World Eagle Day 2016

This morning I woke up on the wrong side of the bed when I spied corn flake-sized snow falling outside my window. Now that's it's officially Spring - Jack Frost needs to take a hike. However, I was determined for our family to enjoy a fun day -- outside. Once the weather had cleared and temps begun creeping back up to the high 40's we headed out to World Bird Sanctuary (WBS) for their annual World Eagle Day celebration.

We made a bee-line for the amphitheater just in time to catch the 1:30 p.m. show. I was happy to discover our favorite WBS naturalist, Trina, would be heading up the program. Her enthusiasm and quick wit are entertaining and we always leave a show with a new little nugget of knowledge

...like how vultures eat so much they are often too heavy to fly and defend themselves from other predators by vomiting their meal to both scare off their attackers and make themselves lighter for flight.

Awesome.

After the show we took a tour of the hospital. The Sanctuary boasts the highest release rate around at 44% ...the average rate for other bird rehabilitation facilities is 36-38%.  Incredibly WBS is not state or federally funded -- it relies completely on private donations.  Cost to feed one bald eagle for a year is $1,000...they are currently caring for about 26 -- along with many other feathery friends.

If you missed this year's event -- no worries because WBS offers weekly keeper talks every Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m. and from Memorial Day through Labor Day you may catch their amazing animal encounter shows on Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. -- all FREE.

Check out their website for a slew of free, family-friendly events.

 

 

Prosthetics - they've had limited success with them thus far.

While touring the hospital we spy an x-ray showing a bird shot with pellets.

Lots of protective gear is needed when handling egrets and cranes.

Rehab workers wear camo and use a bird puppet to feed babies and injured birds
in an effort to guard against them becoming familiar with the human form.

Postcards from the Peanut Gallery Wk. 2

6/1/14 - 6/3/14  Our family went on a liquid diet...
Gatorade - check
Ginger ale - check
Jello - check
Wine (for me) - check, check
On the up-side - I didn't have to cook!

6/4/14  The kids are pretty much back to themselves, however, Natalie seems to be suffering from PTVD (Post Traumatic Vomit Disorder). To take her mind off her worries we went to Turtle Park to do some letterboxing.  There are two in the park, but we were only able to locate one of them.

6/5/14  In the afternoon we headed...or should I say, I dragged my two, to the Tesson Ferry Branch Library to see Christian the Magician.  Both kids were skeptical they would enjoy the show.  Christian, touted as the Jim Carrey of Magic, is definitely more comedian than magician, but this seems to be just what kids enjoy most.  From the back I watched as their heads bobbed and bodies convulsed over his antics. Before the show was over, Natalie found her way back to me to whisper, "Can we check out some magic books?"

We left the library armed with several card trick books and one titled, "Stunts, Puzzles, and Stage Illusions." Oh boy.  We were hardly out of the car before she was gathering "supplies" from the kitchen to begin practicing her new-found craft.  From the living room I heard, "Uh oh". I found her mopping up the floor with several rags. 

"I was trying to do the shower trick."

I took a deep breath and then suggested she practice her magic outside.

6/6/14  Although I sometimes cringe at how big my kids are getting...longer legs means more  stamina to take on bigger adventures.  Friday night marked the opening of Webster Groves' 11th Annual Art & Air Festival. We decided to put the kids' longer limbs and walked to the event. On our way, we stopped in at Serendipity.  While the ice cream shop has been in business for 10 years, this was the first time our family had ever visited.  I was super excited to fall in love with the place and envisioned many fun evenings of strolling over for a scoop. I love ice cream and supporting small businesses, however, I didn't love our experience at this joint.  

First off, I must tell you I am an ice cream snob and am willing to pay higher prices for higher quality.  However, it's not always necessary to pay more to enjoy great ice cream.  For example, one of Shop n'Save's own brands, Stone Ridge Creamery, provides a quality product, great selection of flavors...but cheap enough (typically about $3/carton) to allow you to purchase 2 or 3 flavors at a time.  That being said, I understand and appreciate the experience of enjoying a cone or other fanciful treat at a cute and friendly shop. What I don't like...paying $3+ dollars for a single scoop of ice cream in a place where all the surfaces are covered in a thick layer of dust.  Not only that, but Serendipity's floors were sticky and filthy, the walls dirty and marked and every window was in dire need of some Windex. When we visited there were only two other customers in the entire store with three teenagers "working" behind the counter -- one of them, popping handfuls of peanuts or some other small snack into his mouth.   While the ice cream was good...I know of many other shops where it is better.

