The first sign that my husband and I were going to be in Chattanooga far longer than we planned was probably when I started my first volunteer gig.
It started when I saw a poster advertising a “Raptor Experience.” As a bird lover, and particularly birds of prey, I immediately told my husband, “We’re doing that!”
We spent an afternoon learning how to hold and fly un-releaseable birds of prey. Each bird had its own story.
There was Cody, the Red-tailed hawk who, even after extensive rehab work, refused to hunt; Artie, the Barred Owl who’d lost an eye when hit by a car; Buddy and Jerry, the Screech Owls, both injured by cars (the most common source of injuries to owls); Gilbert, the American Kestrel who believes he’s human; Cayce, the irrepressible Black Vulture who refused to return to the wild in favor of stealing the limelight whenever she gets the chance to perform; the list goes on.
This motley crew taught us more about birds of prey in two hours than I’d learned over years of reading about and watching them. I was so intrigued, I offered to volunteer for the Wings to Soar organization, which cares for the birds and provides educational programs with the birds, including the Rock City Raptors program.
I started by helping with a fund raiser in 2012. The next thing I knew, I was applying for a grant from IBM to fund taking an educational program into several local elementary schools. I got to assist at one program; I was blown away by how these amazing birds affect young students. The entire group of nine-year-olds remained intent on learning for a full hour.
Our next project is a photography workshop fundraiser. We’ve combined the raptor experience program with photography lessons (by yours truly) specifically for birds of prey subjects. It’s an all-day workshop on November 10; all proceeds go to the Wings to Soar organization.
For more information or to register for the workshop, go to snapgreatphotos.com/raptography. For more information about Wings to Soar or to schedule your own Raptor Experience, go to soarsouth.org.
I still tell myself we’re just visiting, but getting involved with great people who do great things makes it hard to think about moving.