Thomas Sweets, executive director of Key West Wildlife Center, joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on at the center.
There is full on migration activity right now.
Sweets said, “I’m sure everybody has seen the little warblers bouncing around on the ground. They’re still moving through. They’ve been moving through for quite a while and now we’re really getting into the hawk migration side of things, the Raptors. We’ve got about 10 of them in various stages of care right now. I mean, thankfully, most of it is just first year birds that are on their first migration south for the winter, and they end up maybe missing too many meals, or they get dehydrated, and they end up down, weak and weary. So a lot of it is not injury so much. It’s just weak and dehydrated birds. But we do also get some impact related injuries, pretty good amount of those head trauma. So we’re really full on into the hawk season right now. And boy, it’s it’s keeping us busy. I’ll tell you that for sure.”
The new facility is spectacular.
Sweets said, “We appreciate your support and the support of the community that helped us build this $2.4 million facility, and it’s really, compared to where we were in before, it’s like a different world completely. It actually helps us serve the community better, because we have a nice, up to date, fully stocked facility in which to do that clinic, and aviary, where we now have room for these birds to exercise before their release. So we really thank you and the community for the support in getting that done, for sure. I can tell you, we’ve had some interesting rescues and species coming in recently. We had, just two days ago, I took a shot with our net gun, our little CO2 powered net gun. We really got that gun years ago to help us rescue certain types of species, the white ibis and the big Herons, the Great Blue Herons, the great white Herons, those are very nervous, very uptight sort of species that they want to be gone as soon as they think anything is going on and it’s very difficult to rescue them with conventional nets. We had tried snares years ago and that that works, but it can take an awful lot of time. But to have this little CO2 powered net gun, we had a great blue heron that had a fishing lure and a hook stuck through the ankle joint, right through the middle of it, and it was causing the bird some severe distress walking. He was limping quite badly, and it was right down at the end of Casa Marina, right down at, really, the corner of Alberta and Seminole. There’s a little triangular pocket park and little tiny beach down there. So he was in that area, and it’s been blustery and windy lately, so you have to take all that in account when you shoot this net gun. So I it took three attempts, but I got him on the third one. The first shot, the wind carried off, and then I was able to get him on the third attempt. We got him on the little pier there at Casa Marina, and we were able to get that hook removed right away and get the wound cleaned, and that bird has already been released. So that’s always an exciting one when you have to fire the net gun. Some other interesting species we’ve still got a peregrine falcon in care. That bird was rescued down at Second and Flagler with a wing injury, but it turned out to be something that healed. So that was very good, because not all of our rescues are like that. But this one, fortunately, we were able to get the wing wrapped, and then the bird is actually, another reason to mention our new facility is that we have the big flight cage there, so that bird is out there exercising flight muscles, getting ready to be released. That’s another real benefit of this new facility, that we can turn these birds around and get them outside, get them back to the wild and they’re already strong enough to fly. In our old facility, we didn’t really have enough room to get some of these birds some real flight training, but now we do. So we’re really benefiting from the new building. I’ll tell you that much.”
There was an osprey that landed on a celebrity cruise ship recently.
Sweets said, “The osprey landed on somebody’s cabin, that little balcony that you have outside the cabin on the ship, and he sort of got stuck behind a glass railing, and was stuck in in the cabins, area on the deck there, right outside the door. So we were able to get our rescuer, down there, and had to go through all the security to get on that boat and get the bird rescued, but it all worked out well, and that bird has already been released. So it’s been a very, very busy period of rescue calls, that’s for sure. Some interesting species we’ve had lately. We had a belted kingfisher that was rescued down at Bay Point. That bird had an impact related head trauma, and that bird has been released. We’re still working with a roseate spoonbill that had another wing injury. It is healing, and the bird is starting to gain flight, but we don’t see them very often. But occasionally we do get them in. So that’s a unique species. We’ve had some interesting rescues at the box stores, palm warblers. They get into there sometimes. We got a prairie warbler down on Caroline Street. It was a jewelry store, and the bird had gotten somehow into the jewelry display cases. So we have to figure out how to get into the cases and get that bird out of there safely. So yeah, I’ll tell you migration. It’s quite a busy time for us. That is for sure.”
The center requires a lot of fundraising, including an upcoming event called Aqua Idol.
Sweets said, “It’s a fun and exciting way to get support. We’ve got people that are actually singing in the Aqua Idol. It’s on Tuesdays. The next date would be the 18th. There’s 10 performers going on. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Aquaplex down at 711 Duval street. That’s always an exciting time, and we appreciate them letting us take part in that. We’ve done it before, and it always turns out to be a fun way to support the Key West Wildlife Center.”
What are the Festive Flamingo adoptions?
Sweets said, “We’re going to be at the market coming up on Sunday and yes, we will be putting out our our festive flamingos. We do that every year. We decorate flamingos. People can actually adopt them and put them in their yard, and then when the season is over, we take them back. So we we truly recycle these festive flamingos. And yes, we’ve got staff members working very hard to get these interesting characters all turned out in their holiday best. So yes, those will be on display at the artisan market this Sunday in our parking lot. They’re the classic Florida yard flamingos.”
If you have any questions, contact the center.
Sweets said, “Our 24 hour hotline is 305-292-1008, and we are available if you have a question or you’re not sure about something going on, wildlife related, or you definitely have a rescue, just give us a call and we will respond as quickly as we can. As soon as the hawks all move through, then we’ve got the pelicans, which really is probably our busiest time of year. But we’re always looking for volunteers, staff members. The easiest thing to do is go to our website. There is a portal there that you can email if anyone’s interested in volunteering with us. Please go there and reach out. We’re always looking for help at these busiest times of the year, for sure.”
For more information, click here: https://keywestwildlifecenter.org/