Last Chance to experience Eagle Days before winter is over!

You can still join World Bird Sanctuary and our partners as we celebrate Bald Eagle Season around the region!  

For those of us who live along the Mississippi flyway the colder temperatures herald the arrival of some of the most admired and magnificent creatures of them all.  This is the season for eagle watching!  The season is in full swings, with just a few weeks left to catch this natural wonder.

Eagle watchers regularly see Bald Eagles on the frozen Mississippi River during eagle days.
Photo with kind permission of Sandra's Shooting Gallery.

If you can bear braving the cold and wind along the river, chances are that you will see wild Bald Eagles in action, hunting their prey, perching in a tree, or soaring up above. Eagle watching is an annual tradition for many of us, even those of us that are lucky enough to see and work with them every day.

If you want to see a live bald eagle up close and in person, you can visit the World Bird Sanctuary, or catch one of the displays or presentations below:

March 10^th, 2015 | 5:30 pm & 7 pm

Master Naturalist ofMissouri Meramec Hills

Rolla Middle School Auditorium

1111 Soest Road

Rolla, MO 65401

Raptor Awareness Program with eagle

Features birds of prey including an eagle, falcons, hawks, owls and vultures. Not only will you see different species of raptors, but you'll also learn a vulture's secret weapon and how to identify a bird of prey in the wild. Sit back and enjoy an up close view as some of the birds soar right over your head!

Meet a live bald eagle and other birds of prey in person
at these last Eagle Days events of the season.
Photo with kind permission of Sandra's Shooting Gallery.

April 4^th, 2015 | 10 am—3pm

Wetlands for Kids—Missouri Department of Conservation

Busch Wildlife Area

2360 Hwy D

Saint Charles, MO 63304

Birds of Prey Display

A wetlands themed 4 bird display featuring birds of prey.  Naturalists will be on hand to talk about the animals.

With all these eagle programs, indoors and outdoors, there is no reason for you not to get outside this winter to enjoy our National Symbol!

Submitted by Catherine Redfern

Only One Owl Prowl left with limited space! Book today!

There is only one Owl Prowl left in the 2014/2015 season.  This popular program, awarded the AAA’s Midwest Traveler's Travel Treasure for the Midwest, will be over at the end of February and are selling out quickly.

Wild Barred Owl.
Photo used with kind permission of Patrick Lanham Photography

Come over to the Dark Side and meet the amazing birds that exist by moonlight.  World Bird Sanctuary Owl Prowls offer an exciting opportunity to learn more about the fascinating lives of owls.

Join one of our Naturalists at our evening programs - a 30 minute presentation featuring live flying owls, followed by an easy night hike around our grounds as we try and find wild Barred Owls and Great-horned Owls who are busy setting up territories and finding mates for the winter owl breeding season!

Owl Prowls offer a unique opportunity to see owls in flight!
Photo with kind permission of Sandra's Shooting Gallery.

Only one date left with space for you!

We have a limited number of dates with some spaces for remaining Owl Prowls, so book today to avoid last minute disappointment. 

February 2015

Friday, February 20th

Meet beautiful owls like Tundra, the Snowy Owl, at a WBS Owl Prowl!
Photo with kind permission of Sandra's Shooting Gallery.

All Owl Prowls start at 7pm and are concluded by 9pm.

To book, call our Education Center at 636-225-4390 ext. 1.

$11 per adult; $9 per child under 12.

Friends of World Bird Sanctuary receive a 10% discount.

Groups of 10 or more pay $9 per person, regardless of age.

With only 30 people per Owl Prowl and selected dates available, call today to make your reservation!

Blog submitted by Catherine Redfern

There is still time to experience Eagle Days through February and March

If you haven't braved the January weather to celebrate Eagle Days, there's still time to join World Bird Sanctuary and our partners as we celebrate Bald Eagle Season around the region!  

For those of us who live along the Mississippi flyway the colder temperatures herald the arrival of some of the most admired and magnificent creatures of them all.  This is the season for eagle watching!

Eagle watchers regularly see Bald Eagles on the frozen Mississippi River during eagle days.
Photo with kind permission of Sandra's Shooting Gallery.

