Creatures of Halloween Filling Fast

Last chance to make your reservations for our Creatures of Halloween program!

We only do this program one time a year.   Reservations are filling fast—don’t miss out!

Don’t miss out on this once a year opportunity to have your spine tingled, your hair stood on end, your goosebumps raised!

Bring your little ghouls and goblins in costume to meet our resident ghoul and our creatures that are so much a part of the Halloween tradition. 

Come join us for a “spooktacular” good time.  The creepiness begins at 7 pm sharp on Friday, October 28, inside our Nature Center.

To make your reservations call 636-225-4390, Ext. 0.

Program Date:  Friday, 10/28

Program Fee:  $9.00 for adults, $7.00 for children

Program Time:  7 pm to 8 pm

Reservations required.  

For directions to our facility Click Here.

For the safety of our animals and our other guests, no pets please.

Tree Frogs

I was first introduced to the World Bird Sanctuary by a friend in 2009, and quickly decided that I wanted to volunteer at this amazing facility.  

After volunteering for over a year I was offered the opportunity to become a full time seasonal employee.  After working here as a full time seasonal employee I am often treated like an “old timer,” with the new volunteers coming to me with their questions. 

The Bird-voiced Tree Frog, Hyla_avivoca 

Very often when working outside we will come across small creatures like frogs and snakes. Recently an intern came to me for help identifying a very small frog he thought was a Bird-voiced Tree Frog (Hyla avivoca).  Its characteristics are smooth skin, large toe pads, light spots under the eyes and greenish to yellowish patches in groin and inner thigh. These characteristics are very similar to the Gray Tree Frog.  The Bird-voiced Tree Frog is considered threatened in Illinois (the northernmost portion of its range) due to the clearing and draining of bald cypress-tupelo swamps. The Bird-voiced Tree Frog’s main habitat is the bald cypress-tupelo swamps and nearby wet hardwood forests. This small frog can change color from dark gray to light green depending on background, temperature and moisture. The diet of an adult Bird-voiced Tree Frog includes small arboreal insects and spiders.

 The Gray Tree Frog, Hyla_versicolor

Unfortunately the intern’s find was not a Bird-voiced Tree Frog.  It would have been cool to know we have a threatened species on our property.  However, the species that he had found was the Gray Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor complex)—a common species.  The Gray Tree Frog also has large toe pads, but has a pale spot under the eye and orange or golden yellowish patches in the groin area and inner thigh. This frog is slightly larger then the Bird Voice Tree Frog. 

The habitat of a Gray Tree Frog is the trunks and branches of trees.  A recently transformed (from tadpole to frog) juvenile is bright green. The adults generally mate in woodland puddles, roadside ditches, or other temporary bodies of water. These frogs may change color from dark gray to light green depending on background and temperature. The diet consists of small spiders and insects. Feeding adults and juveniles are often found near house lights and windows where insects accumulate.

Photo showing the golden yellow patches in the groin area 

The IUCN status of the Gray Tree Frog is least concern. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to finding "pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges."   The organization publishes the IUCN Red List, compiling information from a network of conservation organizations to rate which species are most endangered

Although this intern was slightly upset to learn he had only found a common tree frog, he will most likely continue to look for creatures like this as he gets the outside chores of World Bird Sanctuary’s Education Training Center done, and further his knowledge (and mine) in the process.

Submitted by Jaimie Sansoucie, World Bird Sanctuary Seasonal Staff Member

Joplin Tornado

In mid-September WBS volunteer Linda Tossing and I were very excited to present  live bird programs to the school children and teachers of Joplin, Missouri.

All the schools in Joplin, Missouri, have the Bald Eagle as a mascot

The schools that were selected by Christie Barnhart of Missouri American Water, who sponsored the programs, were chosen because they were the schools that were destroyed by the tornado.  Some children were going to school in completely different buildings located in malls and industrial parks.  Some of the schools were renovated in record time. 

The F5 tornado that hit on Sunday, May 22, 2011, devastated a 2 mile wide by 12 mile wide swath of this Midwestern town.  We could see remnants of parking areas, driveways, rubble and debris.  No standing structures were visible in the center of where the town was previously located.