Another Stl250 cake!
Unfortunately, this one was covered in a thick layer of dust and grime.

I think mine is with a carton of Stone Ridge Creamery or a visit to Oberweis Dairy.

The temps were perfect to stroll through the many artisan displays.

Whether or not it was your taste, these little boxes made from found objects were certainly eye-catching.

Gorgeous vessels made from gourds.

Stunning Stones.

 I loved these whimsical worms.

Amazing craftsmanship.

I loved the bright colors and lightness of her work.

6/7/14 Neither of my kids play sports, so staying active takes some creativity on my part.  It's one of the reasons I got them into letterboxing and now am trying to steer them towards hiking as a way to enjoy nature (which they both love!) while keeping their bodies healthy and strong. On Saturday World Bird Sanctuary was hosting National Trails Day.  I chose to have us do the shortest of the three available routes as I want to ease them into it and while it was only about a half mile trek, the Hickory trail route was quite steep in places.  The point was to get them moving and for us to spend time together as a family. It was fun, too to listen to Steve quiz them on the names trees and critters we bumped into along the way. Afterwards we meandered through the bird displays and the kids decorated rocks at the craft area. While our excursion lasted little more than an hour, the outing served to set the stage for future, successful outdoors adventures.

Noah takes a drink from a survivalist water pack he earned from selling popcorn with the scouts. 
It not only served to keep him hydrated, but the weight of it provided the proprioceptive input his body craves.

Even daddy turkeys like to give piggy-back rides.

Nature Crafts...Rock on!

6/8/14  An old friend of mine won 4 tickets to the St. Louis Renaissance Festival. 
But, because she'd already been the weekend before, she gave them away to me! While I wasn't completely sure what I was getting our family into, I was confident it would be memorable.  We arrived just minutes before the doors opened.  The kids were greeted by maidens, pirates and fairies who pulled gold coins and "shinies" (sparkly glass stones favored by the fae) out of their ears.  They were each handed a sheet of paper and asked if they'd like to go on a quest.  The idea was to visit the myriad of craftsman booths (everything from glass-making to silversmithing) and collect stamps from each one.  Once their sheet was full, the kids were to meet at 2:30 p.m. at the royal court to be knighted by King Francois or be made into a princess by Queen Claude.

The day we went the theme was pirates and they were definitely in great supply. Noah was in heaven! In addition, the event organizers invited folks to enter their fairy house contest (free of charge) and all entrants received two, free tickets to the festival.  There were dozens of tiny homes peppered throughout the Fae Village.  Needless to say, Natalie couldn't have been happier.  She had me take photos of more than 50 fairy flats.

Food vendors offered everything from Turkey legs and Gyros to Bison burgers and hot dogs.  Sweet treats were a plenty and most often served deep fried like strawberries with chocolate and batter-dipped, powdered sugar covered Twinkies, Oreos and cupcakes. When I placed an order for fried Oreos, the maiden simply yelled back to the kitchen "One heart attack".

As we left the festival, I couldn't help but feel that it was a "happily ever after" experience.

Natalie was a little apprehensive at the entrance.

There was no shortage of entertainers...from belly dancers to comedians, magicians and fire eaters.

Collecting a stamp at the German Camp.

The vest added 20 lbs. to his frame.
He loved it.

 

Noah couldn't stop smiling.  He was thrilled to meet Jack.

Jousting, too!

Mmmm...fried Oreos.

Crazy Boy Coy lived up to his moniker.

Princess Natalie shares a smile with the Queen of France

Noah becomes Sir Noah.

The kids made a stop at the Fairy Trading Post to trade in their "shinies" for treasures.
Noah swapped for a gold coin and Natalie for a jingle bell necklace.

Wingin' It

Anyone who knows me, will tell you -- I'm a planner...and not just a few days in advance.  I like to  plan weeks, sometimes months ahead.  Whether it's setting money aside before our 11 year old dryer decides to take a permanent...press vacation, securing a sitter six weeks before an event or mapping out our summer activities in March - it's clear, I like to have things settled and decided.  I'm not sure where I inherited my planning genes, certainly not from my parents. They have always been big proponents of "winging it".  For as long as I can remember, my Dad worked seven days a week.  But, every summer, my parents would set aside two weeks to take my brother and sister and I on a family vacation. It was the 80's and a time when seatbelts were optional yet it was always expected that we begin our trips at 3 a.m.  My mom would lay the back seat of our powder blue stationwagon down flat and make a bed for us in hopes that we'd sleep for the first five hours of the drive. When I would ask what they had planned for our trip, I often heard, "We're just going to play it by ear." Their plans were often little more than a final destination.