If you can bear braving the cold and wind along the river, chances are that you will see wild Bald Eagles in action, hunting their prey, perching in a tree, or soaring up above. Eagle watching is an annual tradition for many of us, even those of us that are lucky enough to see and work with them every day.

If you want to see a live bald eagle up close and in person, you can visit the World Bird Sanctuary, or catch one of the displays or presentations below:

Audubon Center at Riverlands
February 1^st, 8^th, 2015 | 10 am—2pm

301 Riverlands Way, West Alton, MO 63386

A bald eagle and naturalist will be on hand to talk to the public about bald eagles.  Get your picture taken next to a Bald Eagle.  Be sure to bring your camera!  After this personal encounter you can pick up an official ‘All Around Alton Eagle Watcher's Guide’ and set off along the Great River Road to see eagles in their natural habitat. 

Enjoy seeing a live bald eagle in person and talk to naturalists,
before heading outside to spot wild bald eagles.
Photo with kind permission of Sandra's Shooting Gallery.

Kaskaskia Lock and Dam
February 7^th, 2015 | 10 am—2 pm

4800 Lock and Dam Road, Modoc, IL 62261

All About Eagles Program

Did you know that Ben Franklin wanted the turkey as our national symbol instead of the Bald Eagle? Get an up close and personal view of a Bald Eagle and learn the reasons it was chosen instead of the turkey. 

Most Eagle Days events provide expert eagle spotters who can help you find
wild bald eagles after enjoying a World Bird Sanctuary eagle presentation.
Photo with kind permission of Sandra's Shooting Gallery.

Dickson Mounds Museum
February 7^th, 2015 | 11 am—2 pm

10956 North Dickson Mounds Road, Lewistown, IL 61542

Features birds of prey including an eagle, falcons, hawks, owls and vultures. Not only will you see different species of raptors, but you'll also learn a vulture's secret weapon and how to identify a bird of prey in the wild. Sit back and enjoy an up close view as some of the birds soar right over your head!

Palisades Yacht Club—Riverbill Eagle Watching
February 7^th, 2015 | 3 pm—5pm

1670 Riverview Drive, Portage De Sioux, MO 63373

A bald eagle and naturalist will be on hand to talk to the public about bald eagles.  Get your picture taken next to a Bald Eagle.  Be sure to bring your camera! 

Experience the beauty of a bald eagle in person!
Photo with kind permission of Sandra's Shooting Gallery.

National Great Rivers Museum
February 14^th, 2015 | 10 am—4 pm

February 15^th, 2015 | 11 am—4 pm

February 16^th, 2015 | 10 am—1 pm

Route 3 South, East Alton, Il 62024

Masters of the Sky Program with eagle

Features birds of prey including an eagle, falcons, hawks, owls and vultures. Not only will you see different species of raptors, but you'll also learn a vulture's secret weapon and how to identify a bird of prey in the wild. Sit back and enjoy an up close view as some of the birds soar right over your head!

A Bald Eagle takes flight along the Mississippi River - a common sight
during Bald Eagle Days.
Photo with kind permission of Sandra's Shooting Gallery.

Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower
February 21^st, 2015 | 10 am—2 pm

435 Confluence Tower Drive, Hartford, Il 62048

A bald eagle and naturalist will be on hand to talk to the public about bald eagles.  Get your picture taken next to a Bald Eagle.  Be sure to bring your camera!

Bald Eagle Winter Watch—Saint Charles County Parks Department
February 28^th, 2015 | 9:30 am—11:30 am

1550 Hide Away Harbor Drive, Portage De Sioux, MO 63373

A bald eagle and naturalist will be on hand to talk to the public about bald eagles.  Get your picture taken next to a Bald Eagle.  Be sure to bring your camera!

Master Naturalist of Missouri Meramec Hills
March 10^th, 2015 | 5:30 pm & 7 pm

Rolla Middle School Auditorium

1111 Soest Road, Rolla, MO 65401

Raptor Awareness Program with eagle

Features birds of prey including an eagle, falcons, hawks, owls and vultures. Not only will you see different species of raptors, but you'll also learn a vulture's secret weapon and how to identify a bird of prey in the wild. Sit back and enjoy an up close view as some of the birds soar right over your head!

