The Peacock's Many Eyes: A Fable

Following is another fable by our talented storyteller and ETC Supervisor, Allison Brehmer.

The Peacock’s Many Eyes

Have you ever wondered why Peacocks have so many eyes on their long, beautiful tails?

A long time ago, when humans and animals could still understand one another, there lived a Peacock and his lovely wife, the Peahen.  They had a sweet little nest built out of wood and stone.  Within this little nest, they cared for their eggs.  The Peahen would sit on them all day and turn them just so.  The Peacock would provide for her and give her everything she could possibly want.  He worked hard every day and came home late at night.

One day, while the Peacock was foraging in the woods, a snake came across the nest and couldn’t resist the lure of the Peahen’s eggs.  He snuck up behind her and swallowed up an egg without her notice.  He soon swallowed another and then another.  Happy with his meal, the snake slithered away with a fat belly.  That evening the Peacock came home and greeted his wife.  She stood to welcome him, but noticed that there seemed to be fewer eggs than there were before.  Perplexed, the Peafowl couldn’t think of a reason why an egg would suddenly disappear.  They were saddened by this find and the Peahen promised to be more vigilant.

The next day, the Peacock went back out into the woods to forage for food.  The Peahen watched every which way she could to see what could possibly be taking her eggs.  Then, out of the tall grass, she saw him come.  The snake had returned, hoping to find another easy meal.  The Peahen puffed up and tried to chase away the snake, but he was just too quick for her.  In one swallow, three more eggs were in his belly.  Satisfied, he slithered off, leaving a very distraught Peahen.

The Peacock came home that night to find his wife crying over what was left of their eggs.  She told him that a big snake came up and swallowed up their eggs.  The Peacock decided to stay and fend off the snake if he came back.  The next day, the Peacock sat on the eggs and waited.  Soon enough, the snake came crawling through the grass in search of more eggs.  The Peacock fought valiantly, but the snake was just too fierce. The Peacock laid his long, beautiful tail over the remaining eggs, but the snake just slipped between them.  He enjoyed his meal and left only one egg. The Peacock and Peahen were devastated by the loss and didn’t know what to do. 

Then a thought came to the Peacock.  In the nearby village there was an artist that painted terrifying images that frightened even the bravest of warriors and fiercest of tigers.  He went to the artist and asked to be made terrifying to scare the snake.  The artist,, who loved the beauty of the Peacock, refused the request.  But the Peacock pleaded and begged until the artist could take no more.  He agreed, but only if he choose what to paint.  The Peacock agreed and spread his long tail feathers.

The artist worked all night and used the brightest and darkest colors he had.  As the sun rose he announced that he was finally done.  The Peacock looked at himself in the mirror and spread out his feathers behind him.  He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight. It looked like a thousand eyes were glaring back at him.  He thanked the artist and ran straight home.

Within the hour the snake came to finish off the last egg.  When the snake saw the Peacock standing over his wife and egg, he laughed to himself, knowing that there was nothing they could do to stop him.  The snake approached confidently and the Peacock stood his ground.  Just as the snake was about to reach him, the Peacock opened his tail and spread it out behind him.  The snake froze at the sight of a thousand eyes staring back at him.  The Peacock took a step forward and the snake slithered back.  With a shake of his tail, the Peacock released a loud cry.  This sent shivers up and down the snake’s spine.  If he could, he would have been running away with his tail in between his legs… that is if he had legs.

The Peacock slowly put down his tail and stood proudly.  He had saved his wife and their egg from the snake’s greedy hunger.  The egg soon hatched and a little Peacock came into the world.  From then on, every Peacock was hatched with a thousand eyes on their brightly colored tail.

Submitted by Allison Brehmer, World Bird Sanctuary ETC  Supervisor

Just Four More Days to Save $100

If you've been considering attending the World Bird Sanctuary Avian Training Workshop in November there's still time to take advantage of the early registration bonus!  Save $100 by registering before October 1st!

 The "Classroom" portion of our workshop is not your average classroom

What is an Avian Training Workshop you may ask?  

The WBS Avian Training Workshop is an intensive 4-day workshop, which covers all aspects of housing, training, feeding and caring for raptors, parrots, corvids and many other species.  The workshop includes both classroom and hands-on training.

