365 Photo Project-October 2014

October at the World Bird Sanctuary has been a very busy month.  With special events and a busy travel schedule I have not had that many photo opportunities. 

I did however take one morning in between storms to take a leisurely walk on WBS property.  As staff, sometimes we get so focused on the area where we work (such as the Nature Center) that we do not stop and look at the other amazing birds we work with on a daily basis, at least from a photographer’s perspective.  I have to admit it is a very challenging process to pick just a few photos to feature here.

Sole, the Peregrine Falcon (photo: Cathy Spahn)

My first favorite photo is of one of the newest birds on our education team; Solo, the Peregrine Falcon.  Solo is a juvenile Peregrine Falcon whose egg was laid in a nest in Clayton, Missouri.  Before the eggs were hatched the female falcon suffered a severe wing injury and did not survive.  WBS rescued the three eggs and hatched all three in our incubators.  One baby did not survive; one was placed in the nest of another wild falcon pair and was fostered by them.   Unfortunately, Solo was hatched with a few deformities that do not allow him to use his feet properly and his beak is slightly askew; therefore, he has difficulties tearing food.  Because he could not be released he will spend his life as an education bird.  He is a great bird and can teach everyone so much.  On this particular morning when Solo was put outside in the Weathering Area at the Nature Center, he started flapping his wings, and I took the opportunity to get some photos.  I managed to take this photo of him with his wings out.  This photo was my favorite from my morning walk.

Rochester, the Common Buzzard (photo: Cathy Spahn)

The next photo I took a few minutes after photographing Solo is a beautiful photo of Rochester.  Rochester is a Common Buzzard that is in training to join our education team.  Rochester is a sibling to Rodrigo a Common Buzzard that’s in training for the programs WBS presents at Zoos, theme parks and aquariums around the nation.  WBS recently also acquired Rochester’s and Rodrigo’s parents. Their parents are interestingly colored; one light colored bird and one dark, almost charcoal bird.  Rodrigo looks like one of the parents, while Rochester is a very rufous colored bird.  His beautiful color just gets more striking to me by the day.  We are currently training him to fly and he is really becoming an amazing performer.

Tsavo, the Bateleur Eagle (photo: Cathy Spahn)

The last photo I want to include is of Tsavo, the Bateluer Eagle.  The Bateluer Eagle is considered to be one of the most colorful eagles in the world.  This head shot shows off just some of that coloration.  It also captures his personality perfectly.

I find that at times, since I see these birds every day, I sometimes take them for granted.  This kind of walk gives me a chance to step back and appreciate the beauty of the animals that I work with every day.

Submitted by Cathy Spahn, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

The Common Buzzard: Vulture or Hawk?

Some people mistakenly call our native vultures buzzards.  What they may not know is that a buzzard is in fact closely related to a hawk. 

Long long ago when people started moving to North America from Europe they would look at the skies and say, “Look at the buzzard.”  Little did they realize that the bird soaring overhead wasn’t really a buzzard.  It was a vulture that looked similar in flight to the buzzards found throughout Europe. 

Rochester, WBS's Common Buzzard (Photo: Christina Ranken)

A great example of a buzzard is the Common Buzzard, Buteo buteo.  Common Buzzards are found throughout  Europe, extending into Asia.  If you ever go to Europe, the best way to spot them is when they are soaring around in circles, just like our vultures do here in the U.S.  Also, the Common Buzzard often will have a “v” shape, with the ends of their wings well above their backs as they soar—again, just like our Turkey Vulture here in the U.S.   

During mating season the Common Buzzard male will perform aerial displays to impress a potential mate, soaring, tumbling, and loop the loop in the sky.  This impressive display is called a “roller coaster”.

After finding a mate the pair will then build a nest.  The female will lay a clutch of two to four eggs.  Common Buzzards do not reach sexual maturity until they are three years old.  They are also known to have a life span of twenty-five years in the wild.  This is quite long for a hawk their size. 

This buzzard falls into two groups—the Eastern group which can be found in the Atlantic Islands of Cape Verde, the Azores, Canaries and Madeira, east through most of Europe.  The Western group can be found in northern and central Asia, as far as Japan.  There are several subspecies in each group.

These guys are not a threatened species.  As of 2009 the number of wild Common Buzzards estimated is around 4 million individuals.  Though they are doing great now, they were almost wiped out at one point in the United Kingdom, due to poaching and loss of food. 

Common Buzzards prefer to eat mammals.  Studies have shown that their favorite food is rabbit. They are opportunistic eaters, so even though rabbits and other small mammals are what they prefer, they will eat just about anything they can find, including snakes, lizards, worms and insects. 

We now have a common buzzard at World Bird Sanctuary’s nature center.  His name is Rochester and he is learning to become an education bird.  Soon he will be traveling with the rest of our crew to teach the public about Common Buzzards.  Be sure to look for him when you visit the World Bird Sanctuary (link).  He usually resides in the weathering area behind the Nature Center—unless he is traveling to an education program with our naturalists.

As with all of our animals, Rochester is available for adoption through our Adopt A Bird program.  Click here if you would like to adopt Rochester, or call 636-225-4390 XT 0 for further information on how you may adopt a bird.

Submitted by Christina Ranken, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist