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Nikon and The Brevard Nature Alliance present Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival November 16 - 20, 2005 in Brevard County, Florida A celebration of birds and wildlife. |
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Nikon and The Brevard Nature Alliance present Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival November 16 - 20, 2005 in Brevard County, Florida A celebration of birds and wildlife. |
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"Queenie," is a rehabilitated barn owl who stars in educational programs offered by the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey (ACBOP). ACBOP is an urban environmental nature center located in Maitland, Florida that specializes in the rescue, medical care, rehabilitation and release of sick, injured and orphaned raptors (birds of prey). ACBOP is a non-profit organization and relies on visitor admissions, donations and adoptions to support its work. Queenie arrived at the ACBOP in the spring of 2002. She was a very young owlet who was attacked by her parents or siblings while she was in the nest. They pushed her out. When she fell, she sustained a severe fracture of her right wing and trauma to one eye. She also suffered neurological damage. She was named Queenie because she dominated the other owlets who came in at the same time; a Great Horned Owl baby and a Barred Owl baby that were also non-releasable. She quickly became the "Queen of the Roost." She has been introduced to thousands of children through educational programs and is dearly beloved by all. You can meet Queenie at ACBOP booth at the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in November.
The ACBOP has evolved into a leading raptor rehabilitation facility in the Southeast, treating over 12,000 eagles, hawks, owls, falcons, kites and vultures since opening in 1979. The annual release rate of healed 'patients' averages nearly 40% of all admissions, and has totaled more than 4,800 birds of prey, including over 285 Bald Eagles, a significant contribution to their proposed removal from the Endangered Species List! Since most injuries are related to humans and conflicts with the environment, such as collisions with cars and power lines or loss of habitat, this Audubon Center also features an active environmental education program with lakeside aviaries exhibiting non-releasable birds of prey found in Florida. Some 20 different species of raptors, which cannot be returned to the wild due to injuries, are used in the Center's conservation education programs.
The Center is a resource for novice and expert birders, as well as a favored destination of school and civic organization tours. The Wingspread experience combines the elements of bird identification, habitat, Audubon history and current conservation issues to provide visitors a comprehensive environmental learning experience! Diverse education programs are conducted onsite and offsite to academic and civic groups, Audubon chapters, eco-tourists, avian veterinarians and technicians, and animal care professionals. Please call Lynda White, Education Coordinator, at (407) 644-0190 to schedule a fee-based offsite program or tour of the facilities. The Center for Birds of Prey is located at 1101 Audubon Way, Maitland, FL 32751.
Hours are 10am-4pm Tuesday- Sunday. Admission fees are: $5.00 for adults, $4.00 for children 3-12, kids under 3 are free, www.audubonofflorida.org/conservation/cbop (407) 644-0190.
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