The School Superintendent decided within 2 days after the tornado that the kids would all have places to go to school by the start of the new school year.  People pulled out all the stops to repair salvageable schools, and find other places for the kids whose buildings had been damaged beyond repair to go to school .

 Michael Zieloski and Tobin, a European Barn Owl with a principal and children from one of the Joplin schools

The principal pictured in the above photo with some of her school children, showed me a video from her phone from the night of the tornado.  She stood at her school facing what used to be the front of the school and shot video of the devastating scene.  She then slowly scanned the video in a complete circle.  The damage was unbelievable!  The principals of the damaged schools knew that great challenges faced them.  These dedicated principals took virtually no time off all summer long to help get their schools reconstructed or completely moved to other buildings in Joplin.  Incredibly all was ready by this Fall.

Every school in Joplin has the Eagle as its Mascot.  I took pictures of the Logos/Mascots at two of the schools--Mckinley and Duchesne. 

We at WBS, in conjunction with Christie Barnhart of Missouri American Water, decided that all of the displaced elementary schools' children deserved to see a live Bald Eagle up close in their schools.  So we brought Liberty to each of the schools we visited.  We also brought a few other birds to share.  Newspaper reporters and TV reporters showed up at some of the schools to feature the birds and the school kids.

At night while we watched the news in Joplin, there were still stories every day about the tornado damage and recovery efforts.  Five families were still living in the Drury Inn. The families checked in on the night of the tornado or shortly thereafter. 

Many workers involved in the recovery and rebuilding effort were booking rooms at the Drury for two weeks at a time. There were bulldozer people, AT&T workers from Texas, Insurance Agents all still very active in rebuilding Joplin.

We brought an Eagle and other birds to the schools to help the kids have fun, learn, and take their minds off of some of their problems with the hope that we were helping rebuild peoples' spirits.

Submitted by Mike Zieloski, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Camera Day - Just Around The Corner

Fall Camera Day is almost here!

You're invited to join us for our Fall Camera Day on Sunday, November 6th, where you can take photographs of our birds posed in natural settings and while they fly.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Bring your family and cameras to see and photograph our magnificent birds in natural settings.

Image: Camera Day

Date: Sunday, November 6^th

Time: 10am - 2pm

Admission: FREE for WBS Friends and Adopt a Bird Parents.  You can enroll as a WBS Friend from as little as $35 per year on the day.

Bring your family!  Bring your friends!  Bring your camera!  Bring your picnic!  And join us outside for a fun family day!

2011: International Year of Forests Fun, Easy Outdoor Activities for Kids

Hurry!  Before winter arrives!  

Get your kids outside for some fun, easy activities that will get them better acquainted with the forest.   These would also be excellent activities for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts—or for a teacher to do with his or her class.

Take them on a micro-hike!  They’ll discover the tiny world that lies just beneath their feet.  Be prepared for their hands and knees to get dirty!  This activity can be done in the forest or right in your backyard.  You’ll need: 20-30 feet of string for each child, magnifying glasses, pens, journal paper, plant and insect field guides (optional).  Have the kids each stretch their string across an area--it doesn’t have to be straight.  It can run along fallen logs, over stumps, around tree trunks or rocks, through a shallow creek, or along it.  Now they can get down on their hands and knees, starting at one end of the string, and slowly move along the string, examining everything in its path with a magnifying glass. Be careful with the magnifying glasses.  Especially on sunny days the magnifying glasses can intensify sun light to the point where fires can be started.

Have them look for different types of plants, including mosses and fallen leaves.  Look for fungi and lichens of different forms.  If they move any fallen leaves, rocks, logs, or fallen branches, be sure to tell them to do it gently and to return them where they found them.  They are sure to find insects and other invertebrates.  When they’re done, they can write down what they’ve seen, and compare with each other.  They can also take turns showing each other the things they found to be most interesting on their hike.

Smell some leaves!  On your next walk or hike through the forest, have the kids help you collect some leaves from trees (don’t forget evergreen trees!), shrubs, small plants and grasses.  When you arrive home, have them gather at the table and prepare for leaf sniffing time!  If you have a tree or plant field guide, see if they can identify some of them or at least separate them into different categories.  Then one at a time, rub a leaf in your hand and have them each smell it.  Let them each write down or say out loud what they think it smells like.  Some leaves smell musty, others smell sweet, spicy, fresh or sharp.  If the leaf is from a black birch tree, when crushed it will smell like root beer!  Sassafras crushed leaves are said to have a “pleasing medicinal scent,” whereas black walnut leaves have a spicy scent.

