Western Kentucky Raptor Center Does Great Work

Kathy and I attended the Western Kentucky Raptor Center annual fundraiser Saturday Night at Reids Orchard.  The gathering of around 40 people learned about the work being done at the facility and the need for more funding and volunteers.

For those that don't know raptors are "Birds of Prey", Hawks, Owls, Eagles and vultures fit in this catagory.

Raptors are important because of what they eat.  Raptors eat, or prey upon, a variety of other animals, such as mammals, insects, snakes, fish, amphibians, and even other birds.Raptors assist in maintaining the balance of nature by helping to control troublesome pest populations, such as mice and rats.

Sometimes MAN gets in the way. The Raptor Center is here to help when that happens. The goal of WKRC is to help those birds who are injured or sick and re-introduce them into the wild. The birds that are permanent residents are those who could never survive in their natural environment due to injuries.

Eric Miller is the director of the Center. Eric talked about the costs involved with providing services. He is also quick to point out that the Center works on a very small budget of under $5,000. The rest, mostly money for food, comes from donations. At 3 mice per day ($.75 each) the costs add up quickly. Just to feed one owl, it costs $821.25 per year!

Eric introduced us to Philip Lovekamp, a junior at Owensboro Catholic High School. Philip is an Eagle Scout working on a project to benefit the Center. He will be building a new mews for the resident screech owls, Raz and Thor.  The mews will also be used for rehabbing Eastern Screech Owls.

Jennifer and Jeff Danhauer, Billy and Kathy Reid and several others hosted the event which brought in over $1,000. Jennifer is Education Director of the center and told us about programs they do with the birds each year. Over 2700 people learned about the Center thru the outreach program this past year. Education is the key to keeping these majestic birds thriving in Western Kentucky.

Another Friend of the Center is Nicole Shor, a Junior at Kentucky Wesleyan College. A zoology major, Nicole spends many hours volunteering at the center and working the the Education area. She is thinking about working with Raptors after graduation.

I am posting some pictures here so you can see several of the resident birds and those about the be released. I hope you will someday attend a program about these amazing animals and perhaps begin to look for them in the wild.