For the past two months, I've been volunteering to care for the birds of prey at the New Canaan Nature Center. There is a red shouldered hawk, a bald eagle, a barred owl, a barn owl, a northern saw whet owl, and a turkey vulture (the last is not technically a bird of prey.)
I clean the enclosures which isn't as bad as it sounds. If the bird is ornery, I don't clean as well as I normally would. I also give the birds food and water.
As part of my duties, I prepare food for the following day. The birds are fed mice, chicks, and/or rats--all frozen. I was told that their food was raised cleanly and humanely. Each bird is given a specific amount of food. To get the specific amount, I sometimes have to chop up a mouse, chick, or rat. I thought I'd be too squeamish to do it. Then I learned it can be physically difficult to chop up a rat; a repaired hatchet helped.
I've gotten better with the rat chopping--I'm actually pretty non-squeamish--and more efficient in my other duties. There are still challenges. Jasper, the barn owl, has taken to flying to me and trying to land on my head. I started to wear a baseball cap and will carry a broom to keep Jasper away. Apparently the birds get a little antsy in the spring.
At some point, I'd like to be able to hold a bird on my arm (specially gloved, of course) but I'm far from there. For now, I'm happy to help take care of them.
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