Eyes In The Sky

Eyes in the Sky is a raptor education program for the Santa Barbara Audubon Society since 2000. It is operated by experienced wildlife rehabilitator, Gabriele Drozdowski. The program allows children to learn about raptors up close, which are not the average birds a child would encounter. DDAF’s grant covers all bird food (mice and quail), and the annual license renewal with the state for the seven raptors who currently reside in the aviary, which was completed in 2011 and is part of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

Current residents include:

The new Barn owl, “Athena."  She was hit by a car, resulting in blindness in one eye and depth perception problems that cause her to miss perches.  This means Athena would also miss her prey in the wild.  Impacts with cars cause 60 percent of all injuries to raptors brought to wildlife rehabilitation centers.

The Peregrine falcon, "Kisa," who really likes her food.  She eats frozen thawed quail and never gets tired of it.  She also wipes her beak on the walls afterwards.

Kisa also likes to eat mealworms from volunteer Bonnie Whitney’s hat (!!), and since Bonnie started doing this, Kisa nibbles on everyone’s hats – with or without mealworms.

Great horned owl,  “Max,” with two of his foster owlets.

Check out Max and his "babies" captured on video: