Holiday Lights Recycling

Don’t throw away your holiday lights!

It’s that time of year when we put up our holiday lights and decorate our trees.  But wait!  Don’t throw out those lights that aren’t working!  Recycle them!

This year, World Bird Sanctuary is partnering with St. Louis Green  to ensure that less lights end up in landfills.

You can drop off your holiday lights at any convenient location – a full list is available on the St. Louis Green website   World Bird Sanctuary is one such convenient location.

At World Bird Sanctuary we support small lifestyle changes that collectively make a big impact on preserving our environment.  Please drop off your non-working lights in the red recycling bin at the top of the stairs that lead to WBS’ nature center.  You can do your part for ensuring a more environmentally sustainable holiday season for St. Louis. 

Look for this red recycling bin at the top of the amphitheater stairs

St. Louis Green will ensure that they are recycled properly!  Our red recycle bin will remain in place until 1/12/14.

Submitted by Catherine Redfern, World Bird Sanctuary Development Director

Lightning....Creature of Speed and Agility

My heart is sad tonight.  This lovely creature of speed and agility passed away November 20.

Photo published by permission of Sandra Lowe

Lightning, an extraordinary Peregrine Falcon, slipped quietly and peacefully away from us on 11/20, having lived a full 22 years.  A Peregrine Falcon's natural life span is only about 12-15 years in the wild, so we were honored to have this lovely gent with us for so long.

A veteran of the United Stated Air Force B.A.S.H. program, he came to live with us when it was time for him to retire.  His duty then became to delight and educate thousands of people in programs or as they visited him at World Bird Sanctuary.  Delight and educate he did.

On this Thanksgiving Day we are thankful to have been honored by this beautiful creature's presence for all these years. Rest in Peace sweet birdy.  We will miss you.

Photo and story submitted by Sandra Lowe, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer

Shop Green This Year

Shop Green this holiday with World Bird Sanctuary's Gift Giving Guide!

PLUS: Scroll down for a coupon!

Make them smile this holiday season with a unique heartwarming gift that makes a difference!   Your choice to fulfill your holiday gift list from World Bird Sanctuary's selection of gifts will provide you with unique, one-of-a-kind gifts that will have your friends and family feeling special.  It will also help the World Bird Sanctuary to continue to fulfill our mission through wildlife rehabilitation and environmental education.

Return to the Wild!  Buy a gift certificate for the release of a rehabilitated bird back into the wild.

Treating a wild bird of prey admitted to our wildlife hospital can cost up to $1,000.  This special gift certificate entitles the recipient to take part in the release of a rehabilitated bird back into the wild.  Invite family and friends to release a bird of prey at your home or nearby park.  The World Bird Sanctuary Wildlife Hospital is a cornerstone of the World Bird Sanctuary, and is entirely funded by donations from the public. Help us give our patients a second chance to fly. Buy a Return to the Wild! Gift Certificate today!

$150.00.  Click here  to order your Return to the Wild! Gift Certificate, or email Catherine Redfern (link: credfern@worldbirdsanctuary.org), or call 636-225-4390 ext. 102.

Help us Pave the Way!   Buy-a-Brick and help us pave our amphitheater while leaving a lasting impression of your environmental values!

 The stairs are done!  Next area to be paved with inscribed bricks--the amphitheater.

Your brick will be laid in our amphitheater.  Each year our environmental education programs teach thousands of people how to make small everyday changes that will have a lasting environmentally sustainable impact for years to come.  Your purchase of one of our engraved bricks will allow us to achieve this goal, while providing you with a new and lasting way to recognize loved ones or commemorate special occasions.

Options range from $125 - $425  Click here to order your Engraved Brick.

Adopt-a-Bird! Make someone special the proud adoptive parent of one of over 200 animals at World Bird Sanctuary!

Acorn the Eastern Screech Owl is just one of the many animals available for adoption.

Your adoption fees help us to care for your animal for one year, as they live at the Sanctuary and travel around the country, teaching thousands of people about how to protect their friends in the wild and their habitats!  Your adoption packet includes a Certificate of Adoption, photographs and natural histories of your adopted animal and special visiting privileges.

Adoptions range from $25 - $150.  Click here to see our gallery of animals available for adoption. 

Give the Gift of Friendship!  A "Friend of World Bird Sanctuary" Gift Subscription is the gift that keeps giving all year!
Give the gift of friendship by giving your friends or family a gift subscription as a World Bird Sanctuary Friend.  WBS Friends receive invitations to "Friends only" events, and a membership card gives Friends a 10% discount on program fees at World Bird Sanctuary and on any item in our gift shop.

"Friends" subscriptions range from $35 - $100.  Click here to sign a friend or family member up for the "Friends" program.

Special gifts to Help our Wildlife Hospital!  All proceeds from the sale of these products go directly to treating and caring for animals in our wildlife hospital.

”Save the Future” CD and "All Across The Watershed" CD

World Bird Sanctuary's in-house band, The Raptor Project, has released two CDs, Save the Future and All Across The Watershed.  They consist of original songs about birds, the environment and taking care of our planet.  These fun and entertaining children's CDs comes with lyric sheets and education sheets embedded in the CD.

Save the Future CD or All Along The Watershed CD - $12 plus $3 shipping and handling for each.
Click here to order.

Valid from November 29^th to December 24^th, 2013, only – shop in our gift shop and get 10% of all purchases on gift shop items, Adopt a Bird packages and Friends Memberships.  Not valid on Return to the Wild.  Not valid for online purchases.

To print the coupon:

*   MAC users--click on the image, hold down the mouse and drag the image to your desktop.  Open the image and print as usual.

*  PC users--hover the mouse over the image, click "Open Image in a New Tab"--it will open a new tab with just the image.  Print as usual.  Or alternatively--print the whole blog page and bring it in.

Thank you for considering World Bird Sanctuary when you do your holiday gift shopping this year.  For even more 'green gifts' visit the World Bird Sanctuary gift shop,located in our Nature Center, where we have many seasonal items and apparel for sale.

Submitted by Catherine Redfern, Director of Development, World Bird Sanctuary.

Birdlore: The Mighty Thunderbird

 Legends are stories based on primitive human interpretation of witnessed events to explain the natural order of the world. 

Over time, these stories tend to change and become larger than life. A single legend will diverge into various versions as separate cultures will regard the focus of the said legend in a different light.  The legend of the thunderbird is a classic example.  In most Native American cultures, the thunderbird could create thunder and lightning with the beating of its wings.

Patriot the Bald Eagle

The thunderbird is likely inspired by Bald Eagles or Golden Eagles.  Even today, we are still in awe of these magnificent raptors.  It is easy to understand how earlier cultures would see eagles as a logical cause for storms when the science of water cycles was not yet known.

In the Americas references to the thunderbird can be found widespread among Pacific Northwestern, Northeastern, and Plains tribes.  Aside from being the originator of fierce storms, the thunderbird has been regarded as a protector to the Native Americans, a trickster, a challenger to other great powers in the natural world, or a malevolent being that would kill anyone that would trespass on his sacred mountain.

One tale of the Thunderbird comes from the Quileute tribe of the northern Pacific coast:

Legend has it that the Thunderbird was a great creature with feathers the size of a canoe paddle.  As he flew through the sky, he created thunder and wind with the flap of his mighty wings and flashed lightning from his eyes when he blinked.  Hunters were afraid of the Thunderbird, so they did not stay near his sacred mountain very long.

The Thunderbird lived off the meat of the whale and each day would go out to the ocean to catch the whale and fly it back to his mountain to eat. One time Thunderbird had a great battle with Killer Whale.  The Thunderbird would catch Killer Whale and fly back to his mountain, but Killer Whale would escape and return back to the ocean.  On and on the Thunderbird would capture the whale, only to have him get away every time.  During their long and hard struggle, Thunderbird would beat his wings with terrible force and breathe life into storms, which uprooted trees in the many places of their battle in the mountains.

A totem depicting the struggle between Thunderbird and Killer Whale.  

Finally, Killer Whale escaped to the middle of the ocean and Thunderbird gave up the battle. 

According to the legend the battle between Thunderbird and Killer Whale explains why Killer Whales inhabit the deep ocean, and how the storms from so many battles created prairies among the forests on the northern Pacific Coast.

