Rising to the Challenge

Many of us have challenges in life; some, luckily, are momentary.  Other challenges can be permanent physical disabilities.  At the World Bird Sanctuary we have always strived to be as accessible and accommodating as possible to all of our visitors. 

Visitors' Center Touch Table (photo: Robin Kuehn)

One afternoon a gentleman who has sight impairment asked me what was available at WBS for him to experience.  I gave the man a tour of the center explaining each bird and I brought him to a touch table at the visitor center. The touch table has feathers, bones and fur for everyone to touch since we do not allow anyone to touch the birds.  I realized after his visit that we could do so much more. 

We have student interns throughout the year that are asked to complete an intern project during their time with the Sanctuary.  I assigned one of them the challenge of making the Sanctuary more inviting to visitors who might have sight impairments.  She invited local blind advocacy organizations to tour our grounds to give us recommendations on what we might do to improve the safety and enjoyment of sight impaired visitors. 

Many of our signs now have braille added to them (photo: Robin Kuehn)

As a result of this intern’s project we added braille to many of the signs at the Sanctuary. We changed chain entrances to solid gates. We painted yellow safety stripes throughout the center and we created a sensory tote bag for sight-impaired visitors to use during their visits. 

We have sensory tote bags for visually impaired guests (photo: Robin Kuehn)

The sensory tote bag contains a brail map and descriptions and information about the birds along with touch items such as feathers, skulls and bones.  The bag is available to the public by request at our visitor center near the entrance to the Sanctuary. 

Our grounds are now paved for easier navigation (photo: Gay Schroer)

We want every visitor’s time at the Sanctuary to be full of enjoyable moments.  We continued to better accommodate visitors when we paved the center.  We are very proud of our asphalt.  I never imagined how hard (expensive) it could be to pave the facility.  Thanks to the wonderful donors that helped make it happen.  The pavement makes it much easier for visitors to get around our property. 

Each building has a wheelchair which may be borrowed for guests with mobility issues (photo: Joe Hoffmann)

We also have wheelchairs available at every building on our grounds.  Just speak with one of our staff to find out where.

If you have any concerns or suggestions to make our center more accessible to visitors with challenges please contact me at 636 861-1392 and ask for Joe. 

Submitted by Joe Hoffmann, World Bird Sanctuary Rehabilitation Hospital Manager

Birds in Concert August 13, 2015: The Raptor Project

Birds in Concert at World Bird Sanctuary, presented by Ameren Missouri

Join World Bird Sanctuary and some of St. Louis’s favorite family bands for Birds in Concert 2015, sponsored by Ameren Missouri! 

The fun starts every Thursday evening at 7 pm.  Each concert lasts about 2 hours.

This week's concert features World Bird Sanctuary's in-house band, "The Raptor Project" performing their popular original songs while birds fly just inches over your heads.  Fun songs include "Turkey Named Fred", "Roadkill Shiver", "What's the Matter", "Animal Noises" and many others.

The Raptor Project always gets the crowd rocking (photo: Sandra Lowe)

Raptor Project performances are followed by an intermission, where visitors can visit event sponsors Whole Food Market and Renewal by Anderson, and stand the chance to win great prizes.  After intermission, settle down for more exciting and fun family music with the Raptor Project.

When: Thursday, August 13th -- The Raptor Project

Time:  7:00 p.m.

Directions:  Click Here

Admission and parking is FREE.  No reservations required.

For more information go to www.worldbirdsanctuary.org or call 636-225-4390 ext. 0.

Owl Eyes

Whether it be the reddish-orange of the Eurasian Eagle Owl or the stunning yellow of the Great Horned Owl, when most people see an owl for the first time they notice their eyes first. 

What most people notice first are the eyes (photo: Wm. Oberbeck III)

An owl’s eye is a highly specialized light gathering organ that has been refined over hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. The structure of an owl's eye is not all that dissimilar to the human eye, but it has evolved to see better at night. 

First of all, the eyes are large to improve the light gathering capability, particularly in the low light conditions in which they prefer to hunt.  The owl eye shape is more long and tubular rather than the round shape of our eyes. 

Second, they are held in place by bony plates in the skull called sclerotic rings, which is why owls cannot move their eyes within their sockets. 

Third, the cilliary muscles that control the shape of the cornea, and the iris muscles that control the amount of light passing through the lens, are composed of striated muscle which contracts faster than smooth muscles.

