Ornithologist Walter C. Crawford Jr. started working at the St. Louis Zoo in close cooperation with the director of the zoo and in doing so he recognized the lack of attention given to birds of prey and how important it is to protect these birds. He therefore founded the World Bird Sanctuary in the year 1977, which was originally known as the Raptor Rehabilitation and Propagation Project.

The land on which the sanctuary was establish was an old munitions depot used by the army during World War II, thus most of the sanctuary was housed in these buildings. Each building has a different use, such as offices, a breeding facility and a building to house and treat injured birds. Crawford is still the director of the facility, but has managed to develop the World Bird Sanctuary to such a level that he is now able to afford full-time staff to assist him, and to watch over the sanctuary when he travels to conventions to share his message in regard to conservation. The World Bird Sanctuary has won numerous awards for their work, and visitors can look forward to seeing hawks, parrots, bald eagles, falcons, owls, vultures, reptiles and various other animals that have made their way to the sanctuary.

An extremely proud and excited World Bird Sanctuary opened its Wildlife Hospital in 2005, which features state-of-the-art equipment and staff that are able to assist injured birds and animals, aiding their rehabilitation. They are often called on to assist the government when they have confiscated animals that were being smuggled or when trying to rescue animals. Veterinarians volunteer their time and experience and annually save the lives of more than three hundred birds and animals. The Nature Centre and gift shop is open every day, and visitors are invited to embark on an exciting and fascinating bird of prey adventure at the World Bird Sanctuary.

Related posts:

1. A Visit to Ohio Bird Sanctuary
2. W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary
3. Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

In Cambridgeshire, near St. Ives, is a safe haven for birds of prey. The Raptor Foundation welcomes any bird that has been injured or has been placed in circumstances that requires rehabilitation. Birds that are not able to be released back into the wild are also kept at the foundation, as well as endangered species. Through dedication and commitment, the staff at The Raptor Foundation have created a permanent home for these birds, and strive to educate the public on the importance of protecting raptors by inviting them to spend a day, or two, with them and their wonderful birds.

The main goal and function of The Raptor Foundation, is to provide twenty-four hour care to injured raptors, which includes medical care and rehabilitation. The sanctuary provides permanent residence for birds of prey that cannot be released and works tirelessly on various projects and research, looking into environmental problems, release programs and breeding. Staff will always work towards being able to release raptors back into the wild, but if it is not possible, the birds will remain with the sanctuary for the remainder of their lives.

Visitors to the facility will be astonished at the wide range of raptors at The Raptor Foundation, totaling approximately two hundred individual birds from forty different birds of prey species. Amongst the falcons, hawks, owls and buzzards, visitors will be able to view breathtaking birds such as the Bateleur Eagle, Ferruginous Buzzard, Bald Eagle, Prairie Peregrine, Pearl Spotted Pygmy Owl and the Crested Serpent Eagle.

Flying demonstrations are held three times a day and when the weather is having a bad day, the indoor arena allows demonstrations to continue. These activities give visitors the rare opportunity to appreciate the power, strength and flying skills of the various raptors. Some members of this elite flying team were even used in the making of Harry Potter, allowing guests to come face to face with a few celebrities.

Other facilities at The Raptor Foundation include a bed and breakfast and camping site accommodation for those who would like to spend more time at the foundation, or participating in the falconry courses offered. The gift shop has many unique and stunning souvenirs to take home, whilst the children’s playground will keep the younger guests entertained, and the Silent Wings Restaurant serves delicious meals and refreshments. The facility is also wheelchair friendly, allowing everyone to enjoy the beauty and magnificence of these birds.

Related posts:

1. World Bird Sanctuary in Missouri
2. An Exciting Adventure at Pacific Northwest Raptors
3. Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

Avian Haven, situated in Freedom, Maine, is a wild bird rehabilitation center has cared for more than twenty thousand birds during the twenty years since it was founded by Diane Winn and Marc Payne. These compassionate bird-lovers care for injured or orphaned birds of all species, which are generally brought to them by members of the public, veterinarians, Maine wildlife biologists, game wardens and animal control officers, as well as other rehabilitation centers.

This non-profit organization, which is funded by private donations and is supported by dedicated volunteers, provides medical treatment with the goal of releasing rehabilitated birds into the wild. The indoor infirmary includes a kitchen fully equipped to prepare food required by all species of birds, as well as incubators, hospital and recovery cages, veterinary equipment, two flight cages and a full range of naturopathic, allopathic and homeopathic medicines.

With humans increasingly encroaching on their habitats, it is quite common for wild birds to get injured. Birds collide with windows, get hit by cars, get trapped in buildings, get tangled up in fencing or are caught by cats. An injured bird needs fast and expert attention. The top priority is to keep the bird warm and it is best placed in a box with air-holes, together with a piece of cloth or an old towel, in a quiet place until it can be seen to by a veterinarian or taken to a rehabilitation center, such Avian Haven. The same can be said for fledglings that have fallen from their nests, once it has been established that there are no parents nearby.