Submitted by Jessica Bunke, World Bird Sanctuary Trainer

Chewk-Chewk-Chewk

Chewk- Chewk- Chewk is the alarm call of the Osprey.

The Osprey or sea hawk is one of the most common birds of prey and is found on every continent except Antarctica.  Locally in the U.S. the Osprey is found everywhere on or near water, and they are not shy about living amongst humans.  The diet of the Osprey is almost completely comprised of fish and they are completely specialized for a life style on the water.

An adult Osprey

Common on almost every continent, the Osprey is a master of its craft as a fisher.  With a worldwide population over half a million, the Osprey is one of the most widespread birds of prey.  The Osprey is found in most temperate regions throughout the world, from Canada to Argentina and Ireland to North Africa.  Temperate zone Ospreys do migrate, typically with the changing of the seasons in most regions.

The Osprey is specially designed to hunt on water in many very interesting ways. Sporting long slender wings and a short tail, the Osprey’s wingspan measures up to 6 feet in large females.  The Osprey is specially equipped with an outer toe that can rotate toward the back toe to help catch and hold on to slippery fish.  The scales on the feet and legs are fashioned in an upward position and is opposite of all the other birds of prey. These upside down scales make the legs more hydrodynamic when the bird plunges completely into the water to catch a fish (Bald Eagles catch fish near the water’s surface).  The pads on the bottom of the Osprey’s feet are made up of tiny barb like bumps.   Even the nose holes (nares) of the Osprey can be closed, which comes in handy when the Osprey hits its prey below the surface of the water and then has to fly out of the water with the fish.

The Osprey is among just a few of the legendary and mythical creatures that have been recorded in human culture from the beginning.  This is probably due to the common connection to water and fishing that humans and Ospreys share.  They are able to coexist in and amongst humans quite successfully as long as they are respected. 

The Osprey is truly one of the world’s most successful and magnificent animals.  If you would like to see an Osprey up close, stake a stroll down the WBS display line and visit our resident Osprey, Bennett (from late March through mid November).

Submitted by Adam Triska, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

Really Weird Birds - The Alpine Swift

The Alpine swift is an amazing migratory bird that spends its breeding season, which is the Northern Hemisphere summer months, in and around the Mediterranean and the northern Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, through to western Asia and India. 

Before the arrival of winter, they migrate south to southern and eastern Africa, where there is a seasonal abundance of insects.  They have wide gaping mouths perfect for catching and swallowing insects while in flight.

Alpine swift in flight. 

Recently published in the journal Nature Communications, is a study that shows the first evidence that the Alpine swift can fly day and night for 200 days straight during their migration.  This is longer than any other recorded bird.  Six birds were affixed with a device that recorded acceleration and ambient light.  This determined when the birds flapped their wings, glided, and when they rested.  The results show that they didn’t fly during their breeding season, when they had to incubate their eggs and land on the nest to feed babies.  However, they glided and flapped during their entire southern migration (which included across the Sahara Desert!).  They also glided and flapped during their entire overwintering period in sub-Saharan West Africa! Then of course the return migration was non-stop also, meaning this little bird spends more than six and a half months of non-stop, day and night flight, which covers about 6,200 miles!

Flying and staying airborne uses up a lot of energy and Alpine swifts must be able to recover and rest while still aloft.  The results from the study are still inconclusive as to whether the birds actually sleep during their time above ground.  Perhaps these birds, like some other organisms, use unihemispheric sleep, where half the brain powers down into sleep mode while the other half remains alert; or perhaps they only sleep during their breeding season. 

They are of course very well adapted to eating in the air.  They will swallow small insects, but what also nourishes them is called aerial plankton.  It’s a mixture of fungus spores, bacteria, minute seeds, and those tiny insects.  Aerial plankton also contains enough water for Alpine swifts to last them indefinitely.

This research team next hopes to discover the evolutionary causes responsible for this extraordinary behavior.

Submitted by Sara Oliver, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Seeking Volunteer Pilots

World Bird Sanctuary has been doing aerial surveys of Bald Eagles along the Mississippi River for over 30 years.

Counters Emily Hall and Sara Carter, Recorder  Mike Zieloski,ready to do a census flight 

World Bird Sanctuary enlists volunteer pilots to fly from the Confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers north to 6 miles north of Quincy Illinois. We count the Bald Eagles along the river.

Pilot Joe St. Clair fills out paperwork while Emily Hall looks on 

The pilot for this flight was Joe St. Clair, who volunteers his services to an organization called Wings of Hope.  Wings of Hope flies out of Spirit Airport in Chesterfield Missouri. They fly medical missions to children’s hospitals and to 47 countries around the globe.

Our pilots, who share a Cessna 185 high winged plane were unable to help us last year due to issues with the plane.  Joe St.Clair shares the plane with Paul Knese and others. Paul has helped with Eagle Census Flights, too.

We are looking for additional pilots with Cessna high winged planes to help with the census this December, January and February.  We often see some amazing wildlife on these flights, and some years some interesting ice formations.

If you know of a pilot who could help us please contact Jeff Meshach, Director,  World Bird Sanctuary at 636-861-3225.

Emily Hall and Sara Carter  ready for take-off 

We would like to continue our multi year study of Bald Eagles along the Mississippi River.

Photos and Story submitted by Michael Zeloski, World Bird Sanctuary Director of Education 

Dorothy

Dorothy, our Andean Condor, or Vultur gryphus in Latin, is one of our largest birds at World Bird Sanctuary.  She has a wingspan of roughly 10 and a half feet, which happens to be almost exactly twice my height!  

Dorothy, WBS's young Andean Condor

Currently Dorothy is enjoying her days on the display line where you can come and see her between 8 am and 5 pm every day.  

Dorothy was hatched here at World Bird Sanctuary from a breeding pair of Andean Condors that we had on a breeding loan from the Cincinnati Zoo.  Andean Condors mate for life and during that pair’s 10 year tenure at WBS they raised 6 babies; a very successful rate considering that in the wild they usually lay only one egg every 2 years.  

Someday soon Dorothy will sport the beautiful plumage and ruff seen here on her mother, Laurel

Dorothy’s five brothers and sisters were then sent back to Cincinnati Zoo where they were eventually successfully released back into the wild in western South America, where you would naturally find them soaring through the air.   WBS chose to keep Dorothy so she could be one of our many ambassadors to educate our guests about problems birds are having worldwide.  

In South America, Andean Condors are classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.  In the wild they face threats from poisoning and human persecution by farmers, who believe that the condors are killing their livestock.  

Thankfully Dorothy is safe here at WBS where after hours she is being trained. Hopefully she will star one day in some of our educational programs.  Adam Triska, a staff member at WBS, and I  have recently started working with her to teach her to go easily into and out of a large crate in case she would ever need to be moved.  We are also working with her to go to specified targets, much like our White Pelicans do during some of our programs.  

Andean Condors are very social birds in the wild, where there have been reports of up to 40 condors feeding from a single carcass.  Dorothy looks as if she really enjoys the company of working with us and doing things correctly.  She is also a quick learner--a sign of high intelligence.  She picks up on cues and body language much faster than many of the other birds.  

Here I am teaching Dorothy to go into and out of her crate

Training is going very well and Dorothy always seems to get excited when she sees us walking towards her enclosure with our training equipment.  So far this is just the beginning of her training and I find that I look forward to working with her at the end of each day at WBS.  

When you visit the World Bird Sanctuary be sure to walk down the exhibit line to see Dorothy.  You can’t miss her—she’s the REALLY BIG bird.

Submitted by Mike Cerutti, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

Sleep, Nap or Siesta?

Have you ever wondered how many owl species there are in the world?  No one may ever know the exact number, but there are definitely over 200 species of owls in the world!  There is one owl in particular that I would like to introduce to you in this blog.  Her name is Siesta and she is a Mottled Owl (Strix virgata), formerly known as Ciccaba virgata.

The Mottled Owl is native to Mexico, Central America and South America.  The type of habitat where they are found varies from dry forest to humid lowland rainforests.  Their diet consists of small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, small birds, and insects.  From this list of the wide array of foods they eat, you can gather that they are opportunistic eaters.  Siesta’s favorite food here at WBS is mice!  She is also given rabbit, chicks (chicken), and venison (deer) on other occasions. 

