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!

Back on my Blog!

Well it's been more than a year since I posted anything. I think that what happens to us is that we neglect something for so long that we feel it is an unsurmountable task to reconnect and just jump back in without some symbolic gesture that we are back. At least it feels that way to me. So here I am back again ready to share the unique world of raptor rehabilitation with the world. This time I will not attempt to write a novel each time, but just try to share snippets of my world as I believe that is what these blogs are designed to do. I have other animal interests I will share from time to time and I am lucky that I get to see all kinds in my work.

Here's one of my favorite photos of me 5 years ago with one of the first birds I felt connected with at my current job. His name is Mr. Pepe, a red-shouldered hawk. He was brought to the Museum by a rehabilitator who had unknowingly "imprinted" him. Imprinting is the method by which an animal, at an early age, associates him/herself with another creature/caregiver so that he/she can model and adapt all future social behavior to that individual. In the wild, imprinting is an important process for the baby animal and will ensure that it is cared for properly and can at some point in the future pair up with and breed with another member of its kind. When an animal is allowed to imprint onto a human, it will ruin the animal's chance for survival in the wild as it will be maladapted to all of the behaviors necessary for its social success with other members.

For example, one year I attempted to introduce Mr. Pepe to an orphaned red shouldered hawk with the hopes of giving the orphan a chance to associate with his own kind and socialize with an adult red shouldered hawk. Our great horned owl is also an imprint but will allow young owls to coexist peacefully with him as will our foster mom Lucille, an imprint screech owl. Mr. Pepe however, wouldn't have any of this. As soon as he saw the youngster he flew at it aggressively several times (with me there protecting the youngster) until I deemed the experiment a complete failure.

Mr. Pepe therefore, remains in captivity for the rest of his days because of the ignorance of this individual who allowed him to lose all of his wild instincts. He will continue to be an outstanding ambassador to his wild counterparts. He has since blossomed into a stunning mature red-shouldered hawk. He still has his charms, but has lost his childish ways and at times can be a danger to his handlers due to the surging hormones that can create aggressive behavior in these imprints.

In his current state, Mr. Pepe helps to spread the word of what can go wrong by keeping animals meant to be wild as pets. It may seem fun and really cool, but as always, babies grow up and will always turn into hormonal adults in one way or another and can be dangerous to the unsuspecting human, especially if released into the wild. Please always attempt to contact a wildlife rehabilitator or wildlife officer if you find a baby animal. If you cannot find one in your area, please contact me for assistance.

Introductions

Greetings! If you've found me, then you are someone who has a interest in the world of wildlife rehabilitation or you just came to know me one way or another and want to keep up with the madness of what I call my daily life!

I am a licensed wildlife rehabilitator who specializes in the care of birds of prey or raptors. I practice at the Falcon Batchelor Bird of Prey Center at the Miami Science Museum in Miami Florida. As you can well imagine, my day to day life is much different from most people. Sometimes I feel like the luckiest person on earth as in this photo. It was taken moments before this first year hawk was returned back to the area where it was found. Just before or after this shot was taken I looked in his eyes and said, "You're going home buddy." I felt everyone present stop and smile down upon this simple moment, savoring the thought before moving on to the particulars of the who, where, when and how of this release. The press was there, along with my director and the bird's finder, Terine who took these phenomenal shots. The chairpersons of the Museum's board had been selected to release this bird with their little granddaughter as a gesture of thanks for their ongoing supports of the rehabilitation program. I was very simply the guardian of this moment, there to guide it, to make sure that all the steps happened in tandem to continue this bird's journey. My role is an essential, yet privileged one, and I never let any bird leave our center without a parting word and prayer for its safe passage back into the life it was meant to live before crossing our path.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This one is worth one. One that means everything to many, especially all of these winged wonders that cross my path every day. Freedom. I hope you'll come back and share in my stories again. Until then, find your wings.....