The most beautiful bird I have ever seen........

Monday I recieved a phone call saying there was a Burrowing Owl with a broken wing, the woman who called was willing to stay with the Owl until I got there (which was very kind) as I was trying to rescue a Great White Egret at the time and it was going to be well over an hour until I could get to her. Burrowing Owls do not live in our area they are south of us, so I had no idea what I was going to find when I got there. Imagine my suprise when it was a Barn Owl. They are rarely seen, the SSS has only had 3 brought in to the hospital in the 38 years its been open. The Owl had its wing broken in several spots, which broke my heart as he will not be able to go back to the wild where he belongs.
The SSS is going to keep him as a permanent resident, he will be used for
educational purposes ( taken to schools and such) to teach people about
the importance of respecting wildlife. The Owl was on the ground when he was first spotted, when I got to the lake where he had been spotted we could not find him, when the patron was talking to me on the phone
she took her eyes off him and he dissapered. There was a dry lake bed (just muck left) and a very thick patch of cat tails.We spent about 10 minutes searching and spotted him cowering in the muck hidden by the vegitation, I was shocked and a bit scared when I saw the Barn owl for the first time. I had the lady pull back the cat tails so I had access for my net as I went in to get him he flipped on his back and screeched at me and stuck out his tallons. The noise they make is quite alarming, especially when your 3 feet from him. But I was blessed agian with the help of God he gave me the courage to go and get the Owl ( I was shaking) I got him in my net and carried him to dry ground and was able to get him by the legs and lift him out of my net so I could get my hands around him wings one was hanging and when I stood up his wing nearly touched the ground his wing span had to be close to 5 feet. It was an incredible

rescue and this is why I rescue birds they are a beautiful part of our

eco-system and we need to respect them and help them when they need it

but we must always enjoy them from afar and never hurt them or destroy 

their nests. I hope my blogs give you all an inside look at what it takes

to make sure we have generation after generation of wild birds. The Suncoast 

Seabird Santuary has an incredible staff of people who have made it their

lives work to ensure that when you look in the sky you see big and small 

colorful works of art, as thats what they are Gods art!  

The Anhinga who wouldnt give up (so I did not give up either)

An Anhinga is all black with glossy green and white spots and streaks on shoulders and wings, they have a long neck and tail the bill is long and yellow. They are also called the Snake Bird, due to its habit of appearing like a snake, surfacing with just its head and long thin neck above the water. Unlike ducks and other water birds its feathers become waterlogged, which helps with its diving and maneuvering underwater. Afterward you can see it stiking a beautiful pose with wings spread wide to help dry in the sun. I seem to rescue alot of them as they have sharp backwards barbs in their mouths, which are great for grabbing fish, but they are diving birds and when they dive into a lake, ocean or bay alot of time they get garbage (fishing line, material ext.) stuck in their beaks. It truly is heartbreaking to see one struggling to dislodge whatever is stuck so they can eat. This is the story of one that survived all odds and I was blessed with the knowledge (and pure luck) to rescue this beautiful bird and bring it to the Suncoast Seabird Santurary so he could be cared for and a month later is still there recuperating so he can be released. A little over a month ago I got a call and someone told me a bird was in a tree stuck, so off I went. When I got to the place, there were seveal people gathered on the bank of a lake, I approached and was stunned at what I saw. The Anhinga was not hanging by something stuck in its mouth (which is what I expected) but was hanging with its neck stuck between two branches,  he would flap his wings on occasion trying to get more air and free himself.  Sounds like an easy rescue, climb a tree get the bird!  Except he was 10 feet in the air, 15 to 20 feet out over a lake. So I drove around the  block and knocked on the front door of a house, he was in their backyard. They Lady and Man who lived there were so kind and helpful I will never forget them and their generosity. I climbed the fence in the backyard and took my ten foot pole net and using the pole poked the ground to scare off any snakes and hopefully chase off any alligators. I stepped into the lake and sunk up to my knees in muck, I took a step back onto the bank, frustrated as too how I was going to save this bird. I knew if I proceded I would sink to my hips in the mud and I would be in a really dangerous and bad position, as there would be know way to fight off an alligator if one came towards me. I asked if anyone had a boat, but to my utter dissapointment no one did. So next best thing, asked if anyone had plywood ( by now there are 25 people watching) so the man that lived there brought me a small piece (2 by 3) I stood on it and used my pole net and got under the bird, rocking  back and forth I sunk the wood so I would have something solid under me. I raised my net and got it over the branch above the bird so as not to pull his neck anymore, I pulled with all my strength and was ready to scream with I needed to be a foot taller ( always an issue when your 5 foot 3 and a 1/2 lol) a man on the bank yelled I'll be right back dont let go! He came back several minutes later with a pole saw and floated it out to me, I took the pole net and grasped  it between my  knees and started sawing, it took quite awhile but the branch finally gave. Now I had a big issue! I had a bird in a net and  was way out in the water and if I stepped into the water I was going the be just as stuck as the bird I just rescued! So the man goes home and gets another piece of plywood and I jumped on it and got as close to shore as I could ( board got stuck on a stump), while I was in the water a man took a machete and cut down the branches and weeds so I had a clear trail to get back up the bank and over the fence. He was standing at waters edge and pulled me out of the muck and got my shoe for me and pushed me up the hill and helped me over the fence. Whew was a rough rescue, but I got him. I took him to the SSS hospital where they worked on him for over 3 hours getting him stable and stitched up. Thank you God for the strength, the knowledge and the luck to do this. You have been gracious to me for the chance to help rescue and rehabilitate wildlife.