What Lives in a Tree?  To find out you’ll need: a tree with an easy to reach branch, a white bed sheet, and a magnifying glass.  Once you’ve found a tree, have two people stretch the white sheet under the tree branch, getting as close to the branch as possible.  Shake the branch vigorously for about one minute.  Lay the sheet on the ground and have the kids observe what has fallen.  Did the tree drop any seeds, nuts or fruits?  Help them to identify some of the insects using a field guide.  There may also be spiders and caterpillars! 

Next try this again with a different tree.  Are there differences in what is found among deciduous and coniferous trees?  Explain that to be deciduous, the tree or shrub has leaves that change color in the autumn and are dropped before the winter (depending on where you live).  Most coniferous trees and shrubs have long, thin, needle-like leaves.  Most keep these year round and are often called evergreen. 

The World Bird Sanctuary has several trails through our oak-hickory forest where we invite you to try these fun activities with your kids and their friends!

Submitted by Sara Oliver, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Open House...This Weekend!

Don't forget the World Bird Sanctuary Open House this weekend October 15 & 16!

FREE ADMISSION…FREE PARKING….FREE ENTERTAINMENT

One of our free flying Barn Owls swoop just over the heads of audience members

What better way to spend a beautiful Fall weekend than enjoying a day of fun and entertainment in the outdoors?

Activities include, but are not limited to:

•            Free flight performances by our stars, the birds throughout the day

•            Musical performances by our in house band, The Raptor Project at 3:30 pm each day

•            Opportunities to take close-up photos of our birds and other animals

*            Face Painting for a small fee

*            Meet our newest residents—Dorothy the Andean Condor and Thor the Stellar’s Sea     Eagle

•            See our “behind the scenes” areas – only open to the public during Open House

•            Opportunity for the kids to make a craft

•            Take part in a scavenger hunt

•            Sing-Alongs

Youngsters listen with bated breath to our storyteller, Shirley Ritsema

•            Story Telling sessions

•            For a nominal fee have your photo taken HOLDING a Eurasian Eagle Owl—the largest owl species in the world

Guests have the rare opportunity to have their photo taken holding Xena, the Eurasian Eagle Owl

•            Meet our Naturalists who will gladly answer any questions from guests

•            Refreshments and snacks available for purchase

•            Browse our gift shop

•             Our "Wishlist Donation Station" will be open for any guests who would like to support the World Bird Sanctuary by donating items from our wishlist

DATES:            SATURDAY, 10/15 & SUNDAY 10/16

TIME:               10 am – 4 pm

LOCATION:     125 Bald Eagle Ridge Road, Valley Park, MO

For directions to the World Bird Sanctuary Click Here 

For the safety of our animals and our other guests, no pets please.

MEET TSAVO

Tsavo is a male Bateleur Eagle who was a wild caught bird from Cameroon.  He was  hatched in 2002 and came to us from the Jardin Zoologique du Quebec in Canada, where he had been trained to free fly in their bird show.

We received Tsavo in the Fall of 2008 at the age of 6 years old. He spent the summer of 2009 with us at the Grant’s Farm bird show as a bird that perched on the glove for the show, but we felt that he showed great promise as a flier for a show. 

In 2010 we decided to test Tsavo’s ability and temperament as a flight bird.  We began by training him to do short glove-to-glove flights from one trainer to another.  Gradually he progressed to longer and longer flights.  By the end of the summer of 2010 Tsavo had established himself as one of the stars of our Milwaukee Zoo show.

This year Tsavo is proving his “star quality” by being one of the featured performers in the “Birds of Prey in Flight” show at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.  At each of the three shows, Wednesday through Sunday, now through 29 October, Tsavo performs six amazing flights from the top of this huge amphitheater, down to the stage, and back again.

