Willowbrook

Today is an unofficial day of the NWRA symposium here in Chicago.  They offered field trips to a local rehab center, Willowbrook, the Field Museum, or the beginners rehabbers course (which I took last year).  So I opted to go see the Willowbrook facility.  It is something among rehabbers to always want to visit other centers, even when we are on vacation we have a tendency to scope out rehab centers to learn new things and see different caging.

Now I have a bit of time before registration begins, so I thought I would post a blog with loads of pictures from the center.  And then later tonight is the standard meet and greet/ice breaker social.  I am currently charging the battery for my camera so I can get some photos of the interior or exterior of the hotel.  You will really see why I keep saying bees nest/honeycomb.

This is leaving my room back to the lobby... I only took 3 photos but could have taken another 3 to get back to the lobby, but they all start to look the same, just alternating sides.

again.

and again.

Willowbrook is part of a reintroduction program of the endangered Brande's Turtle. They gather eggs from gravid females, incubate, hatch and raise for 3 yrs before release.

"Spring" a female kestrel exhibit bird.

"Tanka" a most likely female great horned owl.  They look really different than ours on the west coast.  All the pics of the ones I have had in house are far more grayish in color.

A female coyote in rehab.

A golden eagle, exhibit bird.  first for me actually seeing one.

A Turkey Vulture. exhibit bird

Exhibit raccoons, raised by people as pets so they are non-releasable.

I don't remember if Jack told us the name of this male Peregrine.  He was a bit flighty and took several attempts to glove up, but once there, he just wanted to stretch his wings a bit.  This peregrine is actually blind.

stretch!!

had to air the pits.

never let go of the glove though.

you can see just how fast they beat their wings.

one of the 2 sand hill cranes that were acquired by Willowbrook as part of McCormick donating his land to the State preservation foundation.  The state put it as a stipulation that the cranes had to come with the property.  McCormick had received them from Sand Hill Crane Foundation for his "fund raising" help.

The beady little eye.

A red phase Eastern Screech owl.

Male cardinal

a very pretty mourning dove.