Shulian-4.10.09-Screech Owl Research (Jason Wanaselja Interview)

Yesterday Ava, her parents, and I went to Volunteers for Wildlife in Long Island.  Like the Raptor Trust organization in New Jersey, this place focuses on the  rehabilitation of sick and injured wildlife, along with education for the public.  We arrived there in the morning and met up with Jason Wanaselja, who works at the wildlife center.  We basically interviewed him, asking mostly the same questions as usual to compare his answers with the other interviews we’ve done.    The Volunteers for Wildlife was a great place for us to visit because one of the owls that were initially released in Central Park now lives here.  During the interview they brought out this particular screech owl.  He was rescued from Central Park after being found in the park multiple times facedown on the ground.  (We still don’t know exactly what could have caused the owl to be facedown, we just know that he was struggling and would have been better in captivity.)  It was so great to be this close to the owl without a fence between us.  The screech owl was beautiful.  His feathers were grey and brown; his perfectly round eyes were like marbles.  (Below is a picture of the owl we saw.)         While observing the owl, Jason showed us the different sized metal bands used to keep track of the birds/owls, population and individuals.  He believes that bird-calling machines are neither bad, nor good.  Like Andy he agrees that they should be used in moderation, maybe once every couple of weeks.  However, he doubts that bird-calling machines could have made the owls disappear in the first place.  Likewise, Jason mentioned that (a new topic of) bird feeders should be used in moderation.  He feels that they disrupt the natural cycle if used too often.  If used too much, the migratory birds might not feel the need to leave, thus complicating the food chain.  Bird feeders on the other hand are very pleasant for the birds and for the community if they are used properly.  The best thing for someone outside the city to do is make their backyard bird friendly by having natural food sources/habitats.        At the end of the interview Jason took us for a short tour of the birdcages outside where we saw a barn owl, red-tailed hawk, and a black and white bird with orange eyes and beak.  The visit was overall very pleasant and laid back.