Once a patient at Avian Haven is well on the road to recovery, the final pre-release step in the rehabilitation process is flight-conditioning. Twelve outdoor flight cages are designed to accommodate patients of all sizes, from Hummingbirds through to Bald Eagles, taking into account their specific needs. For example the Large Raptor Compound features a group of large cages, each with access to a roomy flyway to facilitate unlimited linear flight. The Small Raptor Compound has been designed with three territories that are connected by a flight corridor and an elevated tunnel. Other enclosures include the Casa Corvus and the Eagle Recovery Habitat.

It is a distressing reality that humans often impact negatively on bird-life, and it is certainly a comforting thought for all bird-lovers and birding enthusiasts that rehabilitation centers, such as Avian Haven, are actively involved in caring for the needs of birds in distress.

Related posts:

1. CPR Saves Bird Lives
2. Wild Bird Rehabilitation, Inc – Caring for Wild Birds
3. Marvelous Work of The Raptor Foundation

The National Birds of Prey Center, located near Newent in Gloucestershire, is one of Britain’s premiere attractions and one of the top birds of prey centers in the United Kingdom. It is home to roughly 170 different birds of prey, including 22 species of eagles, falcons and hawks – a real treat for any bird lover or falconer.

This large center was created primarily to assist with the conservation of birds of prey through captive breeding, rehabilitation, rescue and research. To this end the center has a very good captive breeding program, which contributes to the conservation, rescue and rehabilitation of many of the different species that are brought here every year to receive highly specialized care. The captive breeding program mainly involves home bred birds or birds that have been donated from other zoos. The birds are encouraged to breed during each breeding season by the provision of adequate nesting materials. Some birds even have their nests made for them! The captive environment gives researchers plenty of time to study the bird’s natural behavior during the mating process and this research can be of great assistance to both help birds in captivity at other centers and in the wild. But this is just one small function performed by the National Birds of Prey Center.

The center also acts as an invaluable education tool for visitors who learn a lot about the birds from conveniently posted informative material and daily flying demonstrations. The education room and guide book also serve to further the knowledge of the various visitors who come to the center. The center runs a number of courses designed to help serious minded potential bird owners improve there knowledge and skills where possible and to gain some on-hand experience with different birds of prey. A number of schools regularly visit the center for field trips and students from schools and colleges throughout the world are regularly invited to gain invaluable work experience at the center. The center’s collection is used for DNA studies and biology in ways that are as unobtrusive to the birds as possible and the research aspect of the center will likely continue to expand in years to come.

However, perhaps the most heart-warming aspect of the center’s work is its efforts with regard to injured, sick, rescued and confiscated birds that are brought here each year. Where possible, these birds are made well again and released back into the wild. Unfortunately this is not always possible and sometimes the bird will become a permanent, well-cared for resident of the center. The National Birds of Prey Center is open all year around, with the exception of Boxing Day and Christmas Day. So make sure you visit this excellent bird facility.

Related posts:

1. Visit the African Bird of Prey Sanctuary
2. Wild Bird Rehabilitation, Inc – Caring for Wild Birds
3. Seward Park Environmental and Audubon Center

Wild Bird Rehabilitation, Inc. (“WBR”) is one of four similar institutions situated in the St. Louis municipal area that was created to care for wild birds. WRB was established in 1992 as a private rehabilitation center and began taking in sick and injured wild birds in the middle of 1993. The Center’s main purpose is to care for wild birds in need of help or that have been orphaned, and then to release them back into their natural habitats when they are ready.

The WBR assists and looks after as many as 2,500 birds every year and receives thousands of phone calls from members of the public looking for assistance. Most of the wild birds here come from veterinarians, welfare organizations and St. Louis animal agencies, and they are looked after by volunteer staff. The wild birds that are handled by Wild Bird Rehabilitation represent over one hundred bird species native to the St. Louis metropolitan area. The WBR is run purely on private donations from loyal donors.

The winter staff is made up of twenty volunteers who give four to eight hours of their precious time every week to help the WRB run smoothly. Between the peak months of April and September the volunteer numbers increase to 80 persons as more help is needed to look after the more than two hundred birds brought to the Center every day. Volunteers at Wild Bird Rehabilitation, Inc feed and clean cages twice a day in order to maintain a healthy bird population and prevent the spread of disease. There is also two paid staff who works half-day for the WBR who help and report directly to the Executive Director.

Volunteers of Wild Bird Rehabilitation also devote many hours informing scouts, schools and community groups about the Center’s activities and how the public can help support WBR in its attempts to save and look after wild birds. Every year more than 30,000 people are given some form of avian education or support from WRB.

One of the Wild Bird Rehabilitation’s most recent efforts is to provide Chimney Swifts with a tower where they can roost and nest. The tower has a camera situated within it so that the nesting process of these wonderful birds can be monitored and watched by staff as well as the general public – right on the Internet. There will also be an information board provided, which will display information about what they eat and where their travels take them.

Related posts:

1. World Bird Sanctuary in Missouri
2. Gardening Techniques to Attract Wild Birds
3. The National Birds of Prey Center in Gloucestershire