Learn how to manage weight by training your bird to step to a scale

Subjects covered in the classroom section include:  

*  Establishing your own program--permits, insurance, facilities, staff & volunteers

*  Working with and training your bird--manning and positive reinforcement, desensitizing

*  Choosing the correct species to work with

*  Transportation--crates, permits, driving, flying, shipping

*  Housing--mews, jumpboxes, A-frames, flight cages, climate, hotwiring enclosures, substrates

*  Perch types--bow, platform, screen, etc.--which perch works best for which species

*  Diets--food types, frozen vs. live, storage, prep, raising food colonies, vitamins

*  Training your birds for flying--weight management, base weights, target weighs, flyer food

 Participants learn how to free-fly a raptor

Everybody's favorite--the hands-on section:

Our staff believes the only way to learn is through the hands-on experience of doing things yourself.  At our workshop you will have the opportunity to actually do the following:

*  Make jesses, anklets, leashes

*  Practice imping feathers

*  Experience coping and trimming of a raptor

*  Participate in simple public speaking games and learn how different elements make you a better public speaker

*  Fly a Harris' Hawk and/or Barn Owl with WBS staff

*  Help train a new behavior with a White-necked Raven (continues throughout the workshop)

*  "Be the Bird" in our training game

*  Participate in emergency medical care and do a gross necropsy on a raptor

 A workshop participant learning how to tube feed an ailing bird

The workshop also includes an extensive tour of WBS' facilities and opportunities to see birds and housing up close.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.  Workshop has a minimum of 10 participants and a maximum of 20.

WHEN:  Thursday, Nov. 1st through Sunday, Nov. 4^th

EARLY REGISTRATION:  Sign up before October 1st - Cost - $650

LATE REGISTRATION:  Sign up on or after October 1st - Cost - $750

$100 non-refundable deposit required by October 1st for early registration, balance due by October 15th.

Registration fee includes lunch each day.

Transportation to and from St. Louis, hotel accommodations and breakfast & dinner are the responsibility of each participant.

To download a registration form CLICK HERE

Further questions?  Contact Teri Graves, 636-225-4390, ext. 0 or email workshop@worldbirdsanctuary.org

365 Photo Project - July

My 365 Photo Project has slowed down some recently due to the excessive heat.

The record breaking 100 plus degree temperatures in the St. Louis area have made it difficult for me to do many of my favorite outdoor activities; but luckily this month I had a short vacation with my family at the family cottage in Northern Wisconsin.  Of course I took many photos, and trying to pick just a few is very difficult.  However, I do have a couple photos that are my favorites.

The first two are similar--they are of my niece Madilyn.  We went to this small zoo in Minocqua, Wisconsin called Wildwood Wildlife Park.  There they have this budgie experience were you can go into a large flight cage with tons of budgies (short for Budgerigar Parakeet).  For $1 you can get a seed stick and the budgies flock to you to get their treat.  My nieces are 2 and 4 and they just loved this experience. 

 I managed to get two photos of Madilyn that show her pure joy at having these seemingly fearless, little creatures land on her hand.  The photos show just how much she loved the budgies. 

My next pick is a photo of my nieces Hailey, Madilyn and their dog Mollie all looking at a sailboat as it went by on the lake.  This is just a peaceful photo that transports me back to the serenity of that day when I look at it.

Submitted by Cathy Spahn, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Cooper’s Hawk Kids – Final Update

If you've been following the WBS blog you probably know the story of the pair of Cooper's Hawks who courted and nested within sight of our home.

Here's the female Cooper's Hawk (mama)

...and here's the male (papa)

In my last Cooper's Hawk blog post I described the fascinating (and sometimes hilarious) antics of the three fledglings that resulted from that mating.  (To see the first two chapters click on "Cooper's Hawks" in the list on the right side of this page.)  

Following is the final chapter in the education of the Cooper's Hawk kids.

7/18 – Today my husband saw one of the young Cooper’s Hawks chasing a Dove through the yard.  I think they’ve finally figured out what they’re supposed to hunt.  He didn’t know if it was successful, but it’s a start.