  

When he’s not wowing the crowds at one of our zoo shows Tsavo loves to take sloppy, splashy baths, spread his wings, flap, and sun himself.  To read more about Tsavo in some of our other blog posts enter the name Tsavo in the search box at the top of this page.

Tsavo, as well as all of our other birds, is available for adoption.  To adopt Tsavo click here to go to the Adopt A Bird page on our website, then click on the photo of the eagle, choose Tsavo, click Add to Cart and follow the directions for payment.  Adoption donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

Your adoption donation will help to feed, house and keep this magnificent bird flying in the coming year.

Adopt-a-Bird Parents receive:

·      A personal visit with the animal you adopt!!!! Call ahead to schedule a time for your personal visit.

·      Certificate of Adoption

·      Color photo of the animals you’ve adopted

·      Sponsorship card

·      One Year’s subscription to Mews News

·      Life History and Natural History of the animal

·      10% Discount off WBS merchandise

•            Invitation to Sponsors-only events such as Camera Day

·      Discounts on WBS Special Events such as Owl Prowls, Nature Hikes, etc.

·      WBS Decal

ADOPTION DONATION FOR TSAVO:  $150.00

Submitted by Gay Schroer, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer/Photographer

Another Eagle Release

World Bird Sanctuary was recently named the best place to see wildlife in Missouri by USA Today stating that we have “the world’s largest collection of raptor species.”

 Wild Turkey Vultures hoping to scavenge a meal from our resident vultures

While our captive raptors awe and amaze on a daily basis, we also get a very large contingent of wild birds that visit.  Every morning you can see turkey vultures circling over the Display Line, hoping to scavenge a meal from the keepers who feed our birds.  Our Bird Banding Team routinely bands the songbirds that flock to our feeders in the summer.  And sometimes, we even get wild bald eagles checking out the facilities.  Usually they come to see if they can grab a meal in the morning after the keepers have fed the birds on our public Display Line.  But one juvenile this summer wasn’t looking for a meal—he was looking for a bath.

I had almost finished lunch one Saturday when one of my junior volunteers came running into the kitchen.  “Roger says to tell you that there’s a wild bald eagle taking a bath in the weathering area (a weathering area is a place where we tether our education birds for display and so they can get sun and rain),” she told me in an excited tone.  Every head in the kitchen immediately turned to look at her, and our chairs scraped back in unison as we rushed to see the spectacle.

In our Behind the Scenes area, we have a weathering area set aside for some of our larger eagles.  This is where Lewis and Clark, the eagles that fly at Busch Stadium, as well as Thor, our Steller’s Sea Eagle, spend their days, along with a few other birds.  This weathering area is enclosed on all four sides by welded wire, but has an open top that is almost completely covered with a shade cloth during the summer.

This wild juvenile Bald Eagle dropped in for a bath

Somehow, a juvenile bald eagle had found his way into the weathering area, and was taking a rather large and splashy bath right in Lewis’s water bowl.  The older eagles were all staring at this youngster, as though they were shocked by the audacity of this youngster invading their territory.  The juvenile seemed unafraid of his elders, but got spooked when the interns, the volunteers and I cautiously approached the weathering area.  He jumped out of the bowl, and instead of flying up and out of the enclosure, tried to exit out the side.  Unfortunately, he encountered the welded wire. Try as he might to push through the wire, he couldn’t get through to freedom on the other side.  At this point, Roger Wallace, our lead eagle trainer, and I stepped in.

Lead eagle trainer Roger Wallace captured our young visitor

Roger got a pair of heavy gloves, just in case, and I started to herd our visitor around the edge of the enclosure and towards the door.  He stayed out of reach of our birds, who had started voicing their displeasure at the presence of the intruder.  The juvenile stopped about a foot from the door (which was wide open, I might add).  Roger took one step towards him, hoping he would fly through… but he bypassed the door and got himself trapped in another corner.  Roger was able to capture him (wearing the gloves to protect himself from the eagle’s talons) and brought him outside the weathering area.

Roger decided that we should band him and take his vital statistics before releasing him

Just as we were about to release him, Roger stopped, and decided that we should put a band on his leg, so that he would be identifiable if he were found or spotted again.  We gathered the necessary equipment—the band, a pop-rivet gun, a scale, calipers and a large ruler.