 Fourth, the eye has a special structure called a pectin (a thin, folded structure that projects out from the back of the eye into the eye).  The pectin likely helps supply nutrients and oxygen while removing carbon dioxide from the retina. 

Lastly, an owl's retina has a higher rod (light sensing cells)-to-cornea (color sensing cells) ratio, which allows them to see better at low light levels at the cost of reduced capacity for color vision and generally lower visual sharpness.

In this photo you can see the nictitating membrane at the edge of the right eye (photo: Wm. Oberbeck III)

To shield their eyes from harm, owls come equipped with three eyelids.  They have the normal upper and lower eyelids, but they also have a third eyelid called a nictitating membrane.  This membrane is a thin layer of opaque tissue that closes diagonally across the eye, from the inside outwards.  This membrane moistens the eye surface while cleaning it of dirt and microscopic organisms.  They also use this special membrane right before impact with potential prey, presumably to protect the cornea from scratches or other possible damage.

The next time you visit the World Bird Sanctuary be sure to pay special attention to the eyes of our resident owls.  Not only are they a remarkable adaptation, but they make for great close-up photos.

Submitted by William Oberbeck III, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

Modern-day ‘Mythical’ Creatures

The creation of mythical creatures in history is often the result of a primitive perception of an event or behavior observed in relation to an existing bird, mammal, or reptile.   Today, we can explain these events or behaviors through research and study.

Even in the modern day, pictures or mounted versions of unusual animals crop up in our culture and generally a person could question, for a period of time, whether that creature was real or not.  The term used to describe many of these modern-day mythical creatures is a ‘hoax’.  These hoax animals are often the result of a practical joke and presented in such a convincing manner that many individuals may believe it was real initially.

A classic example would be the Jackalope.

 A mounted Jackalope (photo: wikipedia)

As the story goes…Jackalopes have the body of a rabbit and the antlers of an antelope.  They are a species thought to be extinct, but rare sights of pocket populations have been found in Western America.  A contributing factor theorized for their small numbers is that they only mate when flashes of lightning occur.  They are credited with the ability to mimic human sounds and often utilize this ability to avoid capture.  Jackalopes are also highly aggressive and will use their antlers to fight.

The Jackalope was first introduced in the 1930s by two brothers, Douglas and Ralph Herrick, when they combined the body of a recently killed rabbit with a pair of deer antlers in their taxidermy shop.  The stuffed ‘Jackalope’ became a very popular souvenir of visitors in their hometown of Douglas, Wyoming.

Among the birding community, we have the ‘almost seen’ or ‘almost captured’ Bare-fronted Hoodwink bird species.  The existence of this species has only been inferred by ornithologist, M. F. Meiklejohn, who studied these very shy and ‘only partially seen’ birds.  He stated that this species can be identified by its blurred appearance and extremely rapid flight away from the observer.  He had an interesting statistic in that amateur bird watchers were more skilled in pinpointing this elusive species than more experienced bird watchers.

Another convincing animal hoax was the Hot-headed Naked Ice Borer presented in a 1995 April DISCOVER magazine article.

A doctored photo of a Naked Mole Rat claimed to be the Hot-headed Naked Ice Borer (photo: wikipedia)

 A wildlife biologist, named Aprile Pazzo, was studying a penguin population along the coast of the Ross Sea when the penguins panicked and one rapidly sank into the ice.  When she pulled the trapped penguin out, several hairless and mole like creatures were attached to the penguin’s lower body by their sharp incisors. She would collect several of these strange creatures for study.  Adults were half a foot long and weighed only ounces.  With their high metabolic rate (body temperature at 110 degrees), they could radiate their incredible heat through a bony plate located on their forehead.  Using the concentration of heat, they would bore their way through the ice and melt the ice underneath their favorite prey: penguins.

The article was printed as an April Fool’s joke in the DISCOVER magazine with the researcher ‘Aprile Passo’ meaning ‘April Fool’ in Italian.  The article received many response letters from institutes joking and asking where they could obtain a few specimens for display for researchers expanding the biology, habit, and physiology of hot-headed naked ice borers.  A recent printing of the 1995 article and humorous response letters can be found here. 

When you attend one of the World Bird Sanctuary educational shows you can be certain that the information you receive, although always entertaining, will not be a myth, legend or April Fool's joke.  The facts surrounding the animals featured  at WBS shows are so amazing that no fabricated myths or legends are needed.

