Our Wings of Wonder Ambassador Family
Pearl | Red Tailed Hawk
Pearl is a Red Tailed Hawk, hatched in 2003. In the fall of that year she was hit by a car near the village of Cedar, Michigan. The car collision ripped out the long wing feathers, called primaries and secondaries, from her left wing. This trauma permanently damaged the feather follicles, preventing the re-growth of any future feathers. Pearl is permanently disabled and can never be released back into the wilds. She is a large and beautiful hawk, with a strong personality and a regal presence. She seems eager about traveling to our many educational presentations and meeting our audiences. Pearl is fed primarily a diet of mice at Wings of Wonder, eating close to 2000 of the little treats each year. She lives in a spacious aviary with a wonderful view of Wells Lake, where she can watch ducks, otters, herons, turtles and a variety of other wildlife. Sponsor Pearl
Pearl's Photo Gallery
Bella | Peregrine Falcon
Bella, a young peregrine falcon was admitted to Wings of Wonder on October 1, 2009. She had been found in Manistee, near a building that was being renovated. Apparently she had been in hot pursuit of a small bird and ended up slamming into a window, fracturing a long bone in her right wing. The Manistee County DNR transported her to Wings of Wonder where her rehabilitation began. Surgery was performed by Dr. Eric Peck at the Northern Michigan Veterinary Hospital.Bella recovered over the next month, growing stronger each day. The bone healed nicely, but because of the severity of the fracture and the additional damage to the nerves and muscle attachments, this young falcon will never fly well enough for release. Bella is now the newest member of our educational raptor family. She is fed primarily a diet of fresh quail meat, with the addition of occasional rodents, chicken, and large insects. Bella has a really sweet and curious personality and is a joyful addition to our “family”. Sponsor Bella
Bella's Photo Gallery
Jaeda | American Kestrel
Jaeda is a female American Kestrel who was hatched in 2007 in Ann Arbor Michigan. While she was still a very young nestling she fell out of the cavity nest and hit the ground about 60 feet below. The fall broke 2 bones in her right wing between her elbow and her wrist. Jaeda’s parents took care of her on the ground but unfortunately the bones did not heal in alignment and she was left with a noticeable wing droop and a permanent flight disability. She is not able to fly fast and strong which are necessary conditions for survival out in the wild. Jaeda was transferred to Wings of Wonder from the River Raisin Raptor Center in Manchester, Michigan where most of her rehabilitation work was done. She will live out the rest of her life at Wings of Wonder as one of our special ambassador birds and may also provide foster care to any in-coming orphaned baby American Kestrels admitted to Wings of Wonder.
Jaeda seems to enjoy traveling to our many educational presentations. She prefers to ride on the head rest of the passenger seat as we travel, looking out the windows and watching the world go by at a fast clip. At Wings of Wonder Jaeda is fed a diet of fresh and frozen mice, day old chicks, bites of quail meat and live crickets. She has a delightful and inquisitive personality that easily charms our many audience members. Sponsor Jaeda
Jaeda's Photo Gallery
Doolin | Turkey Vulture
Doolin is a young turkey vulture hatched in Louisville, Kentucky in 2008. He was illegally taken out the wild by humans and raised as a pet. Unfortunately, before he could be removed from this illegal situation, he bonded to the human caretakers. He is now considered a ‘Human-imprinted” raptor, which means he has no fear of humans and can never be released back into the wild. Doolin is a playful and curious vulture. He seems to enjoy playing with toys, flying in our 100 foot aviary, dancing under the sprinkler during hot weather, and meeting people at our many educational presentations. We call him our “Wings of Wonder rock star”! Doolin is fed a diverse diet of fresh rodents, fish, quail, crickets, chicken and beef heart. Sponsor Doolin
Doolin's Photo Gallery
Gilda and Arlo | Eastern Screech Owls
Gilda and Arlo are our two resident Eastern Screech Owls. Both were hit by cars, resulting in each bird having a blind eye and damaged hearing. They are a bonded pair, enjoying each other’s company and are often found perched together during the day. Gilda is a gray colored owl and Arlo is red. This pair have been stellar foster parents over the years to numerous orphaned baby screech owls. They teach these youngsters how to talk owl language, how to hunt and how to behave as owls, before these little ones are released into the wilds. Both Gilda and Arlo seem to wow the crowds with their cute looks and snappy personalities. Gilda and Arlo enjoy a diet of fresh rodents, live crickets, occasional june bugs, and a bit of chicken here at Wings of Wonder.
