get more confident and say ‘ I think I can do this ’ and are successful in a rescue effort , they become more invested in the bird and care about its recovery .” That connection creates a natural opening to financially support the mission of the center , and thankfully many do .
With the help of Owl Moon ’ s core of volunteers , one particular project has proved remarkably successful over the last five years . “ We ’ ve installed nest boxes in a number of places in the Ag Reserve for kestrels ( small falcons ) and barn owls that rely on agricultural land for their habitats . They need open space — open fields that are not wooded . There are well over a dozen barn owl boxes and about 20 falcon boxes . For the first few years we weren ’ t attracting any barn owls , but now we ’ re seeing about 50 to 75 percent occupancy every year ! For the barn owls it turns out the perfect location for nesting boxes are empty silos no longer in use ,” Suzanne explains . Farmers also benefit from the presence of barn owls because they will take care of any rodent infestations as long as pesticides have not been used that would kill the owls as well .
As a licensed falconer with expertise in animal behavior and two decades of nonstop on-call
rehabbing for birds of prey , Suzanne ’ s passion and enthusiasm for raptors has not waned . “ Raptors are magnificent birds at the top of the food chain … big , beautiful , and so agile . Harrier hawks can hover in place and so can ospreys . Their courtship displays are really cool . They will lock talons and spin and do all kinds of acrobatic maneuvers that are so beautiful to watch .”
In 2022 , after an astounding record of rehabilitating and returning thousands of birds to the wild , Owl Moon has hired Malia Hale their first employee ! A committed volunteer for several years , Malia recently qualified as a licensed Master Wildlife Rehabilitator . Now that ’ s some great news ! If you want to learn more or support the work of this dedicated , compassionate operation visit them at : owlmoon . org .
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