Submitted by Jessica Bunke, Naturalist/Trainer

Birds in Concert 2015: Guest Artist Javier Mendoza

The World Bird Sanctuary “Birds in Concert 2015” will launch number 1 in the series on August 6^th with performances by The Raptor Project followed by guest artist Javier Mendoza.

The World Bird Sanctuary’s in-house band, “The Raptor Project” takes to the stage to perform songs from their popular children’s environmental education CDs.  Learn fun and exciting facts about the animals we share our planet with as they share the stage with the Raptor Project!  Audience participation is encouraged! 

Guest artist Javier Mendoza (photo: Gay Schroer)

The Raptor Project will be followed by the immensely popular Javier Mendoza.  Javier has sold over 50,000 albums and has received many honors throughout his career, including “Best Solo Artist”, “Best Male Vocalist” & “Best Pop Artist” by the Riverfront Times Music Awards.  He was also a finalist in the Independent Music Awards and was selected as a Budweiser True Music Artist.  Javier has released 14 albums and shared the stage with such notable artists as Willie Nelson, Los Lobos, The Roots, Ben Folds and many more.  His dedication to creating new and different material and his passion for live performance keeps bringing the fans back again and again. 

Whether he’s playing for 10 people or a crowd of 10,000, Javier makes each show unforgettable.  The physical and emotional energy he delivers is truly amazing and must be experienced to be believed.

Join us for this talent filled kick-off to our 2015 concert series.

WHEN:  August 6^th

TIME:              7:00pm – 8:30 pm

ADMISSION:  FREE

PARKING:  FREE

Prizes and Giveaways by Whole Foods Market 

and St. Louis Sprout & About 

Birds in Concert is sponsored by Ameren Missouri 

Enjoy our stadium seating—or bring your lawn chairs and picnics

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

A Walk Down the Exhibit Line with a Twist

For a recent World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer Meeting I was asked to take some photos of our birds from a different angle as a fun quiz.

 This month I have opted to share some of these with all of you. See how many of these fun photos you can figure out. Some of these are easy and some stumped even some of our staff who work with these birds daily. Good luck and have fun!

 Answers are at the end. 

1.  This one can be found outside the Wildlife Hospital Weathering area. He is a semiretired education bird. They hunt at night time. They eat almost any small animal that walk, swims, or crawls. They are named for the feathers on top of their head. 

2. This one can also be found outside in the Wildlife Hospital Weathering Area. He is also an education bird. He came into our wildlife hospital with feathers that were growing in upside down, making it difficult for him to fly. This is where he received his name. He is also named for the color of his shoulders. 

3. Our next guest lives on the exhibit line two cages down from the library, on the right. They’re two injured, long legged birds that have some amazing dances. 

4. Number three’s next door neighbor. She is growing up before staff’s eyes. She can often be seen sunning herself. 

5. These two live across from number 4. They love to swim in the water. In August, one of them will often make a guest appearance in our Birds in Concert event. 

6. There are four of them and they are similar to number 5. All four birds are injured and are from Florida. They can only be seen on our exhibit line during the summer. 

7. This last one is my favorite. I have received many compliments on this photo. He can be seen further down on our exhibit line. Last year he was a proud father of many little ones. He is named after one of our songs by our band and a cartoon character. 

 How many did you get right? 

1. Junior- Great-horned Owl 
2. Flip- Red-shouldered Hawk 
3. Sandhill Crane 
4. Dorothy- Andean Condor 
5. Mudflap- White Pelican 
6. Brown Pelican 
7. Fred-Royal Palm Turkey 

Article and photos submitted by Cathy Spahn, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Is That Snake Venomous?

Many people have a fear of snakes.  Some people will even go so far as to kill any snake they encounter. 

Even though they may look slithery and creepy, snakes are very beneficial to have around.  They are an important part of our ecosystems, and they even keep pests such as rodents under control.  In fact, snakes are so important that they are protected by law!  In the state of Missouri, The Wildlife Code of Missouri treats snakes as a protected non-game species. This means that there is no open season to hunt snakes, and it is against the law to kill them.

Pictured is a harmless ring-necked snake, a beautifully marked native in Missouri. (photo: Paige Davis)

Even though snakes spark fear in many people, they are much more afraid of you than you are of them!  Snakebites are not common, and most snakes would rather slither away then confront you.  Bites tend to occur when people accidentally make contact with a snake such as stepping on one.  If you are mindful of snakes and give them their space and respect, you will be able to appreciate these creatures safely.