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Gilda and Arlo's Photo Gallery
Ned | Saw Whet Owl
Ned is a little 7-inch Saw Whet Owl, the smallest species of owl native to Michigan. He came to Wings of Wonder in the fall of 2007, after being hit by a car. The collision left him with a fractured bone in his left wing. The surgery did not work out perfectly and Ned was left with a flight disability. He can get around in his flight enclosure, but can not fly well enough for release. We believe Ned was hatched in the spring of 2007 and will now live a safe and pampered life at Wings of Wonder over the next 15-18 years. Ned is fed primarily a diet of small mice supplemented with live crickets. He is a cute little guy who seems to enjoy staring down our audience members as we continue to educate folks about the importance of habitat conservation and building nest boxes for these small owls. Sponsor Ned
Ned's Photo Gallery
Eoin |Great Horned Owl
Eoin (pronounced Owen) is our young Great Horned Owl who was hatched in the spring of 2009 and orphaned at an early age. As a young baby he, and two other orphaned owlets, were being fostered by our resident Great Horned Owl parents, Sage and Eddie. Shortly after Eoin’s eyes opened, he sustained an injury to his right leg. We think that he was accidently stepped on by one of the other owls and the long bone in his leg was fractured.
It was necessary to remove Eoin from his foster family and get him immediate medical attention. His injury required continual splinting and re-splinting of his leg as well as intensive physical therapy to correct some muscular contractions. Because of some long term problems with that leg, Eoin could not be released back into the wild. His leg is now very strong and he uses it quite normally to hold onto his food and grab a perch during landings. Eoin is fed a rodent diet supplemented with quail, chicken, fish and live crickets at Wings of Wonder. He is a curious boy who enjoys his stuffed animals, branches, pinecones, knotted rags and shredding apart old phone books. Sponsor Eoin
Eoin's Photo Gallery
Piper |Sharp-shinned Hawk
Meet our newest ambassador bird, Piper, a Sharp Shinned Hawk, the smallest member of the Accipiter family. Weighing in at only 95 grams, about the same as a small apple, he is the smallest hawk native to Michigan. His other relatives include the Cooper’s Hawk and the Northern Goshawk. All Accipiters are short winged, long tailed forest dwelling hawks that prefer to prey upon other birds. They will also supplement their diets with small mammals and large bugs.
Piper was hatched in 2010. In the late summer of that year, while he was out on his own he decided to hunt birds off a bird feeder. He chased down a small songbird which, in its panic to escape, crashed into the house window and was immediately killed. Piper also hit the window and suffered a severe head injury. The home owners brought Piper to Wings of Wonder where he was admitted into our rehabilitation program. Over time Piper recovered but was left with permanent blindness to his left eye. Since these small hawks rely primarily on vision for successful hunts, Piper’s blindness will forever prevent his return to the wild.
As Piper grows older over the next couple of years he will go through a complete color transformation. As a youngster his plumage, or feather coloring, is mainly brown and beige streaking and barring, and his eye color is a light greenish-gray. Each year he will continue to molt in new feathers which will turn his back, shoulders, wings and head to a beautiful bluish-gray. His eye color will also change to a bright reddish-orange. These are the colors of an adult sharp shinned hawk.
Piper is a wonderful addition to our “WOW” family of ambassador raptors. Audiences are amazed at his tiny size and his lightening fast movements. He helps to remind folks that raptors come in a variety of sizes and occupy specific niches that provide for healthy and balanced ecosystems.
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Piper's Photo Gallery
Golda |Golden Eagle
Golda is a Golden Eagle who became a member of our ambassador educational family in June of 2011. She was hatched in the wilds of Colorado in 1992 and in the late summer was found trying to break into a chicken coop. She was very thin and emaciated and was admitted to a raptor rehabilitation center where she was soon diagnosed with a congenital feather deformity. This deformity prevents her from ever flying. She was soon transferred to the Reptile Gardens in South Dakota where she lived for her first 5 years. According to old records, things did not work out and she was transferred to a science center in northern Michigan. She was used in educational presentations for the next 15 years. Unfortunately, over those years the center did not employ trained or professional raptor caretakers and the raptors, including Golda, were mistreated and neglected. In early June of 2011 all of the raptors were removed from this center and were admitted to Wings of Wonder for immediate medical care.
Golda was one of the surviving raptors and will now spend the rest of her life at Wings of Wonder. We have pledged to provide her with a safe and comfortable home forever. Golda is showing us that she loves her new home. She has become the 'chatty' member of our WOW family and seems to enjoy vocalizing at, and to, everyone. She calls out to the geese and ducks on the lake, she calls out to me when she hears my voice, she answers to the hooting from Eoin and Sage (our resident Great Horned Owls) and she 'sings' when the coyotes start their howls at night. She has found joy in bathing and loves to be gently spray misted with the hose on warm summer days. She loves to shred stuffed animals, old phone books, cardboard egg cartons and heads of cabbage.
Golden Eagles are commonly found in western North America and are one of our largest birds of prey with an average wingspan of 7 1/2 feet and a weight of about 14 pounds. They are the national emblem of Mexico. Because they prey upon mammals, we have secured high quality meats for Golda. She is fed quail, rodent, chicken and the local county 4H rabbit breeders are donating superior rabbit meat. Her health and feather condition are rapidly improving and her personality is blossoming. Golda is a welcomed and valued member of our educational family! Sponsor Golda
Golda's Photo Gallery
