The folks at this sanctuary give a HOOT about raptors in need
I can honestly say I've been brimming with anticipation to visit this raptor rescue since I setup the interview a couple weeks ago. The good folks here care for many different birds of prey that have been injured, abandoned or any other reason why they may not be able to be released back into the wild. I love photographing birds, but owls have always been a favorite of mine. I had a huge grin on my face when I walked in the door and met their official greeter!
Lucy is an Eastern Screech Owl and she is so tiny! She had fallen out of her nest when she was a baby and her mother abandoned her. A couple found her and tried to keep her as a pet but soon realized they were in over their head so they handed her over to the sanctuary.
Another reason some of these birds cannot be released back into the wild is due to imprinting. Meaning that they became desensitized to human presence after having sustained contact with them at a young age.
Today I also learned that Pinellas County Florida is home to the world's largest population of Eastern Screech Owls. They are here in such large numbers due to an abundance of their absolutely favorite food....palmetto bugs. If you're not familiar with what those are, they are basically roaches on steroids and they are all over the place down here.
I think I woke this guy up from a nap or something!
I also learned another interesting fact about owls today. You can tell what time of day they typically feed by the color of their eyes! Species with dark brown or black eyes like the Barred Owl pictured above are night-time hunters. Other species with orange colored eyes usually hunt during dusk and dawn. Owls with light and yellow colored eyes are daytime hunters like this Great Horned Owl pictured below.
Owls aren't the only feathered friends in need of care at the sanctuary. They also have a variety of falcons, eagles and hawks they care for on a daily basis. This Bald Eagle is named Sarge and he found his way here due a broken wing that never healed right.
This Red-Shouldered Hawk is missing an eye, believed to be an injury sustained while he was hunting.
Here you can see one of the staff members spraying down a Red-Tailed Hawk with water to cool him off. It was around 99 degrees today with some heavy humidity to boot.
This American Kestrel is a smaller sized species of falcon that can frequently be found sitting on telephone wire lines all over Florida.
I must've done something to ruffle this little guys feathers!
They also have an awesome program to help military veterans. Any veteran is welcome to come to the park and spend some time with one of their therapy birds. They take the birds out for walks around the property and it has proven to be a very successful program. Most people think of dogs when it comes to therapy animals but the program they have started here is getting great reviews from all over the place.
Thanks for joining me on this adventure, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
all photos captured with Canon 80D/18-135mm
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In case you missed the last post in this series you can see it here: Adventures in Florida #11: Flounder Fishing on the St. John's River
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