Rebecca's blog

Because of your outpouring of support and extreme generosity Wings of Wonder was able to complete the final payment to the Leelanau County road commission. The horrid law suit and settlement agreements are now officially over. Can you hear the shouts of joy? I can not thank you all enough for your help through this mess....your kind words, your letters to the editors, your generosity, your bottles of wine, your humor....yes, you all kept me somewhat sane and strong. I can honestly state that during this entire road saga not a single raptor here at WOW ever went without a meal!
Donations continue to arrive which will help us rebuild the depleted reserves for medical emergencies and for our educational scholarship account.






WOW is still in a state of rehab and recovery as we move forward, yet it seems that each day we "fly" a bit higher.

I decided to quietly release 2 young Red Tailed Hawks yesterday. Both of these youngsters were admitted to Wings of Wonder as starvation cases and had both lost close to 50% of their normal body weight. As youngsters, newly out on their own, young raptors just do not have perfected hunting skills. It doesn't take long for them to lose weight, become weak, and no longer be able to hunt successfully. If not found and rehabilitated, they will starve to death.

Our resident Great Horned Owl, Sage, was kept busy this summer fostering 2 orphaned chicks from the Muskegon area. Sage is a devoted mama and loves babies. She raised these kids...teaching them how to "talk" the language and how to hunt down live prey. Once the youngsters were old enough, and hunting, they were transferred down to the Braveheart Raptor Center where they were released back into familiar forest lands. We wish them well on this life path.

In early February we received a call about a white Turkey Vulture in the Peshawbestown area. Admitting an albino vulture was definitely a first for Wings of Wonder and for me. The vulture was transported to WOW by the tribal Natural Resources Department. She came swaddled in a baby blanket with only her little pink head showing. A very cute memory. She was thin and had a bit of frostbite on a couple of toes, but otherwise appeared ok. Because albino animals oftentimes have associated health issues this young vulture was checked over thoroughly. Turns out she has a vision problem, she is near-sighted...which accounts for why she did not migrate south for the winter. She is extremely reluctant to fly since she can not see too far in front of her. After being fully rehabilitated here at WOW she was moved out into our large 100 foot aviary, where she joined Doolin, our resident black turkey vulture. At first Doolin was totally freaked out by her and would fly off if-and-when she got too close. But, over the next few weeks they sort of formed a bit of a friendship and could often be seen eating or perched close to each other. "Little White Girl", as she was called around here, was eventually transferred to the Ojai Raptor Center in Ojai, California, where she will spend the rest of her life. She has been named "Blanca" and shares her space with "Handsome"...a male turkey vulture. She is the southern belle at this center and is treated like a princess. We are thrilled to have permanently placed her at this amazing facility.

During Memorial Weekend we admitted a young fledgling Barred Owl. There was truly nothing wrong with this youngster other than he was too young to be on his own, and was found in an un-safe environment due to the holiday weekend. He was rescued by the DNR and transported to Wings of Wonder where he just hung out for a few days and enjoyed some tasty free meals. Once the weekend was over and the crazy partying had ended, this youngster was returned to the area where he was found and released. I have no doubts that he soon reunited with his parents and siblings.


Gilda and Arlo, our resident Eastern Screech Owls fostered these 2 orphaned babies this year. When the babies were brought to Wings of Wonder they were only about the size of ping pong balls. Arlo and Gilda adopted the babies right away and began caring for them. Gilda and Arlo foster orphaned babies each and every year. They are both stellar parents and become extremely protective of "their" babies. When I would enter their flight pen to leave food, to clean, or to refresh the water tubby I had to wear my bicycle helmet, googles and a thick winter coat in order to stay safe. Without this protective gear I would suffer the attacks from these doting parents. As the summer days warmed up, wearing all that gear got unbearably hot and uncomfortable...yet I stayed safe. These youngsters, once old enough and able to hunt a variety of live prey, were released on a lovely summer evening at Watervale Inn.


One of the many West Nile Virus patients admitted this year was a young Sharp Shined Hawk. The hawk was thin and dehydrated but was not exhibiting advanced symptoms for the virus so we were hopeful he had been rescued in time. The young hawk was given lots of fluids and supportive care...similar care that we humans receive when we have a bad case of the flu. This was one of the lucky survivors of the virus. I decided to release him on site, right from his flight pen. I just propped open the door of the flight pen one morning and out he flew into the forest. A few hours later, when I returned to clean out this space to prepare it for the next patient, lo and behold he was back. He had flown in thru the still propped open door....guess he was no dummy....he was back for more free handouts. I shooshed him out, put a (dead) mouse out on a tree limb where he came down, grabbed it up and flew off...never to be seen here again (I now don't keep the doors propped open!)


We had a Snowy Owl flown to Wings of Wonder this summer via a private pilot. The snowy owl had been rehabilitated at a center downstate. By the time the owl was ready for release it was just too late in the season to release him that far south so the center contacted Wings of Wonder for help. I promised that we could at least transport the Snowy to Whitefish Point where other Snowy's were still being seen. The owl was flown up to Empire via John Sullivan of Aerial Associates Photography. I met John at the little airport and invited him over to Wings of Wonder for a tour. A great new friendship was created. The Snowy Owl spent a few days resting and eating at Wings of Wonder and was then transported to Whitefish Point and released by good friend Tom Deering. The Owl then had to navigate his own way further north to Alaska or northern areas of Canada...his free ride was over.