7/21 – I haven’t seen or heard the hawks for several days now.  Perhaps they’ve moved on to more productive territories.  I think they may now be hunting for themselves, since I haven’t heard them hunger screaming in the early morning lately.

7/22 – I hadn’t seen the hawks at the birdbath for several days, but finally saw one of them in a neighbor’s yard this afternoon.

Another neighbor told me that he saw one of them in his birdbath one day, and then shortly thereafter saw it lying prone in the dirt near the birdbath with it’s wings outspread. Our raptors at WBS frequently do this when they are sunbathing.  This behavior is called “pancaking”.   Since the temperatures are in the 100’s I can only guess that perhaps this bird was trying to dry its wet feathers after its bath.

7/23 – The Hawks are back from wherever they’ve been the last few days.  I didn’t see them early this morning, but the yard was absolutely quiet, which tells me they were somewhere in the vicinity.  All the songbirds are either hiding or sitting tight and not calling.  I’ve come to realize that this means the hawks are on the hunt. 

They zoomed by me on their way to the birdbath

This afternoon as I was out in the back yard two of them whizzed by within inches of my head and then landed on the birdbath.  The temperature was 106° and I’m sure they were desperate to cool off.  They usually just stand in the water.  By cooling off the blood supply to their feet it lowers their body temp.  They stood in the birdbath for about 20 minutes and hunger screamed for mom who I’m guessing is trying to wean them.

I haven’t seen the smaller male, but he is usually more wary than the two females.  According to Jeff Meshach, Director of the World Bird Sanctuary, there is good reason for his wariness.  Jeff says …”The male is wary for good reason...if his sisters are hungry enough (and you can bet they are with mom and dad hardly feeding them anymore) they will make a meal of him.  Too much size disparity between the sexes...boys can and will get made into a pellet.”

7/27 – Again, I hadn’t seen or heard the hawks for several days, but this morning as I was walking out to my van to take my granddaughter to Day Camp two of the hawks zoomed overhead and into one of the oak trees in pursuit of a smaller bird.  I think they’ve finally learned to hunt for themselves!

Any small creature who becomes the object of this fearsome stare had best beware

8/15 – I haven’t seen our hawks since that last exciting chase.  I heard one calling from across the road one day, but no sightings since then.  Their visits are becoming less and less frequent.  My guess is that they’ve now become self-sufficient and are claiming their own territories.

Even though I miss watching their antics every day I am thrilled that they’ve survived those first perilous months when so many young birds succumb to hunger, predators, drought, storms, injury, etc. 

If we’re lucky they or their parents will use this area to nest again next year.

Submitted by Gay Schroer, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer/Photographer

Field Studies Report – July 2012

During the 2012 nesting season July has been the least productive month of the study.

The constant heat and drought have caused many of the birds to abandon their eggs. The rate of success is very meager if any, and the outlook for the remainder of the study is dismal at best. Still the research goes on and I can only keep hoping for a break in the extreme weather conditions.

 Photo by Adam Triska

For July there were a total of 28 active nests, with 24 of them being Eastern Blue Bird nests and 4 House Wren nests.  Of the 109 eggs present, 88 were Eastern Blue Bird eggs and 21 were House Wren eggs.  Only 25 Babies were hatched successfully and 15 were banded. Four of the banded babies were lost due to the extreme weather conditions, so only a total of 11 babies fledged during July. The total of banded birds for this year is 293, and the overall total of birds fledged (banded or not) is still to be determined, but I would suspect the number will be in the ballpark of 350 birds.

The weather, as we all know, has been very unforgiving this month for the birds and also me.  In my weekly route I make note of temperature and other weather related information.  I recorded 12 days that were over 100° F.  This extreme heat combined with less than 1 inch of precipitation has brought the nesting season almost to a stop. From July 10-31 only 2 babies were banded, and this trend will most likely continue.

This month 10 nests and over 45 eggs were lost to predators and the elements. I expect that the number of birds lost will only increase before the nesting season is over if the extreme conditions continue.  Fear not, though!!  Nature continually throws curve balls at its residents, and the residents improvise, adapt and overcome.

Submitted by Adam Triska, World Bird Sanctuary Field Studies Coordinator

Enjoy A Fall Day In The Woods

Hey! There's Nature in My Woods!