Follow up on Great White Egret from Jan 26th

The lady who called us on the 26th about this bird, he has a broken foot. She called on thursday the 27th and said she had put out a trail of hot dog pieces leading into her pool area which is screened, the bird took the bait and ate his way down the trail until he got far enough in that she was able to run around her house and slam the door shut on him ( he was not happy) but my coworker Ed was able to get there quickly (its of utmost importance so the bird does not get to stressed) he was able to catch him and get him to the SSS hospital . I dont know how he is doing will check on him today. It is hard sometimes to capture a wild bird, there are some that have taken me weeks to get. Im just thrilled we were able to get this guy the help he needed, he was so thin and starving slowly and thats so hard to watch, when they are injured they are unable to get all the prey they need, as other birds will be quicker so they are able to fight an injured bird and take whatever he was able to capture. Well Im on call today so need to go, hopefully I will have more stories to tell soon, on the other hand I hope I dont because that means a bird is injured. God Bless to all and love to all of you also.

Swimming to save birds again, brrrrr

Well my day started with a call about a Great White Egret that had a broken foot, happens alot. Snapping turtles love to get them on the feet, they will hold onto the bird for hours, when the bird fights enough trying to get away the turtle will get a piece of bird toes. Crazy but thats wildlife. Anyhow I tried so hard to get him, he was so tired and hungry, threw him some bait and he went for it, just as I lifted my net to get him a dozen seagulls showed up to help lol. Scared the Egret away, he flew to the other side of the canal, so I jumped in my car and went to the other side and started knocking on doors (cant just go in back yards called tresspassing) so go in back yard bait him agian and same thing seagulls ( skyrats we floridians call them) so this goes on for an hour and I called in help. Ed got on one side of canal an me on the other, of course the neighbors came out and tried to help. End of story did not get bird, but if he gets a yearning for hot dogs the lady in the yellow house put out a whole pack for him lol. Then went to Dunedin lady said a laughing gull had a broken wing and was in the lake in real trouble, its a 50 mile round trip but I cant let a bird suffer. I endend up trying to get her for over an hour and a half, then the lightning started and I got worried so into the water I went (again) got it in my net on the second try, slipped and did a spit owww inside of my thighs have been on fire since, Im not 15 anymore:) poor thing when the wind blew it took his wing and flipped it over her back and she went tumbling over into the water It was horrible to watch. It is sad to go thru so much to rescue the birds just to take then to the SSS hospital to be euthenized, but atleast she is out of pain. Im rescuing tommorrow so Ill go back and check on the Great White see if I can gain his trust and get close enough to get him. Im thinking (if I can get the money) about getting one of those nets you shoot out of a gun, there so cool and its like a cast net that shoots. Well God Bless each and everyone of you and Thank you Lord for all the love and kindness you have given to me. Love to all.

Oscar the neighborhood squirrel

Well Its not a bird but I saved another one of Gods creatures, my neighbor brought over a baby squirrel saturday night we had quite the storm that day and it must have gotten blown out of its nest. He is so cute, Dave wrapped him in a towel and sat by fireplace to get him warmed up. I gave him some water with honey to get the little guy hydrated. I put a towel in a small cage then put in another towel as a nest, he crawled under it and snuggled right down for the night. Poor guy was exausted, Dave named him Oscar (I assume middle name is Mayer lol) I took him to the SSS they have several amazing people who do nothing but take care of babys, (birds, squirells, racoons ext)  they truly are angels, its very time consuming taking care of baby wildlife, the have to be bottle fed every few hours so you have to take them with you everywhere you go. I just did not have the time for it, plus my dogs thought it was a snack. MMMMM squirrel lol. Well today Im off to rescue more birds ( and whatever else pops up) So wish me luck and pray for me. Sometimes I have to put myself in harms way to rescue, crawling through mangroves and woods, jumping in lakes, rivers, creeks, retention ponds and of course the Gulf Of Mexico. Last month I swam out to rescue a pelican who had a hook with a plastic shrimp stuck in the back of its head, it was quite a way out, the 6th pole on the Redington Pier. I got a guy to take me out in a sail boat then jumped in and got the bird. The next day in the exact place I was swimming, some guy caught a 500 pound bull shark. Very frightning to think about it actually as Bull Sharks are very aggressive. God had my back that day for sure. Well off to work, blessings to all of you.