Dr. Eric Peck (Northern Michigan Veterinary Hospital) performed several surgeries on raptors for us this year, one of which was to amputate a dead toe from a young Long Eared Owl's foot. This very young owl had been found by a logger after the nest tree had been cut down. Turns out the baby had some damage to her left foot: the back toe was completely twisted and dead and there was additional damage to another toe and talon. This damage had happened earlier in this youngster's life. My theory is that a couple of talons on her left foot got snagged inside the hollow of the nest tree, resulting in the severe injuries. If this youngster had gotten old enough to fly she most certainly would have starved to death out in the wild. The back toe is a very, very important toe for successful catching and killing of the prey as well as for being able to comfortably perch on a branch. The surgery went extremely well and the little owl's foot healed completely, but she is now permanently disabled and can never be released back into the wild. She is our newest ambassador raptor and is a very welcomed addition to the "family". Stay tuned on more about this little girl.




In the span of about 5 days we admitted 4 baby merlins, all from 4 different areas of the state. Merlins are one of the 3 falcons native to Michigan. These youngsters all became instant siblings and learned to role model from each other. Once they were fully feathered and beginning to fly they were moved into our large 100 foot aviary where they practiced thier flying skills, hunting strategies and how to steal food from each other. These little falcons are amazing masters of flight...they can stop on a dime, hover and zip around very quickly. It was fun to watch them growing up....but, have to admit, it was a grueling aerobic workout for me trying to capture them out of our huge flight pen when they were ready for release. All 4 merlins were released together over some gorgeous open meadow lands near the village of Maple City.

The theme of the season seems to be "OWLS". We no sooner transported one snowy owl up to Whitefish Point when another one was admitted to Wings of Wonder. This latest snowy came from a fellow rehabber down near the southern border of Michigan. The snowy had been hit by a car and was successfully rehabilitated by Mary Seth. The bird was then flown by private pilot John Sullivan and brought to "WOW". The snowy is now just hanging out here, enjoying a few last free meals. This weekend he will be transported to Whitefish Point by stellar "owl-chauffeur" Tom Deering and released back into the wild. The snowy will then continue this unique journey north....we wish him well.





Our resident Eastern Screech Owls, Arlo and Gilda, have been fostering 2 little babies. A couple of days ago the babes exited the nest box and are now exploring the world around them. They are extremely curious about anything that flies, crawls or flutters. Both of the youngsters are gray little balls of fluff. Foster dad, Arlo, a red screech, is seriously protective of the "kids" which requires me to wear my bicycle helmet, goggles and a thick jacket when I enter the enclosure.



We hope to release these cute youngsters in late July or early August. Stay tuned for the release date.

Sage, our older Great Horned Owl foster mom is doing such a wonderful job parenting her 2 babes. These youngsters are now flying, exploring and trying out some hunting techniques.....which are extremely awful at this point in time. Truth be told, it is humorous watching them. Great Horned Owlets need lots and lots of time perfecting their hunting strategies. The mantra here at Wings of Wonder is "repetition builds confidence". A release date for these young ones will be in late August, hopefully.

Our older Great Horned Owl, Sage, is happy and practically smiling. She is currently fostering 2 orphaned chicks brought to us by the Braveheart Raptor Center down near Muskegon, Mich. Sage is a stellar mom and has fostered dozens of chicks over the years. The youngsters are growing fast and will be flying soon. In the next couple of days the family unit will be moved into our large 100 foot aviary where they will have plenty of room to stretch those beautiful wings and develop valuable hunting skills.

The "little white girl", the albino turkey vulture admitted to WOW in late january, boarded a Delta flight this past tuesday and arrived safely in sunny California. She is now acclimating to her new home at the Ojai Raptor Center under the professional and compassionate care of my good friend and colleague, Kim Stroud, the center's founder and director. The "little white girl" will be pampered and spoiled and soon become the new princess at Ojai. She is a lucky girl indeed.

Our resident eastern screech owls, Gilda and Arlo, are also care-taking babies. No pictures yet to share, but we promise some in the near future. Golda, our resident Golden Eagle has laid her 3rd, and hopefully last, egg. She seems not the least bit interested in these eggs, which is fine since the eggs are not fertile. What interests her most at this time of the year are towels...she LOVES to shred towels, so, if anyone is interested in donating bath-sized and beach towels please give us a jingle. Golda will love you!

This a busy time of the year for all wildlife as animals pair up, build nests and dens, and begin to raise a new family. Please be mindful of not interfering with this "child rearing". Show your respect by being quiet and keeping your distance. If you suspect that a wild animal has been orphaned, please call Wings of Wonder for assistance. We ask that you don't remove any babies from the wild until after first consulting with a professional and licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Enjoy the sounds and sights of nature during this new spring season.