Family-friendly guided nature hikes! 

Join us for a leisurely two-hour hike through our oak hickory forest to see what kind of nature is in our woods.  An expert naturalist will lead you on your hike - where you may see birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.  Learn about trees, rocks and who knows what else?  Each hike will be a new experience as the seasons change and we encounter different creatures.

·       Fourth Saturday of every month from April through October.

·       9am - 11am (registration at 8.30am)

·       $9 per adult; $7 per child

Reservations required - call 636-225-4390 ext. 0

Bring your family!  Bring your friends!  Bring your camera!  Bring your picnic!  And join us outside in May for fun family entertainment!

Cherry

It is with a sad heart that we must inform staff, volunteers and visitors that Cherry, our seventeen year-old Pied Crow, passed away this season from the infirmities of old age after a very long and healthy lifetime

Cherry was the first Pied Crow I worked with at the Sanctuary, and at first I didn’t like the experience.  She was clever and quick and it was always a challenge to keep one step ahead of her.   She could always manage to stash her food in places that you could not find, and if she did not want you in her space, she would poke with her beak until you left.  All and all, not a bird I was expecting to like or come to enjoy working with at all.

Early in her life she had to have 2 of her left foot toes amputated because of a strange fungal growth, but the loss never slowed her down.  As far as we trainers were concerned, the “special foot” gave her even more character.

Even though Cherry was not the most social of our corvids (a general name for crows and their kin), those she did welcome into her “flock” loved and cherished her.  She made affectionate calls to her “flock” in the morning, she built state of the art sisal and stick nests for us and presented us with bountiful gifts of tasty treats.

Over time her inquisitive and mischievous nature won me over.  She was very curious and loved digging for insects in her outdoor enclosures.  She was the best crow by which to gage the training skills of new interns or volunteers because Cherry loved to try to turn the tides and train her new handlers.  She was very good at tricking newbies into doing most of her behavior for her, usually by dropping whatever object she was supposed to be transporting at the time.

An expert recycler and excitable donations collector, Cherry seemed to have a fantastic work ethic, striving to overcome all obstacles.

She wormed her way into my heart and she will be missed dearly.  Thank you Cherry for being the best trainer of people I have ever known, and teaching me to never judge a bird based on the first impression.

Submitted by Leah Tyndall, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

Field Studies Report – June 2012

The month of June was very hot and at times humid, but this didn’t stop the birds! 

The blistering heat meant we were out in the field early

This last month I had the delight of having the WBS interns out with me to help with the study.  The interns got to see most of the developmental stages of the offspring, and even helped with banding some birds.  The second clutches, or second nesting cycle, of the season are wrapping up and the season is more than halfway over!

The weather this month has been the biggest battle thus far in the study, but early start times and plenty of water has given some relief.  In the weeks to come it will be interesting to see the impact that the heat and the lack of rain will cause to the survival rate of the offspring in the study.  With this said we still had a fairly productive June.

Having the interns out helping with the study really made a lasting impact on them, as well as me.  It was great to experience the joy of teaching and watching them band birds.  We accomplished more than just banding birds though; there were many encounters with the local area wildlife, conversations with landowners, and back breaking hikes.  In all I think that all of them walked away with a good idea of what this part of WBS field studies is about.

In the study this month there were 42 active Eastern Blue Bird and House Wren nests.  In total 193 eggs were counted and 123 of the eggs hatched.  For the month of June we ended up banding 95 birds, and 115 fledged.  The fatality numbers have increased this month largely in part to snakes preying upon the nests.  There were 6 nests raided and around 20 eggs/babies were lost.  There are many predators of baby birds and it can only be expected that some will fall victim to predators.

Now that July is here we are in the beginning of the home stretch!  The study for this year will be over on August 15, so yes, we’re almost there!

Submitted by Adam Triska, World Bird Sanctuary Field Studies Coordinator

Owl Prowls Are Back--Don't Delay!

Now Taking Reservations for This Seasons Owl Prowls!

On August 1, 2012, we opened registration for the 2012 – 2013 Owl Prowl Season. 

