Cynthia Riegle

12/16/2024

12/12/2024

Lovely weekend in Connecticut…. I do miss it, a little…Madison, Essex holiday house tour, best friends and Florence Griswold High Tea…

12/04/2024

11/20/2024

Playing around with Abstract painting…

11/04/2024

Reviews from clients affirm and inspire me to no end! Sage a sweet kitty gave a recipe to help his stomach issues that were making him very ill. She then became the conduit for greatly needed support from Heidi’s Grandmother and Grandfather from Heaven. Their messages of Unwavering Love left us all feeling elated and amazed at the power of love all beings have.
CynthiaRiegle.com

10/05/2024

My boy living his dreams in WY. Miss him.

09/24/2024

It’s on its way…
The most enjoyable time of year~

07/24/2024

sploof'n in the yard...

07/20/2024

Oh boy- reminds me that my first surprise! Pony jumped right into the back of my dads open- no seat van- nothing like driving through downtown Stamford with a pint head and to human heads! So fun!

Old horse trailer days...

07/20/2024

These steps are crucial to keeping those hummingbirds healthy when you choose to feed them. Clean out the black stuff, no honey or organic sugar. Plain sugar 1/4 cup sugar or a bit more per cup of warm water- let it sit until dissolved and refrigerate unused portions- No Red Dye!!!
Plant trumpet vine and other hummingbird plants and wnjoy these Joyful creatures- until they start their own sword fights with one another.
If multiple feeders are too much just use one and refill it daily. Rinse with very hot water and use a small brush in the inside to get the black bacteria- that feeds on the sugar in the sunlight- no soap!

Warning: small rant in defense of small birds that need big help from humans 💚🫵🏼
Most of you know me as a wellness veterinarian 👩‍⚕️, but I am also a wildlife biologist 👩🏻‍🌾 and licensed wildlife rehabilitator 🦅. This is one of my patients, who is sick because humans fed him cloudy, polluted nectar teeming with bacteria that eventually killed him 🧫😰.

I feel the same way about wildlife as I do domestic pets: it’s our responsibility to know enough to do no harm. When it comes to feeding wildlife, either do it right, or don’t do it at all. If you decide to feed hummingbirds, please do it correctly and responsibly, or you will kill them (and life is hard enough for our wild friends).

1. Do NOT use artificially colored store- bought hummingbird food 🛑❌. Commercial nectars have way too many preservatives, additives, chemical stabilizers and Red Dye #5 that’s harmful to their bodies 👎🏼.

Make your own nectar instead:

1 cup plain sugar + 4 cups boiling water (filter out the impurities)

(1:4 ratio means you can make smaller batches, like 1/4 cup sugar + 1 cup boiling water, if desired). Stir until sugar dissolves and let cool. Store in refrigerator and use up within a week.

❌ I love raw honey, but DON’T USE HONEY with hummingbirds 🍯👎🏼 (sugar is 50% fructose/50% glucose, honey is 40% fructose/30% glucose + other constituents, so it’s the wrong food matrix for them)

❌ I eat organic cane sugar, but DON’T USE ORGANIC SUGAR with hummingbirds👎🏼, it contains more minerals (like iron) that can bioaccumulate over time

2. Warm sugar water can quickly incubate incredible levels of pathogenic bacteria 🦠 and fungi that can infect and kill birds quickly 📈⚰️.The warmer the weather, the faster pathogenic microbes accumulate in nectar ☠️

Thoroughly disinfect and refill your hummingbird feeder twice a week in the spring. Above 85 degrees, clean and refill daily. (Yes, I said daily 😅) 🫗🧴🚰🧽🪣

Is this a complete pain? Yes. It’s also lifesaving and crucial, if you choose to feed hummingbirds. I spend 15 minutes a day taking care of my hummingbird feeders because I want the birds in my yard to not leave diseased and ill 🕊️.

I want to be a responsible steward of the wildlife in my yard. Please do the same, or simply enjoy them without feeding them. Plant hummingbird-friendly flowers 🌸. Better to keep them safe than inadvertently give them fatal food poisoning 💔.

07/18/2024

🐴🍷 Join "Sip and Ride" in Charlottesville! Enjoy horseback riding, wine tasting, socializing, and photos with a magnificent black Friesian stallion, Sander S. Connect with fellow horse lovers, share wine, and make new friends. Event prices: $75 for riding and tasting, $30 for just wine tasting and horse petting, $20 for photos with a black Friesian stallion. Questions? Email [email protected] or text (434) 278-7051.

06/19/2024

Put your tortoise to bed!

05/20/2024

Having some fun in my art class…

05/01/2024

So cool

04/15/2024

Inspired by Odilon Redon’s work…check it out- it’s beautiful!