from 6 to 9 p.m.. Each summer month, you’ll have an opportunity to learn more about the urban ecosystem and the creatures that are part of it: fireflies, moths, and bats.

The Firefly Night kicks off the series this Thursday and here’s what you should expect:

• Pack a picnic and bring your flashlights

• Spend the evening inside The Woodlands after dark searching for fireflies

• Educators from The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University will be on site to tell you more about the way animals, including fireflies, communicate and attract mates

• Sweet treats from Lil’ Pop Shop will be available for sale throughout the evening.

For more details and other upcoming events at The Woodlands, check out this page.

It’s not rare in our neck of the woods to come across wild animals. Many of you have probably seen raccoons, opossums, and groundhogs near your house, not  to mention squirrels. A wild turkey was roaming some West Philly neighborhoods last spring, which was well documented thanks to neighbor reports and photos. I came face to face with a young opossum on my porch last fall that I first confused with my cat. This post, though, is about what you should do if you encounter a wild animal that needs help, if it is sick, injured or if you found a baby animal with no mother in sight.

An opossum gets some TLC at the Schuylkill Center. (Photo from schuylkillcenter.org).

West Philly Local reader Kameliya Atanasova and her neighbors had a very close encounter with three seemingly lost baby raccoons off of 49th and Florence Streets on Monday. When they contacted the ACCT (Animal Care and Control Team) they were referred to the Schuylkill Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, which is part of The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. The clinic cares for injured, sick and orphaned wildlife native to Southeastern Pennsylvania. It is located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia (304 Port Royal Avenue) and is open to accept animals during the following hours (April to September): 10:00 am – 6:00 pm seven days/week, according to information on their website.

However, before calling the clinic please read this page: “What Do I Do If …“.

For some reason, the clinic wasn’t open on Monday and Tuesday, Kameliya writes. Luckily, two of the three baby raccoons successfully found their momma on their own. It is not known what happened to the third one as it appeared rather scared by curious passersby. The Schuylkill Center’s page on what to do in these cases warns people to not interfere unless the animal is injured or the mother is dead.

“My neighbors and I all made the mistake of being in close proximity to the raccoons which scared them and only challenged/delayed their reunion with their mother. If more of us knew about the Schuylkill Center as a resource and their recommendations about how to handle such situations, we could all react in a more informed manner during close encounters with wildlife. I personally didn’t even know of its existence until I spoke with the ACCT,” writes Kameliya.