Here's a peek at our littlest eastern screech owl admitted so far this season. He/she is absolutely adorable and I got all of the doting out of my system the day it came in. I then turned it over to the second foster mom to give Lucille a little break. This little owl is one of the most fierce, yet sneaky dive-bombers that we have at our center. Her aggression preceeded the beginning of baby season and no one was safe as we entered the mew that she shares with several other screech owls. My advice for all that enter her realm: just keep your head down so her attack lands on the back of your head. I was unfortunate one year to look up and get four little needle sharp talons right on my forehead!

Some Familiar Faces Return

It is time once again for us to start receiving eastern screech owls by the dozens as concerned residents of Miami and surrounding areas bring them to us at the Miami Science Museum in Coconut Grove. There are numbers listed to the left of this post to guide anyone in South Florida on who to call in the event you find baby birds, owl or otherwise. Most of these centers are extremely busy this time of year and may have important recorded information that may answer your questions or guide you to other resources that may help. Please do not hang up when you hear the recording, we will return your message. For more information on rescuing baby birds, please visit http://www.redhawksister.com/howtorescuebabies.htm If you are not from South Florida, I will be happy to assist you in finding a rehabilitator in your area. Please leave a comment at the bottom of the post.

Eastern screech owls are the most frequently admitted raptor at our center. Last year we saw 80 screech owls, 50 of them being "orphans." But what constitutes an orphan? Many times people rescue a baby bird thinking that there are no parents around, or they are afraid that the parents will "smell the human" on their young and reject it. This is NOT true! Birds have a very poor sense of smell and do not identify their young by smell. In fact, birds will quite often feed a gaping mouth of their own species regardless of whether it is their own. That's why we are very fortunate at the Miami Science Museum.

The adult screech owl, Lucille is not this baby's parent. Lucille is a former patient who has raised well over a hundred babies in the 5 years since my employ at the center. She is an imprint, raised by humans when she herself was a baby. Because of her lack of exposure to her own kind she was unequipped to survive in the wild. The parenting instinct, however, proved to be overwhelmingly natural for her, so she has served her foster lings well, giving them a chance to be returned to the wild in as natural of a behavioral state as possible. The babies are also socialized in an outdoor secluded area with other adults, prior to their release.

You can read more about our orphaned screech owl program at http://www.redhawksister.com/screechowl_rehab.htm

3 reasons to celebrate the new year

As usual, at the end of any given year we still have quite a few patients in rehabilitation from the yearly migration. Because Miami and the Florida Keys are considered hot spots in the Atlantic Flyway and one of the last stops before heading over the ocean, we see more of a variety raptors this time of year than any other. Starting in late September and early October, we will see the first of these visitors, the peregrine falcons.

This peregrine falcon was the last one received in 2008. She arrived with no visible injuries other than a massive amount of weight and the inability to fly. Laboratory tests yielded no conclusive answers other than the extra weight causing an enormous amount of stress on her internal organs. Her reluctance to feed was another cause for concern as peregrine falcons seem to be willing to eat rather readily. As her appetite came around and she finally began to eat, we were disheartened to find that she had injured herself in her outside enclosure. It seemed that every gain that we were to make ended up in a loss right behind it.

I brought the bird back inside so that I could treat and monitor the injuries, and I became quite fond of her. Though she was a wild creature with all the characteristics that any patient would have, I could see quite readily why the peregrine falcon was so coveted and beloved by falconers all over the world. In fact, at this moment I'm reading Jim Enderson's "Peregrine Falcon: Stories of the Blue Meanie." It is a fascinating account of the history of the loss of the peregrine and other raptors due to the use of a pesticide called DDT. Although I am only about a third of the way through, I look forward to reading about how the peregrine made a comeback as Enderson hints early on that it was a labor of love by field biologists, falconers, and many others.

It was a very happy moment for me this day when I watched her fly away and over the building without a look back. This is where she belonged, back in the world and free, and to resume the next chapter in her life. I would be maybe a distant memory for her, but she would always be remembered, as are all of the peregrines that stay for any amount of time. You can follow the migration of peregrine falcons from their home in the Artic to South America on one of my favorite raptor sites the Falcon Research Group's http://www.frg.org/. Don't forget to look for the links to the Southern Cross Peregrine Project, their blog about their research on wild peregrines using transmitters for tracking. It is very interesting!

Not to be understated, we also released an American kestrel this same day. This tiny little falcon was admitted with a fractured wing that healed beautifully. He was the picture of health and flew away with no problem. The American kestrel is the smallest of all North American falcons and migrates in large numbers also to Florida for the winter season.

Lastly, at the end of the day an eastern screech owl (our educational screech owl is pictured here) was released back into the area where it was found in West Miami near the Everglades. This owl was found in the middle of the road, likely hit by a car. After a little rest and recuperation, it was ready to return to its home and possibly its mate as breeding season is upon us very, very soon. We will have but a brief few weeks between the migration and baby season to catch our breath.