An eagle size falconer's hood helps to keep him calm

At the last second we also found an eagle-sized hood, which goes over a bird’s head and eyes and serves to calm it down during certain situations in falconry or medical treatment.  I took the bird from Roger and held him in a restraining position—the bird’s back to my front, wings tucked into his sides, while I held his legs out.  

Vital measurements are taken in case he is ever captured again

We put the hood over his eyes to keep him calm, and we took several different measurements so our Bird Banding Team could have a record of the bird—the size of the beak and the hallux (the toe facing backwards), the length of the wings and tail, and the weight of the bird (he came in at a whopping eight pounds, which is a good size for a bird who had only hatched this year).   After the measurements had been written down, we encircled one ankle with a metal bird band and affixed it with the pop-rivet gun.

After a short walk down the road we took off his hood and released him  

Then we took a walk down the road and near the railroad tracks, not a thousand feet from the Meramec River, and there, we took off the hood and threw him up into the air.  He flew with ease, down the railroad tracks and into the trees on the edge of the river. 

It was refreshing, knowing that not all of the birds we release here at WBS have suffered an injury.  Sometimes, all a bird needs is a little help getting on its way.

Submitted by Emily Hall, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

Calling All Goblins...

It’s time for spooks and goblins and things that go bump in the night!

Our Naturalist ghoul rises from her coffin after a 400 year sleep! 

….and what better place to experience those creepy crawlies—those spine tingling creatures of myth and legend—than the World Bird Sanctuary’s annual Creatures of Halloween presentation?

 You can't hear her...but you can feel the swoosh of the Barn Owl's silent flight!

Feel the swoosh of silent wings right over your head as our resident ghoul gives you the lowdown about the many myths and legends surrounding these creatures.  If it flies, slithers or crawls be prepared to meet it up close at this hair raising presentation.

Meet our creepy crawlies such as this Tarantula

Bring your little ghouls and goblins (in costume if you wish) and join us on October 28 to meet and learn the REAL STORY about the resident creatures of the night and creepy crawlies that call the World Bird Sanctuary home. 

 All things that slither are not slimy--take this opportunity to touch a real live snake

Come join us for a “spooktacular” good time.  The creepiness begins at 7 pm sharp on Friday, October 28,

 Find out why the Eurasian Eagle Owl, the largest owl in the world, has such piercingly large eyes

To make your reservations call 636-225-4390, Ext. 0.

Program Date:  Friday, 10/28

Program Fee:  $9.00 for adults, $7.00 for children

Program Time:  7 pm to 8 pm

Reservations required

For the safety of our animals and our other guests, no pets please.

Open House 2011

Open House – Save The Date

Fall is in the air—the leaves are beginning to turn—and World Bird Sanctuary’s Open House event is just around the corner!

Enjoy the shows while our birds fly right over your heads

Those in the know will tell you that the WBS Open House is one of the most entertaining Fall events in the St. Louis area.

Enjoy a concert by our own Raptor Project band

Come join us for free Birds in Flight demonstrations.  Enjoy a concert by our in house band, the Raptor Project.  Stroll our grounds and enjoy sing-alongs, story telling, crafts for the kiddies, a scavenger hunt, and much, much more. 

Have your photo taken holding a Eurasian Eagle Owl--the largest owl species in the world!

For a small fee have your photo taken while you hold Xena, our Eurasian Eagle Owl.  Have your face painted, talk to our naturalists and guest exhibitors.  Bring your camera, as there will be ample opportunity to take photos of our birds unobstructed by cages or bars.

Have your questions answered by our naturalists

 Refreshments available for purchase.  Explore our trails.  Take a tour of our behind the scenes area, which is open for viewing only during Open House.  Meet Dorothy the Andean Condor and Thor the Stellar’s Sea Eagle. 

Mark your calendars for Saturday and Sunday, October 15 and 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  For directions Click Here.

For the safety of our animals and our other guests, no pets please.

Submitted by Gay Schroer, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer/Photographer

WBS Presents Bird Show at Silver Dollar City

Branson, Missouri has long been considered the “Nashville of the West” because of all of the music shows it sports. 