Lots and Lots of hurt birds, January 20th 2011

Yesterday I got my first call at 10:03 , it was right down on Indian Shores beach so thankfully I was able to get there quickly. It was a Herring Gull which is one of the biggest gull's, the poor thing had a broken wing and was so scared, 5 people stayed and surrounded it until I got there. I got it and took it to the SSS hospital, but the gull had other issues so it had to be put down, but atleast he is out of pain. Then my day really got going I got a call about a Red Bellied Wood Pecker who had fallen out of its nest, best I can figure Mama was trying to teach it to fly, its the cutest little thing and as soon as it gets its flying feathers will be released :). This was at a hair salon so I got a hair cut while I was there, cut off 5 to 6 inches looks good. Just below my shoulders. Then I got a call in Palm Harbor a Laughing Gull had been floating in a lake for 2 days in the same spot, so once agian I went swimming, he had fishing line around both its feet and while stuggling got it around his wings and it got pretty tight and cut into its skin, I was glad to have gotten him out of the lake, course he wasnt happy bit me several times lol little stinker. But hes doing well and will be released as soon as he is recuperated. Then I got the call that made me so mad I literaly thought my head might explode, I got a call from a lady who said her cat had brought a burrowing owl into her home about a week ago (we dont have burrowing owls in this part of fla) turns out it was a Red Morphed Eastern Screech Owl, they put it in a box in their garage and it got out ( was missing for 5 days) the 19 year old daughter decided to keep it as a pet so went and bought a cage, they fed it liverwurst and offered it water but after being attacked by a cat and having no food or water for 5 days the poor thing was just to tired to eat or drink, I told this young woman that  Screech Owls are a protected species and If he dies I will call the Fla Game and Wild Life and she will be prosectued to the fullest extent of the law, which is up to a five thousand dollar fine and up to five years in prison as it is a federal offense.  Whew what a day, wish I could say my day ended there but not so lucky. Someone brought in a bird that had been shot with an arrow (got to love people) every bird that was rescued or brought in yesterday had been hurt by humans.  I recieved a call late in the day, a man spotted a Great Blue Heron, which is an incredibly beautiful bird with a 6 foot wing span, they stand about 4 feet or more in height, He had a stick stuck in his throat, so I chased him into the water and then threw him some fish, sure enough he used the water to shake the stick out so he could get to that oh so coveted fish. So I ended my day on a good note. Thank you God for the gift you have given me, the gift to rescue the incredible, beautiful creatures you have put in our skys and lakes and oceans for all of us to enjoy!

The Elusive Anhinga

My first call on the Anhinga came 3 weeks prior to Christmas of 2010, he had material around his beak and could not open his mouth. I tried and tried to get this bird, there very quick and can dive and go under the water and pop up a half mile away. I tried baiting him with fish (cant eat so no go) sat next to him on a sea wall trying to gain his trust for over 45 minutes, then a little girl decided to help(darn kids lol) came running up and there goes the anhinga. I kept getting calls on this bird for weeks, finally got him in my net and as I reach in to get him he flips right out and right back into lake seminole. I screamed in frustration. Knowing this poor dear is slowing dying of starvation. Finally last week I got a call about dark and there he was sitting on a wooden dock on the railing, I knew this was my last shot he would be dead by morning. I walked up slowly hiding my net and as I went for the net he jumped in lake I went right in for him, Tada he swam right into the net. I had him!!!! He was so thin and what was on his beak? A sock, yep a sock. He is slowly gaining weight and hope to release him back to where he came from in the next few weeks. It was a great catch and one I will always remember. God was with me that day.

My First Pelican Rescue

 This is my first time blogging so let me introduce myself, my name is Kim and Im a paraprofessional bird rescuer for the Suncoast Seabird Santuary. Im a native Floridian and when the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill occured, I knew I had to do something to help our wonderful,beautiful,majestic sea birds. So I went to the SSS and signed up to help. I was trained by some of the most incredible,intelligent,patient men and women who have dedicated their lives to helping save injured birds. My heartfelt thanks go out to each and everyone who trained me and continue to add to my growing knowledge of bird rescue, recuperation and release.  As you can see by the smile on my face when I picked up that first pelican I was hooked, it felt incredible and was so very rewarding to help that wonderful, playful bird. He had several fishing hooks in his wing and was wrapped in fishing line. He has been restored to his healthy self and was released back to the wild, where he should be. As you can see in the second picture I'm holding two pelicans, they were tied together with fishing line, I have no Idea how long they were connected, but I do know they were slowly starving to death (it broke my heart)  we patiently waited as the tide pushed them out of our reach and then brought them back to the point where we could almost get them, ( always just a few more feet) but finally after several hours we were able to get our hands on them. I had the pleasure of holding them while the woman who was training me ran down the sea wall to pick up another pelican who had gotten into the fishing line and washed up on the breaker wall. Whew that was a very busy Pelican Rescue day.  I  believe we brought in 7 pelicans and a few gulls that day. Many people I meet suggested I write about my adventures of rescue, so here I am with my first blog. I will be adding more stories of my exciting life of Bird Rescue. And agian Thank You for all those who have helped me and continue to do so in my ongoing training. God Bless and best wishes to all. And dont forget if you see and bird in need of medical help please call the Suncoast Seabird Santuary, we are always on the alert to help our friends in need!