Whether you are afraid of snakes or you love them, it is important to recognize which snakes are venomous and which are harmless.  All venomous snakes in Missouri are members of the pit viper family, and they share some recognizable characteristics.  These include:

 
1. A pit between the eye and nose on each side
2. Vertically shaped cat-like pupils
3. A single row of scales along the underside of the tail

A copperhead, Missouri’s most common venomous snake—note the pit below the eye and the vertical pupil (photo: Paige Davis)

By comparison, non-venomous snakes lack pits, have a circular pupil, and have a zipper-like pattern of scales along the tail. 

Venomous snakes in the state of Missouri include: the copperhead, cottonmouth, Western pygmy rattlesnake, Massasauga rattlesnake, and timber rattlesnake. The copperhead is Missouri’s most common venomous snake.  It is often confused for harmless water snakes such as the northern water snake.  Many harmless snakes are killed because they are thought to be dangerous.

This non-venomous water snake is harmless, but is often mistaken for a copperhead—notice the lack of a pit below the eye and the round pupil (photo: Paige Davis)

Snakes can be beautiful to observe in the wild.  But, if you are unsure of what species a snake is, never attempt to handle it.  Just leave it alone.  It is better to be safe than sorry when enjoying these fascinating creatures.

To learn more about snakes be sure to visit the World Bird Sanctuary Nature Center where we have several non-venomous snakes on display.  Our Naturalists will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Submitted by Paige Davis, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Raptors Extinct and Extant

While working at World Bird Sanctuary’s Stone Zoo bird show in Boston, I have learned to make three major distinctions indicative of raptors: excellent eyesight, strong grasping feet and a sharp, curved beak.

Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park has made Velociraptors famous, but what do these prehistoric “raptors” have in common with modern raptors? They certainly don’t have a curved sharp beak or grasping feet.

It turns out Velociraptors and other theropod dinosaurs with raptor in their name such as Oviraptor or Eoraptor aren’t even closely related.  However they are united under the Maniraptoran clade, which means “seizing hands,” a nice parallel to extant (meaning living today) raptors’ seizing feet. They are defined as being more closely related to birds than other dinosaurs.

Dromaeosaurid (photo: wikipedia by Tom Parker)

Dromaeosaurs, or “running lizards,” are a group of Maniraptors containing Velociraptors and other “true” prehistoric raptors defined by their large grasping hands, a stiffened tail and one large, slashing claw on each foot. Modern birds of the Aves class are the sister group to Dromaeosaurs. You can compare an artists’ rendition of an extinct  raptor to our extant raptor, Diablo the Tawny eagle below.

Today we have many different raptors within Aves, which belong to different groups as well. The orders Accipitriformes, Strigiformes and Falconiformes are an example of convergent evolution and each produced unique raptor species.

Accipitriformes is the most diverse raptor order consisting of many different families of eagles, hawks, harriers, kites, osprey, the secretary bird and Old World vultures.  New World vultures of the Americas are not related to Old World vultures of Africa, Europe and Asia.  They have merely evolved to fulfill similar ecological niches.

Osiris, the Egyptian Vulture is an Old World Vulture (photo: Gay Schroer)

Baton Rouge, a King Vulture, is a New World Vulture (photo: Gay Schroer)

New World vulture phylogenic placement has proven to be difficult with DNA evidence supporting their inclusion in both the bird orders of Accipitriformes and Ciconiiformes or storks. Old World vultures are true raptors, while New World vultures lack the strong grasping feet of raptors. You can make this comparison between Osiris the Egyptian vulture (Old World) and Baton Rouge the King vulture (New World) at our Stone Zoo bird show.

Riley, a Barn Owl (photo: Aurora Potts)

Strigiformes consist of two main families of owls; barn owls and typical owls. Owls are mostly nocturnal and are therefore more sound sensitive than other raptors. Barn owls belong to the family Tytonidae.  Their face is heart-shaped and their legs are longer than that of Strigidae owls. Typical owls belong to the more varied family, Strigidae. You can see these distinctions on Riley the American Barn owl and Reese the Great Horned owl at our Stone Zoo bird show.

