Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from our resident creepy crawlies and creatures of the night!

Coal, the Great Horned Owl hopes you have a "hoot" on Halloween

You might not want to wear a mouse costume if you're walking past Moonshine, the Barn Owl

...and, of course Lenore, the African Pied Crow, is here to remind you to keep those candy wrappers picked up

...and of course, what would Halloween be without a bat or two?  Scar, our Straw-colored Fruit Bat can't wait for night to fall...

To all those little goblins, have a Happy Halloween....and be careful out there!

Submitted by Gay Schroer, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer/Photographer

Meet Charlie, Our Thick-billed Parrot

Charlie, our Thick-billed Parrot, spends part of her time in our Nature Center greeting guests when they enter. 

Charlie came to World Bird Sanctuary in 2007 from Kaytee Products, Inc. in Chilton, WI.  She was originally rescued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from a facility where she and three other Thick-billed Parrots were being held illegally.  They were given to Kaytee for safekeeping. 

Charlie and her friends were transferred to World Bird Sanctuary to join the free flying flock of Thick-billed Parrots housed in the large enclosure on our display line.  We chose to keep Charlie for education since she was already trained to step to trainers and mimicked a few words.

Charlie greets the staff at the Nature Center with quite an adorable foot wave, and uses the wave “shamelessly” to get treats.  Thick-billed Parrots are not known as being great mimickers, but Charlie says “Hi” very clearly.  She also makes a kissing sound.

It's hard to resist Charlie's "wave" 

Charlie seems to enjoy hanging by her beak on the sides of the cage until she gets attention; which generally comes from the members of the public that come up to the staff to tell us we have a bird that is stuck.  She is not stuck--just trying to get more attention.  All of our Thick-billed Parrots do this behavior, even the breeding flock.  We do not know how or why this behavior originated, but it certainly works to Charlie’s advantage, since it gets her the attention she likes.  This is an excellent example of how an intelligent animal like a parrot can train its human caregivers.

The Thick-billed Parrot is the only remaining parrot native to the United States.  They weigh in at 11-13 ounces, are 15-17 inches long and can live 35-40 years.  They were once found in Arizona and New Mexico, but are now only found in a small part of Mexico.  The Thick-billed Parrot lives at high elevations in the pine forests year round.  They have been given the nickname of Snow Parrot because they tolerate cold temperatures and snow.  In the wild Thick-billed Parrots eat primarily pine seeds, acorns, juniper berries, conifer buds, agave nectar and insect larvae. 

The Thick-billed Parrot is an Endangered Species with only 500-2,000 individuals left in the wild.  The main threat to the Thick-billed Parrot is habitat loss.  With forests being destroyed Thick-bills have fewer nesting sites.  Biologists are trying to work with local landowners to protect these forests.  They are also trying to use nest boxes to provide nesting sites for these birds.  Currently these efforts are helping to keep the population stable but not increasing.  The second threat to the Thick-bill is just humans.  Thick-bills are very flock oriented and when one bird goes to the ground and gets  caught in a trap, they all go to the ground, putting the entire flock in danger.

Like most of the world’s parrots, the Thick-billed Parrot is a very social parrot living in flocks all the time.  Their call can be heard up to 2 miles away.  They also have a call that can sound like children laughing.  To read more about this rare species and the part it plays at the World Bird Sanctuary Click Here.

Charlie,,as well as all of our other birds, is available for adoption.  To adopt Charlie click here to go to the Parrots Adopt A Bird page on our website, click on Charlie’s photo, then 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 adorable little character waving for her treats.

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, WBS’s quarterly newsletter.

·      Life history and natural history of the animal.

·      10% discount off WBS merchandise.

Adoption Donation for Charlie - $100.00

Submitted by Cathy Spahn, World Bird Sanctuary Field Studies Coordinator

Rocks Are Pretty Hard-core

Rocks rock!  But how much do you actually know about them? 

As old as the earth itself, there is much to learn about the many aspects of geology.  World Bird Sanctuary offers a great resource for studying rocks, fossils, gems and minerals all in a handy travel tote.  It’s called a Resource Nest Box and it’s loaded with educational books, games, videos, activities and more.  For a nominal fee of $25.00 you can rent a Resource Nest Box for a two week period through our Education Department.

This particular Resource Nest Box is called “Rocks Rock!”  In this box you will find Q & A cards about geology; guide books to rocks, gems, minerals and fossils; a book offering 50 hands-on activities to explore the earth; a video (VHS) about prehistoric life; over 100 rock and mineral specimens with ID guides; fossil replicas; rubbing plates and ID guides; and more.

WBS offers three additional Resource Nest Boxes, which are a great addition to classroom teachings, for home schoolers, day cares, scout leaders or for kids that just want to have fun and learn about our great planet and the creatures that we share it with.  Other topics include: Talon Tote; Protect Our Planet; and Where We Live.

If you’d like to reserve one of our educational and environmentally friendly Resource Nest Boxes, please call our Education Department at 636-225-4390 ext. 0.

Submitted by Billie Baumann, World Bird Sanctuary Outreach Coordinator

Free Birdfeeding Seminar

Attend a FREE Birdfeeding Seminar at WBS!

Winters can be long and hard for our feathered friends.  There are many ways that you can help to make it a little easier on them.

Join World Bird Sanctuary, Wild Delight® and Droll Yankees® to learn all you need to know about backyard birdfeeding at a free 1-hour long seminar on Sunday, November 6th, 2011. 

Expert tips on how to help birds through the winter

·      Learn which seed mixes to use to attract different bird species to your bird feeder.

·      Learn where to place your birdfeeder as well as other tips on how to make your yard attractive to birds.

·      Wild Delight® bird seed and Droll Yankees® birdfeeder giveaways at each of the 5 seminars!

Admission on a first-come, first-in basis, so get here early!

There will be five sessions, each 1 hour long.

Each session seats a maximum of 30 attendees.

Session times:

11 am

12 pm

1 pm

2 pm

3 pm

World Bird Sanctuary's birdfeeding seminars are sponsored by:

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.