Southport Magazine

Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter helps injured birds spread their wings again

BY: LISA P. STITES

Why have dogs and cats at home like most people when you can have a pelican, a barred owl, a red-tail hawk and a fish crow?

Rogers has special federal permits to keep those four birds permanently. To continue meeting the federal requirements, she has to have them participate in twelve educational programs every year.

“I love making sure all these critters have a good home,” she said. The 72-year-old says she will keep doing what she does every day, whether it’s driving to another county to pick up or deliver a bird, performing basic medical treatments, feeding and caring for everyone at the shelter, until she no longer can.

“I feel like I’m contributing back to the environment which I love so much, especially Oak Island. We have everything here,” she said. Rogers started the shelter in 2007, after spending more than 200 hours volunteering with the South Carolina Center for Birds of Prey. Rogers said she already had experience working with birds, but not specifically shore birds. She needed the extra time to qualify for federal sheltering permits.

“I can do anything from hummingbirds to eagles,” she said.

So far this year, she has worked with 378 birds; she usually averages 350 per year. Rogers estimates that she has worked with more than 3,000 birds.

Rogers also recently went through the permitting process to be able to accept fawns, too. She had taken in two so far.

Someone has to show the new guys what to do

Tim the Pelican came from Holden Beach to the shelter in 2009 when he was approximately four months old. One of his wings will only stretch 20 inches, while the other, good wing stretches 24 inches, so he’ll never fly straight, Rogers explained. Otherwise, he’s a healthy bird and serves as a role model for the new tenants.

“His primary job around here is to teach the other guys how to behave,” Rogers said. Tim teaches the other birds that it’s ok to pick up fish off the ground and eat them, for example. Tim is also a good ambassador for the program. As one of the permanent residents at Sea Biscuit, Tim travels with Rogers for educational programs. Pelicans have a life span of 25-30 years, so Tim is still relatively young.

A beautiful bared owl named Shadow

Shadow is one of two birds of prey that now call the shelter home. She is a barred owl, totally blind and unable to survive on her own. She was hit by a vehicle and came to the shelter two years ago. Shadow temporarily shares quarters with another barred owl Rogers hopes will be able to soon return to the wild. He is a little skinnier than he should be, but is otherwise healthy. Shadow weighs in at 849 grams, while the male owl (unnamed since he won’t be staying) is only 680 grams. Rogers said she’ll likely soon return him to the Maco area where he came from, in case he had a mate there. “This is mating season for these guys,” she said.

Rogers has also worked with screech owls. She placed one such owl, named Harley, with the Falling Creek Camp for Boys near Asheville, NC. She had another one in late 2014, but was unable to relocate it to Florida as she originally planned. That state banned the transport of birds from North Carolina due to an outbreak of the avian flu. The boys’ camp just happened to be looking for another screech owl, so the timing worked out perfectly. The staff at the camp named him Davidson.

Bozo the clown, or, hawk

Red-tailed hawk Scarlet is the other bird of prey in residence. Another red-tailed hawk, affectionately called Bozo temporarily, is missing nine primary feathers on his wings. Bozo was actually recaptured and brought back to the shelter. When he was supposed to be released this summer, a crowd gathered to watch. But instead of flying away, he climbed a tree. He hung around in the area, terrorizing smaller birds that gathered in backyard bird baths and feeders, and generally being aggressive in people’s backyards. Rogers went to his location on East Yacht Drive and tried to catch him. “Of course, he didn’t want to be caught and he’s faster than me,” she said. She got a call a couple of days later from a neighbor a few houses down from the original complaint. For her second attempt, she brought along mice. She tossed one to him and he grabbed it with one foot. She tossed him another, and he realized too late that he couldn’t run away with his feet full of mice. Though he started shuffling sideways to make his great escape, Rogers was able to nab him. He will start flight training soon, exercises designed to get him back in shape for swooping down and capturing food, and eventually he’ll be sent to Cape Fear Raptors, a rehabilitation center in Rocky Point, NC. Until his training starts, he and Scarlet will continue their diet of dead mice.

‘Nobody wants a crow’

The newest addition to the shelter’s educational team is Lusby, a fish crow named for the town in Maryland where he came from eight months ago. There’s a veterinarian there who provides care for injured birds and then finds rehabilitation centers for them. Lusby had an amputation and is missing half of one of his wrists. He was a big hit at Oak Island’s Spooktacular event at Halloween, Rogers explained. Everyone thought he was a raven. Although he can nevermore fly, Rogers said Lusby is very smart. He’s definitely not one of the more popular shore birds she has though.

“Nobody wants a crow,” she said. At least he has quit biting her, she said. Lusby has two large indoor cages. He is susceptible to the West Nile virus, and since there have been reports of the virus in Brunswick County, he has to remain indoors for now. He seems to prefer one cage over the other though, as one gives him the chance to see the backyard, where the other birds are.

Other birds at the shelter include a vulture, three adult and three juvenile pelicans and two Northern Gannets, one adult approximately five years old and one youngster that is probably just one year old. They are migratory birds, coming from as far north as Nova Scotia. They fly south and then ride the Gulf Steam north when it’s time to return. The adult got tangled up in fishing line, a common reason birds need the shelter’s help. The younger one got tangled with a hooked fish. Rogers said they are vicious birds. She also said they are “projectile poopers,” a claim which one of the birds proved true while being photographed. Fortunately, it was standing on the side of the newly-installed pelican pond at the time, aiming toward the water. A Mississippi Kite also spent some time at the shelter this past summer.

With 2015 recently ended, a review of the statistics for 2014 gives a closer look at the shelter’s impact on the local wildlife population. Rogers said she has a great volunteer base. In 2014, those volunteers logged in more than 3.900 hours in the clinic, which adds up to almost $60,000 in unpaid labor. Transporters for short distances (less than 25 miles) were valued at $52,000 and long distance, $28,000 for time and mileage expenses. Goods, food and services received were worth more than $1,000, not including the veterinarian contributions totaling over $4,000. Rogers said she receives assistance from three in the area. Individual donors and organizations support the shelter with over $12,000. Rogers, volunteers and the birds did more than 30 educational programs in 2014, reaching more than 3,900 children and adults. She and the volunteers also documented avian migration patterns, identifying possible toxins and human impacts.

The Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter is a non-profit organization that relies on donations from the Town of Oak Island, individuals and private businesses. To support the rehabilitation of wild birds, field studies and educational programs, or to find out more information, call (910) 278-7871 or send an email to seabiscuitshelter@yahoo.com. The shelter also has a Facebook page.