Music isn't the only thing happening at Silver Dollar City this fall - Photo by Jena Baumgarten

A drive down Route 76 in Southern MO would help anyone understand.  Names like Andy Williams and Dolly Parton flash in big, bright lights from the tops of their theaters.  Branson also has one of the country’s premier theme parks--Silver Dollar City.  Silver Dollar City has one of the country’s premier bird shows produced and casted by the World Bird Sanctuary.  We call the show “Birds of Prey in Flight,” and to say the least, it is aptly named.

The beautiful Echo Hollow Theater at Silver Dollar City - Photo by Jena Baumgarten

To begin with, the theater the birds perform in, Echo Hollow Theater, is one of the biggest and steepest theaters in which we have ever presented a bird show.  You can ask the trainers for the show, Leah Tyndall, Lindsay Focht, Leah Sainz and Dana Lambert, about how many stairs they must climb and descend before, during and after each show.  By the end of the show they all look forward to having ripped bodies and thighs of steel.

Tsavo the Bateleur Eagle takes off for the long flight down to the stage - Photo by Jena Baumgarten

Many of the birds fly from the very top of the theater to the stage, and in order to do this they fold their wings into their sides and attain speeds that will defy your logic, yet they nimbly slow in time to lightly touch down on trainer’s gloves or stage perches.

Hunter, our Eurasian Eagle Owl is a big bird, having about a 5-foot wingspan.  He flies from as high in the theater as you can get.  He folds in his wings and becomes an air force missile as he heads for the speaker’s glove.  His and all the birds’ flights around the theater will take your breath away! 

Norbert the Bald Eagle  lands at the top of the amphitheater after one of his flights- photo by Jena Baumgarten

The show also has spectacular flights by Wagner, the Red-tailed Hawk, Marshmallow, the European Barn Owl, Trinidad and Carmen, our Military Macaws, Jack, the Harris Hawk, Vader, the Black Vulture, Tsavo our Bateleur Eagle, and Norbert our Bald Eagle, all of whom fly 6 flights for every show.

There goes Norbert again thrilling the crowd - photo by Jena Baumgarten

As Assistant Director of the World Bird Sanctuary I have been working in and producing bird shows for WBS for 26 years.  In that time I have been part of thousands of shows in 29 different zoos, theme parks and aquariums around the nation.  I can say without a doubt the best flights I have ever seen in any bird show are going on right now at Silver Dollar City.

Norbert accepts applause from the crowd after six thrilling flights - photo by Jena Baumgarten

The park is open Wednesdays through Sundays from now through 29 October.  WBS presents 3 shows a day at 11:00, 1:00 and 3:00, weather permitting.  Branson is just 4 hours from St. Louis. 

Come on down and see us!

Submitted by Jeff Meshach, World Bird Sanctuary Assistant Director

Bats and Rabies

Often when you say the word bat, many people immediately think of rabies. 

Batty, one of our resident Straw-colored Fruit Bats

Did you know that less than 1% of all bats have rabies.   In order to understand this topic it’s important to understand the facts about bats and rabies.  Worldwide about 55,000 people die per year due to rabies.  Most of the rabies contracted by people come from dog bites. 

Rabies is a preventable viral infection of the central nervous system in mammals.  Rabies is generally transmitted through the bite of an infected animal.  You cannot get rabies just from looking at a bat, being in a room with a bat or by coming in contact with bat guano.  Rabies is readily prevented by post-contact vaccination, but is almost always fatal after symptoms appear.  If you are bitten by any animal you must seek prompt medical attention and follow all doctor’s advice.  Bats do have small teeth and bite marks may not be apparent.  If you find a bat in the room of an unattended child or mentally impaired person seek medical advice.  If you are able, try to capture the bat using a box or a can while wearing leather garden gloves.   Do not handle it with your bare hands.

Scar--he and his brother greet visitors in our Nature Center

Most of us have been told if you come across a strange animal acting aggressive, foaming at the mouth, or just acting weird to stay away; good advice.  Rabies in bats is very different.  The virus will actually cause the bat to become paralyzed.  So the best advice is, if you find a bat on the ground do not pick it up.

For more information on the subject go to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more information on exposure to rabies.

Submitted by Cathy Spahn, World Bird Sanctuary Field Studies Coordinator