A Dream Come True...Again!

I am fascinated by birds of prey. Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, Owls. You name it, I love them all. When Ryan and I lived in Tucson, I was lucky enough to get a volunteer position at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and their Raptor Free Flight Program. This position required a more rigorous interviewing process than most of the "real" jobs I've had in my life. And it was also more fulfilling than most positions I've held! Every Saturday morning I would get up at 6:00 am and arrive at the museum to work with the birds and the animal trainers until about 2:00pm. As a volunteer I was dressed in camouflage and hiding behind a cactus with a two way radio headset. When the time came, I'd raise my gloved hand, out of site of the audience, and wait for the bird to come and alight on my hand. It was one of the first experiences in my life when I felt the presence of God. These birds are so mystical and beautiful and I felt so honored to be given the chance to work with them.

My position there did not last as long as I would have liked because shortly after I began my mother was labeled "terminal" and I returned home.

When we moved back to the Albany area, I ended up in a position at a company that was highly regulated and actually forbid me, as an employee, to work with birds of prey. I was sure that I would never have the chance to do it again, but felt so blessed to have had the experience at all.

Well...here I go again! Back in May of this year I happened across an ad in the Buffalo News. It was one of those things that you tell stories about later. I don't have a subscription to the paper. And I don't buy one. If I do happen to look at a newspaper, it is usually to read the Dear Abby section and the comics. But, for some reason, I picked up the classifieds one Sunday at my in-laws house and was intently reviewing each and every ad.

I found one that said "If you love animals and want to help them, this is the place for you." The place is called Messinger Woods Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital. I immediately cut out the ad. The very next day, I sent a letter of interest, as requested, and within a few days, I got a phone call inviting me to attend an orientation class. That was followed by an introductory training session and then a tour of the animal hospital. Then, on the first Friday night of June, I walked into the hospital for my first volunteer shift from 5:30 to 9:30 pm.

I thought that at the very best, I'd be able to physically handle the animals after a year or two of sweeping floors and cleaning cages. Wow! Was I wrong! My first night as a volunteer, I walked in the door at 5:30 pm and by 5:40 pm I was chasing baby ducks! By the time the 4 hour shift was over (during which I never once sat down, or even stopped moving for that matter!) I had hand-fed a slew of orphaned baby birds, helped give medication to a squirrel that had been hit by a car, fed mice to juvenile Red Tail Hawks, gathered greens to re-create a wild environment for baby red squirrels, held and fed a baby possum and watched in awe as a full staff of volunteers ran, sweat, worked, worried, cared, and cooed over all of these animals. The goal is to rehabilitate them all to be released back into the wild. The entire hospital which staffs more than 200 hundred people is completely run by VOLUNTEERS. From the president, to the vets, to the shift leaders, to the assistant rehabbers, every single minute spent in the building is done out of the goodness of people's hearts.

Who could imagine that I'd find not one, but TWO of these kinds of volunteer opportunities in my life! Here are some pictures of the patients:

American Kestrels

Woodchuck

Baby Opossum

Juvenile Red Tail Hawk

Teeny Tiny House Wren

Baby Screech Owls

Absolutely AMAZING!