The Audubon’s most famous non-releasable bird, Liberty the Bald Eagle, passed away in October 2022. Two more birds — an American Kestrel and Red Tailed Hawk — were also added to the Audubon’s care during 2022. The American Kestrel is the smallest falcon in North America and can be seen locally sitting on wires above field areas. The Audubon’s American Kestrel is named Cricket and he came to the Audubon in March 2022.

“Cricket came to us from Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Pennsylvania,” Executive Director Leigh Rovegno said. “He had a broken wing and his bones healed, but overlapped making it difficult for him to fly. He has been deemed ‘non-releasable’ which is how he came to live at Audubon.”

Soren, the Red Tailed Hawk, came to the Audubon in August 2022. Red Tailed Hawks can also be seen locally, but Soren has also been deemed non-releasable.

“Soren came to us from a rehabilitation center in Michigan,” Rovegno said. “She has a missing back talon which is essential for hunting prey. We also discovered after having her X-rayed that she was at one point shot. She has lead fragments within her body which means we will always have to keep an eye on her lead levels.”

Soren is a non-releasable Red Tailed Hawk that came to the Audubon in August 2022. Submitted photo

Rovegno said the Audubon was inspired to invest in these two non-releasable birds because of Liberty being such a draw to the Audubon for many people. Liberty was at the Audubon for 20 years.

“People had such a connection to Liberty, and it inspired them to learn more about birds that can be found in the local area,” Rovegno said. “Bald Eagles were on the Endangered Species list when Liberty arrived at Audubon in 2002. Since then, their numbers in the wild have made a tremendous recovery and they are no longer considered endangered.”

The addition of Soren and Cricket also adds to the Audubon’s mission of connecting people to nature by having them be trained to be a part of additional programs. Liberty was not trained in this way, Rovegno said, but both Soren and Cricket receive extensive training on the glove, making it so they can be handled by staff and featured in live animal programs. Both birds are available to be seen on display.

“Cricket is off-display during the colder months since Kestrels typically migrate south for the winter,” Rovegno said. “Other than that, both birds are on display daily in their outdoor aviaries and can be seen without paying an entrance fee to the main nature center building. Cricket is very sweet and relatively calm. Soren is rather feisty, but loves visitors.”

Additionally, part of the birds’ care includes vaccinations to prevent diseases such as the West Nile Virus each year, along with vitamins as a part of the regular feeding routine.

In the future, the Audubon is hoping to start a Birds of Prey festival that will take place in September 2024. The festival will involve the Audubon’s birds along with other local organizations that provide essential services to protect and care for wildlife. Besides that, the Audubon hopes Soren and Cricket will continue to settle, and also to be able to introduce more animals into their area.

“We hope that they continue to settle into their surroundings as we continue to modify their aviaries and the area around them to be more naturalized,” Rovegno said. “We will also be introducing another two animals to that area — one to Liberty’s former habitat, and another to the third aviary in the Pamela A. Westrom Wildlife Habitat building — over the next couple of years.”

Overall, Rovegno said the addition of the birds has been a huge undertaking for the staff, who have been receiving extensive training and both state and federal permits.

“It has been a big effort, but certainly worth it,” Rovegno said. “There aren’t enough facilities such as Audubon to provide safe homes for these non-releasable birds. We are thrilled to have them.”