Reese, a Great Horned Owl (photo: Aurora Potts)

Naturally, Falconiformes are falcons, which are more closely related to songbirds and parrots than they are to any other raptor (believe it or not). Falcons are the speedy and agile birds of prey that use their tomial tooth at the end of their beak to break their prey’s spine. You can see the notch that is the tomial tooth on this Peregrine falcon on exhibit at Stone Zoo.

A Peregrine Falcon on exhibit at Stone Zoo

Even though extinct and extant raptors are hardly related, you can see all these fascinating predators possess many adaptations.   Their unique characteristics allow for a wide variety of species to share the generally speedy seizing and grasping raptorial name in prehistoric times and up to modern day.

Submitted by Aurora Potts, Naturalist/Trainer for World Bird Sanctuary’s Stone Zoo Show

Birds as Parasites

In the spring and early summer months, it is enjoyable to watch birds nesting and raising their young.  If we’re lucky enough, we get to watch the juveniles grow from eggs into copies of their parents; however, some witness the occasional oddity: a bird feeding a chick that is clearly not its own.  This is a result of nest or brood parasitism.

Male Brown-headed Cowbird (photo: Wikipedia)

 Brood parasitism occurs when a parasitic species, such as the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater), lays its eggs in another species’ nest.  In this host-parasite relationship, the parasite receives all the benefit, and the host incurs all the costs.  Since the parasite doesn’t have to worry about building and defending its own nest, it can put all of its energy toward producing eggs.  The female of the Brown-headed Cowbird, which is considered North America’s most common brood parasite, can lay up to three dozen eggs in a single summer, none of which are raised by the Cowbirds themselves.

For the host, the cost of being parasitized can be great.  The host’s own nestlings may grow more slowly due to a more competitive parasite nestling, or the host may lose its entire clutch due to nest abandonment or the destruction of the host’s eggs or hatchlings by the parasite.

Nest with a Brown-headed Cowbird egg (photo: Wikipedia)

 One has to wonder how the host parents could not notice the presence of a parasitic egg or hatchling, but some do.  Some host species are able to recognize eggs that are not their own and destroy them, but for most the distinction is difficult to make, since some nest parasites’ eggs mimic those of the host species, or the parasite’s egg is too difficult to destroy due to its size or harder shell.

If the parasite’s egg is not destroyed, it usually hatches before the host’s own eggs.  Shorter incubation times insure that the parasite grows more quickly to gain advantage over the other nestlings.  Even at this stage, it is possible for some species to recognize a chick that is not their own and discriminate against it; however, the vocalizations of the parasitic nestling can actually stimulate higher rates of feeding from the host parents, enabling it to out-compete the host nestlings.

Brood parasites can be dangerous to bird species that are already in decline. It is for this reason that entrance size of nest boxes is so important.  For cavity-nesting species like Eastern Bluebirds, keeping the opening to the box at a specific size decreases the odds that a parasite like the Brown-headed Cowbird will be able to fit into the box and lay its egg in the nest.

To download nest box plans that suit the need of various species Click Here.  If you’re not handy or don’t have enough time to make your own nest box; visit the World Bird Sanctuary’s Wildlife Hospital to purchase an  inexpensive nest box donated by some of our talented supporters.

Submitted by JoHanna Burton, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

BIRDS IN CONCERT 2015

Join us for the World Bird Sanctuary’s 2015 Birds in Concert series this August!

Everyone gets involved in a Raptor Project concert--even the DoDo (photo: Gay Schroer)

World Bird Sanctuary’s in-house band, “The Raptor Project” performs songs from their popular children’s environmental education CDs while birds fly just inches over your heads.  Fun songs include “Turkey Named Fred”, “Roadkill Shiver”, “What’s the Matter”, Animal Noises” and others. 

“Raptor Project” performances  are followed by performances by local artists such as Javier Mendoza and others.

Games and giveaways from Whole Foods Market 

and St. Louis Sprout and About.

The Birds in Concert series is sponsored by Ameren Missouri.

WHEN:  Every Thursday evening in August

August 6, 13^th, 20^th and 27^th

7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Admission and parking is FREE

No reservations required

Here's the lineup:

August 6^th: Raptor Project followed by Javier Mendoza

August 13^th: Raptor Project

August 20^th:  Raptor Project followed by Fowl Play

August 27^th:  Babaloo followed by the Raptor Project

Stadium seating available—or—bring your lawn chairs and picnics.

Mark your calendars!

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

For directions ClickHere.