Argh.  Who are these people? I must have been adopted.

I vividly recall the first time I tried to help my planning-challenged parents.  I was about eight or nine years old and saw a commercial on visiting Florida. The cheery announcer even had a phone number for viewers to call to receive a free packet of travel information.  I called up the number and ordered the materials, but when they arrived and I excitedly explained how easy it would be for them to make reservations...they just laughed. "Why would we want to do that?" 

It was then and there that I knew...I was definitely adopted.

Even so, we always had a good time --whether it was seeing Dorothy's ruby slippers at the Smithsonian, making hand-dipped candles in historic Williamsburg, sand surfing along Lake Michigan or riding bikes around Macinac Island. I hate to admit it, but my parent's unplanned vacations are among my fondest childhood memories.

But, that doesn't mean I've been able to easily rid myself of my planning ways.

However, this weekend somehow snuck up on me, and I found myself in a rare position...Steve did not have to work, the kids didn't have any extracurricular plans or birthdays to attend, it was Saturday and I hadn't planned a thing for us to do!  At 1 p.m. I'd decided that eventhough the weather looked crummy, we were not going to waste a precious day with all of us together in one room, but all hooked into different electronic devices.  I rifled my brain to come up with a quick solution -- something outdoors, educational and free.  

By 1:30 p.m. Steve and I had loaded the kids into the car and were headed west on highway 44 to World Bird Sanctuary.  Though we hadn't visited in more than five years, I felt sure there would be something of interest for the kids.  I knew it would be educational and as always - admission and parking are free. As it turned out, we arrived on "National Trails Day" and just minutes before the start of their Saturday Animal Encounters show. We headed to the amphitheater and spent 30 minutes being both entertained and educated by two of the Sanctuary's naturalists, Christina and Trina, on many birds of prey.

World Bird Sanctuary was founded in 1977 by Ornithologist, Walter C. Crawford, Jr. Today, the  property located on 305 acres of Missouri hardwood forest is managed by 25 full time staffers. Each year more than 300 birds are treated in their state-of-the art Wildlife Hospital.  Their rehabilitation program is run by volunteer veterinarians and experienced staff and interns.  The goal is to release as many raptors as possible back into the wild. In addition, they've treated more than 900 parrots as part of their parrot rehabilitation and placement program. Cost to care for one injured bird is about $1,000.
Propagation is another important aspect of the Sanctuary. To date they've released more than 900 barn owls into the wild in Illinois and Missouri. And, because of their efforts, the barn owl was removed from Missouri's endangered species in October 2008. They have also cooperatively reintroduced Andean Condors, bald eagles, golden eagles and Harris hawks.

The mission of World Bird Sanctuary is to preserve the earth's biological diversity and to secure the future for threatened bird species in their natural environments through education, propagation, field studies and rehabilitation.

World Bird Sanctuary is open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving and Christmas. They offer free seasonal shows, nature trails, educational programs for schools and scouting troops and picnic pavilions.  Come see their live displays of bald eagles, owls, hawks, falcons, vultures, parrots, reptiles and much more.

Click here to check out their events calendar.

Click here to learn how you can help support the World Bird Sanctuary -- everything from participating in their "adopt-a-bird" program, purchasing an item from their wish list to using goodsearch as your search engine...every little bit helps.

And, as I've come to learn...sometimes wingin' it is not only fun, but educational, too!

Patiently waiting for the show to begin.

Goblin, 10 year old barn owl was hatched at the Sanctuary. In the wild, their average life span is less than 2 years.

Mischief happily earned his keep by accepting donations from everyone.

Natalie decided to help out the Sanctuary by purchasing a stuffed owl from their gift shop.

Noah loved the hat he received as part of their National Trail Days promotion.

The kids stand in a replica of an eagles nest.  The biggest one recorded was 9 1/2  feet in diameter and 20 feet high 

The Sanctuary is located next to Lone Elk Park.  We drove through and found the place lived up to it's name.