Working and volunteering at the World Bird Sanctuary has many commonly mentioned benefits: such as being able to experience things not many other people can, working with a bunch of truly dedicated people who love what they do, and watching those people share their love of animals with other people.
Goblin still wearing some of his baby down feathers at 55 days old (photo: Gay Schroer)
Goblin at 55 days old - Wing stretching (photo: Gay Schroer)
Young Barn Owls have many
adorable behaviors that range from simple stretches of their wings or legs to a
behavior that has been dubbed “head bobbing”. Head bobbing helps the young owls focus on sounds and
determine where they're coming from. Just imagine a small Barn Owl, who could look something
like Goblin here, facing you on his perch. Suddenly, he turns his head so that he's looking
upside-down at you and starts bobbing his head up and down while staring
straight at you. If this mental
image wasn't enough, go on YouTube and search for “baby Barn Owl head bobbing”,
and you'll quickly see what I mean.
Goblin just after
being put on equipment_65 days old (Photo: Gay Schroer)
During my first few years
of volunteering I was considered a Junior Volunteer and was not old enough to handle
the birds (a volunteer cannot actually handle the birds until they are
16). I had to be content with
standing on the weathering area deck and watching Goblin for 5 or 10 minutes at
a time.
As I got older and gained
more experience, I was finally able to start handling Goblin, who had become a
favorite of most of the staff at the Nature Center. He easily lived up to and exceeded the expectations of this
16 year old. Since I hadn't yet
handled the birds at the Nature Center I didn't really know what to
expect. Almost immediately, I
understood why naturalists at the Nature Center loved working with Goblin —
he's a wonderful flyer!
Goblin performing in an Animal Encounter (Photo: Matt Levin)
This past summer, I
happened to stop by the Nature Center in time to watch one of the Amazing
Animal Encounters. These are free
weekend programs that run from Memorial Day to Labor Day and normally have 5 or
6 animals (mostly birds). These
mini programs are a really good chance to see the birds in action while being
in a relatively small crowd. So
there I was, sitting in the audience, when I heard the words “Barn Owl”, and
who should I see flying from trainer to trainer but my favorite Barn Owl,
Goblin, who I hadn't seen in a year or two!
Goblin has come a long way
in what feels like 6 very short years, and I look forward to working with him
in the years to come!
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