Mottled Owls have a wingspan of about 3 feet and are 13-15 inches in height.  With most birds of prey the females are larger than the males.  These small owls range from 175-350g (.39 - .77 lbs.) in weight. 

Mid to late winter is breeding season for owls.  Mottled Owls choose a nest made by a larger bird in the past.  These nests can be found low near the ground or very high in the trees.  Once a year Mottled Owls will lay 2 round white eggs that hatch after about 23-28 days of incubation by the female.  After about 30 days of the chicks being in the nest they start to fledge (leave the nest). Siesta gets broody (in the mood to nest) during owl breeding season, so we give her a wooden egg to satisfy her needs during this time. 

Because of their size, Mottled Owls do not live a very long life in the wild.  They can reach 6 or 7 years in the wild, but in captivity that number can increase dramatically.  Siesta was hatched in April of 1995, so she is 18 years old this year.  We hope she will continue to age well with us at the World Bird Sanctuary. 

Siesta is such an adorable owl, that you wouldn’t think she could get any cuter!  But wait!  When you come to visit her, she will show off her beautiful long eyelashes!  When visitors approach her enclosure she will often seem to bat her lashes at them.  She is such a gorgeous little owl!

Siesta is available for adoption in our Adopt a Bird program.  To find out more information Click Here or call 636-861-3225, ext. 106.  All adoption donations are tax deductible. 

Throughout the year Siesta can be seen at the Environmental Education Center at the World Bird Sanctuary, which is open daily from 8am-5pm.  Siesta is a very interesting bird to view.  You should stop on by and visit her! 

Submitted by Lisbeth Hodges, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

WBS Shops With The Saints

I often shop at thrift stores for old board games, and realized that they carry many items that might be able to help us restock the WBS intern and staff housing units.  After talking with Jan Falcon of the St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store we were allowed to go on a shopping spree. 

L to R:  Joe Hoffmann & Sirrocco, Janet Falcon, St. Vincent dePaul Society, Roger Holloway & Liberty

I filled our van and later filled our on-site intern and staff apartments with everything from knives and forks to medicine cabinets--and of course board games.  Many people don’t realize what it takes to run an organization like The World Bird Sanctuary.  We need support of all kinds and everyone can help in their own way.  Please support those who support us.  Some people are Saints! 

The World Bird Sanctuary has always supplied housing to many of our staff and interns.  For many years it was an old farmhouse built in 1850.  We have modernized it and now, in addition, we have many economy apartments throughout our site. 

There are many items within our housing that still needed some updating.  Although we have a wish list of items needed for the birds there are many household items needed by the staff and interns residing at the sanctuary, such as toasters, lamps, couches, etc. 

The St. Vincent De Paul thrift shop nearest to WBS is located in Ballwin at 14660 Manchester Road and they really have been Saints for all of us at the World Bird Sanctuary.

Submitted by Joe Hoffman, Sanctuary Manager for the World Bird Sanctuary

Fall Migration

The migration is underway for many species of birds in North America. The migration is a natural occurrence that happens every fall and spring. In our neck of the woods many migrant species have started to build in numbers for the migration south. The St. Louis area is located on the Mississippi Flyway, or bird highway, that lots of species use to fly to their overwintering grounds.

Migration is the seasonal movement between breeding and overwintering grounds for many North American birds. Migrating birds are primarily driven by the availability of food, temperature and the photoperiod. Most North American migrating birds will leave for their overwintering grounds in early fall and return as early as late winter to breed and raise their young.

The Mississippi flyway is one used by many species in North America. Almost half of the waterfowl and shorebirds found in North America use the Mississippi flyway as a migration route. The Mississippi flyway is highly productive because the Mississippi River has carved a path into the landscape for the birds to follow south and the river itself provides many types of food for the migrants.

As the days get shorter and the leaves begin to change many new bird species will be finding their way into our backyards. Some of the more noticeable species that will be migrating are the Hummingbirds, Starlings, and Robins. In the weeks to come keep an eye out for new winged visitors in the yard.

Submitted by Adam Triska, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Help Support Our Veterans

World Bird Sanctuary supports veterans at

Whole Foods Market® Community Support Day.

