Horizon Wings Raptor Rehabilitation and Education

Some feathered friends from Horizon Wings Raptor Rehabilitation and Education stopped by yesterday for a presentation of their plumage and personalities! Horizon Wings makes it their mission “to rehabilitate birds of prey for release into the wild in order to maintain their population as well as to educate the community to enhance awareness of the environment.” Many of their birds go on to graduate to the great outdoors, while some remain at their facility as birds in residence; as aviary educators. Owner and Founder Mary-Beth Kaeser, her team of trained bird handlers, and four winged-wonders entertained a captive audience of Country Living at Westview Commons residents in our Great Room yesterday.

Westview Commons residents had this event marked prominently on their calendars as this talk was well attended. Many of the residents were sure to bring out their photographic and smartphone cameras to capture the action. First featured: Atka the Bald Eagle flapped his majestic wings and beset a breathtaking silence upon the room. Atka is about 12 years old, and has been living with Horizon Wings ever since he was discovered with a compromised wing that, while it prevents him from flying, it has given him the great opportunity to share his amazing presence with educational groups. As our national symbol perched upon Mary-Beth’s gloved hand, it was apparent that Atka was just as interested in checking out the people as the people were interested in checking out him. Mary-Beth elaborated on the unique features and species-specific traits of the Bald Eagle family as Atka calmly peered to the left and right. We learned that male Bald Eagles are typically 10-12 pounds, while females can range from 13-15 pounds—and the size of both genders tends to increase as you examine populations further north. On this warm day, Atka greatly appreciated a cool drink provided by misted water.

Next, we were graced by the presence of Cessna, a Red-Shouldered Hawk. With her steely gaze looking out at the room, we could tell that she exhibited immaculate eyesight—about ten times better than 20/20 human vision, to be specific! We were able to learn about the defensive markings of Red-Shouldered Hawks; having a pair of black dots appear in their feather patterns on the back of their heads. This is meant to thwart other predators; looking like a set of eyes in the back of their head so that when a Red-Shouldered Hawk is focused on a hunt, they do not need to worry about being poached from behind.

Our third visitor was Asha, a Barred Owl (not to be confused with a “Barn Owl”.) Asha needed to have an eye removed for medical reasons earlier in their life, and Horizon Wings has provided a wonderful home and educational opportunity for them as a result. Despite this challenge, Asha is still a remarkably preceptive bird. One surprising detail mentioned about the owl species is that they typically have asymmetrical hearing, with one ear canal pointed upward and the other side pointed downward. Along with their vision, this sonic superpower is how owls are able to triangulate their prey with pinpoint precision. The Horizon wings staff clarified that owls can turn their heads up to 270° around—not a full 360°—and sure enough, Asha provided a live example of this exceptional trait.

We concluded our time with Horizon Wings by meeting an especially charismatic and chirpy American Kestrel named Finn. As Mary-Beth began to describe what makes Finn unique, he wanted to be sure to get in a few tweets on his own behalf. Mary-Beth explained that while Finn was being rehabilitated early in his life, he became “imprinted” to the humans who were treating him. This means that dear little Finn is so attached to his human caretakers that he likely doesn’t understand that we are different species. American Kestrels are the smallest subspecies in the entire falcon family, but Finn had the biggest personality of anyone in the room. It was very sweet to hear his excited greetings and salutations to all of his new friends at Westview Commons!

Country Living at Westview Commons is a 75-unit independent and assisted living community conveniently located in picturesque Northeastern Connecticut. Affiliated with Westview Health Care Center, a nationally-ranked nursing facility according to CMS and U.S. News and World Report for the past years, Westview Commons is a 115,000 square foot catered living facility dedicated to a genuine 5-star experience including outstanding service, culinary expertise and professional in-house entertainment. Located in Dayville, CT, Westview Commons combines convenience, tranquility and comfort; providing a lifestyle that seniors deserve.