Wetlands for Kids—Missouri Department of Conservation
April 4^th, 2015 | 10 am—3pm

Busch Wildlife Area, 2360 Hwy D, Saint Charles, MO 63304

A wetlands themed 4 bird display featuring birds of prey.  Naturalists will be on hand to talk about the animals.

With all these eagle programs, indoors and outdoors, there is no reason for you not to get outside this winter to enjoy our National Symbol!

Submitted by Catherine Redfern

http://www.worldbirdsanctuary.org/

The Last Owl Prowls of the Season have just a few spaces left. Book Today!

There are just a handful of spaces left on each Owl Prowl before the season is over!  This popular program, awarded the AAA’s Midwest Traveler's Travel Treasure for the Midwest, will be over at the end of February and are selling out quickly.

Wild Barred Owl.
Photo used with kind permission of Patrick Lanham Photography

Come over to the Dark Side and meet the amazing birds that exist by moonlight.  World Bird Sanctuary Owl Prowls offer an exciting opportunity to learn more about the fascinating lives of owls.

Join one of our Naturalists at our evening programs - a 30 minute presentation featuring live flying owls, followed by an easy night hike around our grounds as we try and find wild Barred Owls and Great-horned Owls who are busy setting up territories and finding mates for the winter owl breeding season!

Owl Prowls offer a unique opportunity to see owls in flight!
Photo with kind permission of Sandra's Shooting Gallery.

Owl Programs with spaces available on selected evenings from February thru March 2015

We have a limited number of dates with some spaces for remaining Owl Prowls, so book today to avoid last minute disappointment. 

February 2015

Friday, February 6th

Saturday, February 7th

Friday, February 20th

March 2015

Saturday, March 14th

Meet beautiful owls like Tundra, the Snowy Owl, at a WBS Owl Prowl!
Photo with kind permission of Sandra's Shooting Gallery.

All Owl Prowls start at 7pm and are concluded by 9pm.

To book, call our Education Center at 636-225-4390 ext. 1.

$11 per adult; $9 per child under 12.

Friends of World Bird Sanctuary receive a 10% discount.

Groups of 10 or more pay $9 per person, regardless of age.

With only 30 people per Owl Prowl and selected dates available, call today to make your reservation!

Blog submitted by Catherine Redfern

From “How do we do ALL this” to “Mission Accomplished” – We do even more!

On Monday you learned that 2014 was a successful year in achieving our mission for our wildlife hospital and environmental education department.  But that is not all we have achieved.  We could not have achieved success in all FOUR of our mission focus areas without you.  As always, we plan to maintain 37 years of conservation success through 2015 - but we need your financial support to help us do it.

Please DONATE TODAY to invest in our mission success in 2015.

Field Studies: Fledging Peregrines and Migrating Owls

World Bird Sanctuary’s Field Studies program experienced success for the fourth year in a row with the fledging of four peregrine falcon chicks hatched in a nest box supported by World Bird Sanctuary, Ameren Missouri and Missouri Department of Conservation.  If you were glued to the FalconCam like we were, you know the riveting and compelling hardships that the parents face to successfully raise their chicks to become self-sufficient wild adults.  It was quite a ride!

Wild Peregrine Falcon tends eggs
in the nest box.

Young chicks are fed by a parent.

Chicks are fully grown and about to
leave the nest box to embark on a
wild life without their parents.

Our all-volunteer Bird-Banding team also took part in the OWLNET Saw-Whet Owl monitoring program for the third successive year – making World Bird Sanctuary the southernmost banding point for Saw-whet Owls in the country.  This program contributes valuable information to a central database that tracks migration, population numbers and breeding habits of these birds.  This information will be used to develop and implement preservation strategies for Saw-whet owls around the country.

A wild Saw-whet owl isevaluated before being banded
and released by the Project OWLNET team.