5% of Sales Donated to Joshua Chamberlain Society

You’re invited to join World Bird Sanctuary at our local Whole Foods Market stores as we support the efforts of the Joshua Chamberlain Society at the Whole Foods Market Community Support Day, this Thursday, November 7^th.  World Bird Sanctuary will have a live bald eagle meet-and-greet at each store to say thank you to our veterans and their families for their service to our country.

The Joshua Chamberlain Society (“JCS”) is a grass roots 501(c) (3) federally tax exempt charity that was formed with the mission of providing long term support to veterans that sustained permanent combat injuries.  JCS also provides long-term support to the children of veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice in our service.

Whole Foods Market – Brentwood and Whole Foods Market – Town & Country are holding a Community Support Day for the Joshua Chamberlain Society of St. Louis. Five percent of total sales on Thursday, November 7th from these locations will be donated to the Joshua Chamberlain Society. This donation will aid in funding of their permanently injured veterans and families of Fallen Heroes in the St. Louis Region.

Community Support Day Activities:

Displays & information about JCS and upcoming events

Meet a live Bald Eagle -11:30-12:30 (Town & Country); 1-2PM (Brentwood)

Red, White & Blues Raffle – win STL Blues tix!

Red, White & Bean Contest with giveaways

All-American Apple pie tasting

Children’s activities, including camouflage bear hunt & patriotic tattoos (Town & Country location)

JCS volunteers, staff, and Heroes will be on hand throughout the day to provide information about the organization.

When:

Thursday, November 7^th from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Where:

Whole Foods Market – Brentwood                   

1601 S. Brentwood Blvd.                                     

At Brentwood Blvd. and Eager Rd.                    

and

Whole Foods Market - Town & Country
1160 Town & Country Crossing Dr.
SW corner of Clayton & Woods Mill Rds.

We hope to see you at Whole Foods Market on Thursday, where your shopping will make a difference to the veterans that serve our country and the families that support them.

Event sponsored by Whole Foods Market

For The Love Of An Eagle

I have been a World Bird Sanctuary volunteer for 10 years now and I can remember the first time I laid eyes on one of the World Bird Sanctuary’s Bald Eagles.

I was in college in Macomb, IL and my sister, brother-in-law and I decided to travel to Keokuk, Iowa one weekend to go eagle watching.  It was an experience to remember.  We had a great viewing of eagles at the Lock and Dam that year.  It was my first time seeing so many of them at once.  We had easily counted over 100 eagles within a few hours.  However, the bonus was that in the Kississippi Mall there was an eagle program going on that we didn’t know about.  So we took a break from the cold and went to check it out.  It was my introduction to an eagle named Myakka and an organization that has come to mean so much to me.

There I sat, next to my sister, in the movie theater with tears of joy pouring down my face, much like now as I remember Myakka sitting on his perch.  One look at Myakka and I was hooked.  I just could not take my eyes off of him through the whole presentation, and I remember how awestruck I was standing by him after the program.   I heard his story during the presentation and the pain I felt for what had happened to him ripped at my heart.  He was raised in captivity and released to the wild in the early 90’s, when the population was endangered. He was a part of the release program to help bring the eagles back, but someone shot him.

Myakka was a beautiful eagle and a great ambassador for his species.  I left that theater with more respect, and for the love I already had for Bald Eagles.  I also left with a deep respect for the ones who worked with him. I wanted to do so much more for Myakka and the World Bird Sanctuary.

Years later after graduating, and then moving to the St. Louis area, I was able to reconnect with the World Bird Sanctuary and found Myakka again. 

Volunteer Jennifer Jones and Myakka - photo by Sandra Lowe

A few years after that I was volunteering at the Sanctuary, and was honored to be working with him.  I felt like I had come full circle with Myakka, a chance to meet him so many years ago and then the honor to work with him many years later. 

Myakka was my first eagle love, but in a way he helped to introduce me to another eagle very near and dear to my heart.

Myakka was a big reason why I am where I am today.  He was the first eagle I was able to get up close to, and had the honor and privilege of working with so many years later.  It was a bit of love at first sight; just don’t tell Liberty (another of WBS’s education Bald Eagles) on me.

Thank you Myakka!  You have given not only me, but those who knew you, so much.

In loving Memory of Myakka

Submitted by Jennifer Jones, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer