educational birds of prey

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EDUCATIONAL BIRDS

Click here for the poem written about Otus by Wendy Mayr.

EDUCATIONAL BIRDS

The birds pictured below each have their own story regarding how they ended up at The Feather. The birds are all non-releasable. They now represent their species to any group of people who care to learn more about the birds of prey that we share our world with. Some serve as foster or surrogate parents, some are role models, some are just here as ambassadors representing their own species. Each has a special job here at The Feather.

Anny was the first bird to come to us back in 1987. She was only three months old when she collided with a car and sustained permanent damage to her left wing. Anny and I were a team for nine years, she provided the flash and dazzle and I went along for the ride. She educated many children and adults in those nine years and I was honored to be a part of her life. Anny never had a mate, so although she laid several eggs and we received no young red tails in need of foster care in her lifetime, Anny never had the chance to care for a baby hawk. We will never know if she would have been a good parent. Anny died on December 11, 1997. I will remember her and the special place she filled in my life.

If she made a difference in just one child's life then her life in a cage was not in vain. Somewhere out there someone may remember the large, commanding red tailed hawk and respect all of her kind in the wild. Hopefully, having known Anny, many took the time to learn more and are willing to share the world we all live in.

Grey Wind is our "on site" sandhill crane. She never leaves the yard to do educational programs. She has a very special job right here at The Feather. She is our surrogate parent to all the sandhill colts (baby cranes) which come to us each spring. She takes care of then and lets them know when danger is near, she feeds them worms and bugs which she probes (digs) from the ground, and she watches over them.

Grey Wind came from the Clintonville area on May 20, 1996. Her sibling picked on her and she was left blind on the left side, as a result she could never be released. We always thought GW was a male bird, but when she was three she started to lay eggs each spring. Grey Wind runs The Feather in more ways than one.

Seneca came to us in 1996, as an immature red tailed hawk. He still had his brown tail feathers. He was shot during pheasant season and his left leg and right wing were damaged. The vet could fix the leg, but the wing was to shattered to repair. He is a proud red tail and has always kept his wild attitude.

Mitak, our Rough Legged Hawk, was shot back in February 1998. Both of her wings were broken and she still carries some fine shot in her body. Mitak does not enjoy large groups as an educational bird, she prefers small special ones. Because rough legged hawks nest on the Tundra, we will never find a young bird of this species in our part of the world. As a result Mitak will probably never get a chance to be a foster parent. Mitak represents her species in a very special way, she is our "one of a kind" bird.

Mitak left us on August 8, 2004

Otus is a gray phase eastern screech owl whom we obtained from Mike Reed at Bay Beach wildlife center in November 1996. Otus was an adult when we received him. He collided with a car and lost his left eye and also the hearing on his left side. Because of his injuries Otus can not hunt his own food. If needed in the spring he shares his 8 x 10 cage with immature screech owls that come to us. He has fostered many young owls since he came to live here. He also an excellent educational owl. He is so relaxed in the presence of large groups that during the daytime programs we have to work to keep him from falling asleep.

Otus is no longer at the Feather he too has gone ahead.

This little saw whet is the latest addition to the educational birds at the Feather. She came in with a band on her right leg. Her number is 604-08798. She was banded just south of Stevens Point in the fall of 2007. She weighs three ounces and has the attitude of a great horned owl. She shattered her left wing on two places. By spring 2008 she should be ready to do some educational programs for the Feather.

AUTUMN is our great horned owl. She was found trying to run down her food in a farmer's field back in May 1999. We do not know how she lost her left wing tip. It could have been a car hit, a power line or a gunshot injury. What ever it was we are fortunate to have her. She portrays the typical great horned owl except she is a gentle bird, she just looks mean. Autumn conveys her attitude by her ear tuffs.

SAVANNA is our educational barred owl. She is great on the glove. We received her from another rehabber on January 10, 1998. She came in as a gentle, mild mannered owl. She changed her attitude forever when we gave her a couple of young barred owls to mother. She did a good job with the immature owls, when released they knew how to kill and just what attitude a barred owl should have...........mean.

Asio Blaze is our short eared educational owl. He came to us from another rehabber in March of 2005. He is a great bird on the glove in the cage is another story. Asio has no sight in his left eye and his left wing is out of alignment also.

BECKA is a female American Kestrel. She is probably our oldest bird at The Feather. We picked her up in the spring of 1992. Becka was shot with a pellet gun in the left shoulder and suffered damaged to both her muscle and tendons in that area. She can fly only some 15 feet and then she falls to the ground. When we rescued her, her mate was circling over head calling to her. She had a nest somewhere but we could not find it in an attempt to save either her eggs or the young.

Becka is at least seventeen years old. She is by far the best educational bird at The Feather. Although she has a mate with her in her cage and she nests every spring, her eggs are not fertile. She and the male kestrel do foster many young kestrels every spring. Becka is "worth her weight in gold". By the way she weighs about 6-7 oz..

Becka left us today, Sept 13, 2008. She sat in the warm sun and made her journey home. This 18 year old kestrel will be missed so very much. Losing educational bird is one of the hardest parts of rehabbing. They become so much a part of your life. They become your family.

BULLET is the mate to Becka. They are a bonded pair. While Becka is on the nest with eggs, Bullet does what male kestrels do in the wild, he waits on her "wing and foot". He brings her live food and takes his turn on the unfertile eggs. They both foster young kestrels. We just put in the live food and they do the rest. Bullet suffered a car hit in February 1996 and lost his left wing tip. Whenever they travel to a program he feels he must face her, otherwise he trashes his carrying cage paper.

Bullet made his journey home on April 14, 2007. I came home from crane counting and he was already gone on ahead..

EBONY ROSE is our educational turkey vulture. She is an imprinted bird and does not realize she is a vulture. She was bought to us as an egg on June 16, 1993. We hatched her here. The egg was taken from the nest when the person who found it thought the parent was dead on the nest. Turkey vultures will do a death faint when upset. The person took the egg and after leaving the adult vulture got up and left also. Ebony is not afraid of people. She either thinks we are all "vultures" or she is a person. There is one thing you must be careful of when dealing with a vulture, when they really get upset they throw up..................try to stay out of the way!

About the next bird, Starfish died on Jan 22, 2004. He lived 1117 days here at The Feather and was an exceptional educational being. He will be missed much more than 1117 days.

STARFISH, our red tailed hawk has a message for all who will listen. He was found in a snow bank on December 31, 2000. The man who found him wanted his children to see what the bird had caught and waited for him to come up out of the snow with his prey, but he didn't. He was shot in the face and could not see to fly or even walk. He will never see out of his left eye, but he seems to see some shadows and light out of the right one. He will have to be hand fed every day of his remaining life. The gunshot also broke his left wing in two places. But in spite of all the bad things that happened to this bird, he is a keeper. He is a great bird on the glove and has a powerful message for those that will listen.. If our Starfish can reach just one person and tell them that it is illegal to shoot protected birds than he will have made a difference.

Hopefully men and women who hunt by choice will learn from Starfish to respect other species, which MUST hunt to survive.