 Carmelita - a 30-year old Great Horned Owl who came to us as an orphan in 1982

Why is this news?  Last season we had to turn down many registrations for months, as they sell out – completely, and quickly.  Owl Prowls won’t begin until November of this year, but we are already reaching close to maximum capacity for a few of those dates.  Don’t panic – we still have several dates available and have added a few more opportunities to join us.

 Xena - WBS's 13 year old Eurasian Eagle Owl is a celebrity for her appearance in the Tournament of Roses Parade

Not sure what an Owl Prowl is all about?  Many Missouri owls are very vocal throughout the fall and winter as they establish territory boundaries.  This makes for a great opportunity to try and hear a wild owl hooting, to learn different species calls and to try and call an owl for yourself.

Join us for an Owl Prowl and you will have the chance to do just that. 

 Emerson - a Eurasian Eagle Owl - a member of the world's largest owl species is still a youngster at 2 years old

Your adventure will start inside of our Nature Center, where one of our Naturalists will give an educational presentation about several different species of owls.  Not only will you have the opportunity to see multiple species of owls up close, but you will experience their silent flight demonstrations as they fly just inches over your head.

 Timber - a red phase Eastern Screech Owl - was received at WBS in 1999.  Exact age unknown   

After the presentation you will be led on a hike where you will have an opportunity to work on your new owl calling skills.  Hopefully, you’ll get to hear one of our resident wild owls hoot back.

 Tigger - WBS's Tawny Owl - is now 20 years old.  His species is native to Britain and much of Europe

2012 DATES:

11/2  (sold out), 11/10, 11/16

12/1, 12/7, 12/15, 12/21, 12/29

2013 DATES:

1/4, 1/12, 1/18

2/1, 2/8, 2/16, 2/22, 2/23

3/1, 3/9

Owl Prowls start at 7:00 pm and will last 1.5 – 2 hours

Cost:  $9 for adults;  $7 for children under 12

Group rates available for groups of 10 or more

WBS Friends and Adopt-A-Bid parents get a 10% discount!

Reservations required.  Please call (636) 225-4390, xt. 0, to register with MC or Visa

Spaces are limit

Bald Eagles in Rehab

We recently received two Bald Eagles in the Wildlife Hospital.  Not an unusual thing for a rehab facility that specializes in injured raptors, you say?  Read on…

One of the two luckiest Bald Eagles in the state of Missouri

These two birds were brought in by different sources and were found on different sides of the state.  One of the things they both had in common was that they each had a broken wing and were starving.  The other thing they had in common was that the broken wing had healed.  In both cases the wing had healed as straight and as well as if our vets had set the wing themselves.

This is “lightning” or “lottery” odds we are talking about!

A bone takes six weeks to heal, and these birds must have found enough food near them to stay alive while they were grounded.  Then they would have had to stay still and the two halves of the bone would have to be in the right place so that it could heal properly.  Against all these odds, something must have worked in their favor. 

These eagles are flying perfectly now.  After spending some time in our rehab enclosures and being given the proper nourishment, they are now fat and well fed.  The best news is that we have now scheduled their return to the wild.

The first was released in early August and the other is scheduled to be released in October.  I hope some of their luck rubs off on me-I’m going to get my lottery tickets tonight!

Submitted by Joe Hoffmann, Sanctuary Manager, World Bird Sanctuary

Buy a Brick In Time for Open House

Have you been meaning to purchase a WBS engraved brick to honor someone special, but just have not gotten around to it?

If so, now is your chance to purchase that brick and see it installed just before our upcoming Open House on October 20 & 21.  All engraved bricks will be installed on the steps, landings, and seating areas of our amphitheater.  The available spaces on our steps are nearly completed.  These premium spaces are the ones that everyone sees when entering our amphitheater.

Don’t delay--final orders must be in by September 26 in time for us to submit the order, have the bricks engraved and shipped, and then have them installed. 

After this Fall installation we will not be ordering and installing the next batch of bricks until our Spring installation in March.

So to honor that special someone, memorialize a loved one who has passed on, remember a faithful companion, or just give an inspiring message to all who see your brick, be sure to order before 9/26.

To purchase your brick Click here for the ordering page on our website, or if you prefer to pay by check call 636-225-4390, XT 0 and tell the person answering that you want to order a brick.