To continue our work monitoring wild populations and developing successful conservation strategies to preserve species, we need your donation today. 

Barn Owls prowl Missouri in numbers again!

World Bird Sanctuary is proud of the part we played in getting Barn Owls off the endangered species list in Missouri.  Our propagation department has released over 800 barn owls during a 30 year period, and Barn Owls finally came off the state endangered species list in 2008.  We breed Barn Owl adults who raise chicks that we release to the wild to bolster wild populations.  These chicks are released in safe areas and monitored.  The big news in 2014 is that one of our released barn owl chicks from 2013 coupled with a wild barn owl and produced her own wild chicks, one year after release.  We call that a resounding success, and it validates the work we love to do!

Donate today and be part of the solution populating Missouri with threatened and endangered bird species through our propagation program.

We have over 37 years of success in achieving our mission through our four focus areas, and numerous accolades and awards for our achievements in wildlife conservation and education.

Watch this video to find out how your investment in our mission makes a difference every day!

The mission of World Bird Sanctuary is to preserve the earth's biological diversity and to secure the future of threatened bird species in their natural environments. We work to fulfill this mission through education, propagation, field studies and rehabilitation.

We know that our mission is important to you too – we invite you to donate today and be part of the solution to challenges facing our wild birds in the years to come.

The World Bird Sanctuary is a consistently successful and credible conservation organization, which makes investing in us one of the safest philanthropic decisions you can make.  You know that we will use your donation wisely.  World Bird Sanctuary meets all 20 charity standards set by the Better Business Bureau. 

Thank you.

Submitted by Catherine Redfern

From "How do we do this?" to "Mission Accomplished!" - YOU make it possible.

2014 has been a successful year in achieving our mission.  We at World Bird Sanctuary could not have done it without you.  We plan to maintain this momentum in 2015 - but we need your financial support to help us do it.

to help ensure our success in 2015.

A busy year for our wildlife hospital!     

The almost 450 raptors admitted to World Bird Sanctuary's Kathryn G. Favre Wildlife Hospital this year were cared for without any state, federal or local government funding.  Each year the hospital and its patients rely entirely on donations from members of the public to treat and care for wild injured birds.  

Volunteer veterinarians Dr. Schaeffer (R) and Dr. Broyles (L) treat a
Red-tailed Hawk admitted to the wildlife hospital.

Among this year’s successes were a bald eagle whose foot got caught in a coyote trap, numerous barred owls and great-horned owls, orphaned red-tailed hawks, and one very lucky broad-winged hawk that was treated by our wildlife hospital and completed his migration to Florida via a plane ride!

To maintain this momentum we need your help.  Donate now to help our wildlife hospital help sick, injured and orphaned birds in 2015.

The Office of Wildlife Learning inspires action!

One of the best parts of being a naturalist presenting live bird programs at World Bird Sanctuary's environmental education department is facilitating what we call ‘the light bulb moment’ – that instant when we watch a child in our audience light up as they see a raptor fly for the first time.  

School children learn about Xena the Eurasian Eagle Owl
on a field trip to World Bird Sanctuary.

As that owl flies over that child’s head, you can see the appreciation and wonder at experiencing wildlife first hand.  For many children, and even adults, this moment is the one that sparks a life-long interest in the natural world, and preserving habitats and those that live in them.

Donate today to be part of ‘the light bulb moment’ and foster a desire to preserve wildlife and the habitats where they live in generations to come.

Our success is your success

We have over 37 years of success in achieving our mission through our four focus areas, and numerous accolades and awards for our achievements in wildlife conservation and education.

Watch our video to learn how your investment
in our mission makes a difference every day

The mission of World Bird Sanctuary is to preserve the earth's biological diversity and to secure the future of threatened bird species in their natural environments. We work to fulfill this mission through education, propagation, field studies and rehabilitation.

We know that our mission is important to you too – we invite you to donate today and be part of the solution to challenges facing our wild birds in the years to come.

The World Bird Sanctuary is a consistently successful and credible conservation organization, which makes investing in us one of the safest philanthropic decisions you can make.  You know that we will use your donation wisely.  World Bird Sanctuary meets all 20 charity standards set by the Better Business Bureau. 