Then come visit your brick on Open House weekend—or at any other time if you can’t make it to Open House.

Save a naturalist! Sponsor a glove!

How...or why?...would one sponsor a glove you may ask?  Well here's the answer....

World Bird Sanctuary’s Education Department and behind-the-scenes areas are in need of new Kalems, or bird handling gloves, named after the gentleman who originally made us these gloves.  Jim Spohn at Traditions Glove took over Mr. Kalem’s business, and Jim now makes our gloves.

 The powerful feet of our majestic Bald Eagle can inflict serious damage to a glove

Birds of Prey have very strong feet with sharp talons.  We wear Kalems when we handle birds to protect our skin from potential injury.  The Kalem is made up of several thick layers of supple leather, with additional layers padding areas where we need protection most from the talons.

 Even the feet of small American Kestrel can do significant damage

These gloves last for many years.  They are made very well and we take good care of them. Unfortunately over the years they get worn and holes develop.   Holes in gloves can be a major safety issue.  A bird could get their talon stuck in the glove potentially resulting in the bird getting injured.

The talons of a Barn Owl are as sharp as needles

The number of programs we present is growing every year, along with the number of volunteers and interns we have at any one time.  This is good news!  However, when we have many things taking place on the same day, we find that we are quickly running out of gloves that are available to use when handling birds.  This slows down volunteer and intern training.

 The talons of Max, our Tawny Eagle, have unbelievable gripping power

Here's where you come in!  We are looking for funding to help us to purchase new gloves.    We have not made a new Kalem purchase in a number of years, and they are very expensive.  We need 4 new gloves for our Education & Training Center and Eagle Training Center, 10 new gloves for the Education Department and 4 new gloves for our Wildlife Hospital.   At a cost of $72 each, this comes to a whopping $1,296! 

 You can sponsor a pristine new Kalem glove like this one

If you'd like to save a naturalist and sponsor a glove, please contact Catherine Redfern at credfern@worldbirdsanctuary.org or call 636-225-4390 ext. 102.  Or make your donation here via PayPal and specify it for a glove purchase.

Each glove donor will receive a photo of their adopted glove being worn by a grateful naturalist!

Submitted by Cathy Spahn, Naturalist

New Digs!

If you haven’t been to Grant’s Farm yet this season, then you are missing out on World Bird Sanctuary’s new bird of prey display.

 Sanibel, the Bald Eagle, in front of the visitors' viewing platform

World Bird Sanctuary has worked with Grants Farm for twenty-five years, flying birds of prey in their Animal Encounters shows and educating visitors about these majestic creatures.  Our weathering area (falconer’s term for an area where raptors on jesses are kept for the day) has always been behind the scenes and could only be seen by the public when the trams went by.  I don’t know how many children or adults alike, I have heard in the past excitedly shouting “An Eagle!” or “Look, it’s an Owl!” as the tram rolled by.

 Prius, the Gyrfalcon/Peregrine Falcon Hybrid in front of the waterfall

Even though I do miss hearing the tram-loads of visitor’s exclamations, I have to say that our new display is quite the improvement.  Now instead of seeing our birds for merely a fleeting moment as the trams roll by, visitors can view the birds at their leisure and take all of the pictures that they want.  There’s a water feature that makes a great backdrop, as well as some mature trees.

 Carmelita, the Great Horned Owl, in front of a very natural looking cliff

With the larger area, we were able to increase the number of viewable birds to seven instead of five.  Most of the birds on display are native to the United States, including a Great Horned Owl, Harris’ Hawk, Barn Owl, Bald Eagle, Red-Tailed Hawk and a Gyrfalcon-Peregrine Falcon Hybrid.  The only non-native species is the spectacular and colorful Bateleur Eagle, which is native to Africa.

 Mars, the Red-tailed Hawk, with a waterfall as a background

I hope that you have a chance to visit the new display area and stay for a show.  The Animal Encounter shows are free from Friday – Sunday at 10:30 am, 12:00, 1:30 and 3:00, from now until 4 November.  You’ll have a chance to witness the spectacular flight demonstrations of our Harris’ Hawk and Barn Owl.  Hope to see you there!

Submitted by Billie Baumann, World Bird Sanctuary Outreach Coordinator