Thank you.

Submitted by Catherine Redfern

Owl Prowls are filling up quickly - have you booked your space?

We are halfway through Owl Prowl season!  This popular program, awarded the AAA’s Midwest Traveler's Travel Treasure for the Midwest, will be over at the end of February and are selling out quickly.

Wild Barred Owl.
Photo used with kind permission of Patrick Lanham Photography

Come over to the Dark Side and meet the amazing birds that exist by moonlight.  World Bird Sanctuary Owl Prowls offer an exciting opportunity to learn more about the fascinating lives of owls.

Join one of our Naturalists at our evening programs - a 30 minute presentation featuring live flying owls, followed by an easy night hike around our grounds as we try and find wild Barred Owls and Great-horned Owls who are busy setting up territories and finding mates for the winter owl breeding season!

Owl Prowls offer a unique opportunity to see owls in flight!
Photo with kind permission of Sandra's Shooting Gallery.

Owl Programs offered on selected evenings from January thru March 2015

We have a limited number of dates with some spaces for remaining Owl Prowls, so book today to avoid last minute disappointment. 

January 2015

Sunday, January 4th,

Friday, January 9th,

Saturday, January 10th,

Saturday, January 31st,  

February 2015

Friday, February 6th

Saturday, February 7th

Saturday, February 14th

Friday, February 20th

Saturday, February 28th

March 2015

Friday, March 6th

Saturday, March 14th

Meet beautiful owls like Tundra, the Snowy Owl, at a WBS Owl Prowl!
Photo with kind permission of Sandra's Shooting Gallery.

All Owl Prowls start at 7pm and are concluded by 9pm.

To book, call our Education Center at 636-225-4390 ext. 1.

$11 per adult; $9 per child under 12.

Friends of World Bird Sanctuary receive a 10% discount.

Groups of 10 or more pay $9 per person, regardless of age.

With only 30 people per Owl Prowl and selected dates available, call today to make your reservation!

Blog submitted by Catherine Redfern

Chique, a Special Parrot

Chique is a Blue-fronted Amazon, and was given to World Bird Sanctuary by an owner that didn’t have the time for Chique anymore.  This species is also called the Turquoise-fronted Amazon.  

Blue-fronted Amazons are found in northern and eastern Bolivia, northern Argentina, Paraguay and eastern Brazil. They are one the best mimickers, next to the African Gray parrot.  They will live 40-80 years with proper care and diet.  They are the most common parrot kept in captivity.

A wild Blue-fronted Amazon in Brazil.  Photo: wikiepedia.org

Parrots need exercise, just like humans.  Providing them with chew toys and keeping them challenged by making them think about how to get to their food, instead of just putting their food in a bowl and giving it to them, is a good enrichment.  Creating fun puzzles for them to solve, and rewarding them for it, is great enrichment, too.   As long as you have the time to spend with them, they do make good pets.  Although they are great tempered, having a parrot is a lot of work.  They need lots of attention and care.  It’s a lot like having a child that never grows up, but you can also gain an unbreakable bond.  Parrots are very long lived, and may live longer than you, so you always want to have someone dependable to take care of your parrot in cases like that.

Blue-fronted Amazons are a common sight in Brazil, even in the cities in South America.  Photo: wikipedia.org

Blue-fronted Amazons are typically a very well mannered parrot.  Chique is very sweet, but is shy when it comes to new people.  She can say “How are you,” “What are you doing,” “Polly want a cracker,” and my favorite; ”What.”  Chique will say this when you are walking out of the room or when she can hear you, but you’re not paying attention to her.  She loves sunflower seeds and grapes as rewards. She is a quick learner and is very gentle.  She also has been trained to give kisses.

With almost any pet, you may think the animal will be awesome to have, but they take a lot of responsibility.  As you have read, it takes more than just feeding and watering to have any pet.  The next time you think you want a pet, do the proper research to make sure you are capable of meeting all their needs.

A pet Blue-fronted Amazon.  Photo: wikipedia.org

Submitted by Christina Rankin, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist