IN MEMORIAM

It is with a heavy heart that I share with you the passing of Shadow, one of our Great Horned Owls, on November 5th. Shadow arrived at the Wildlife Center of Virginia in 2014 where he was treated for multiple issues but, ultimately, was determined to be unable to fly adequately enough to return to the wild.

As a non-releasable bird he was transferred to Nature’s Nanny on May 10, 2015, becoming our very first Education Ambassador. In the role of ambassador Shadow traveled to numerous venues across the Hampton Roads region, giving thousands of people the opportunity to see this beautiful owl up close and learn about the important role his species had in helping maintain the balance of nature.

A few weeks ago, Shadow contracted a severe case of Avian Pox, a viral disease spread to birds by biting insects such as mosquitoes. With no known cure for this disease, we maintained an ongoing dialogue with a local veterinarian and provided all the supportive care that was possible, but the disease was too much for him to overcome. The NNWR family will greatly miss our Shadow

EPILOGUE

Subsequent to Shadow’s arrival at NNWR a second non-releasable Great Horned Owl, Sunny, came to NNWR. The question that arose was whether or not they would be compatible with each other and be able to share an enclosure or would territorial issues prevent that. For the first several months Shadow and Sunny were kept In separate enclosures well apart from one another, then Sunny was moved into a large cage in Shadow’s enclosure. After three weeks of getting acquainted face to face Sunny was allowed out of his cage and the bond between the two was clearly immediate. Sunny was present when Shadow passed away and we hope that will let him understand his buddy is gone. We will watch Sunny closely in the days ahead as he, and the NNWR family, adjust to the loss.

Astra is an Eastern Screech Owl who came into our care with her three siblings as very young, eyes-closed nestlings in 2017 after their tree came down in a storm. These fluff balls were uninjured and the protocol in cases like this was to try to reunite them with their parents. One of our volunteers made a screech owl nest box that was put near the original site and we tried for two days to reunite them with their parents. Unfortunately, the parents never came back. The four little owlets returned to NNWR and we proceeded to raise them for release.

When old enough they were moved to an outdoor enclosure which limited their exposure to humans and gave them the opportunity to learn about the outside world and develop their muscles. However, soon after we noticed an owl (that would eventually be named Astra) had lost weight. She was brought indoors for an exam and we discovered that she had an infection in her mouth. Antibiotics were administered only to have the infection disappear then reappear again multiple times. At this point we sent her to the Wildlife Center of Virginia, a teaching hospital for native Virginia wildlife, to see if they could determine the cause of the infection. Their exam revealed a divot in the roof of her mouth in which food particles were getting lodged, creating perfect conditions in which to create bacteria. The divot had to be cleaned daily to prevent further infection but for a long time it looked like it would never get better. Thankfully it did eventually heal but because this young owl had scar tissue in her mouth that could result in another infection, it was not possible for Astra to be returned to the wild. Because of her young age she was a good candidate to become an education ambassador and has been a favorite of NNWR followers ever since!

Harvey was a Red-tailed Hawk who came into our care in 2019. A young-of-the-year bird he had landed on the shoulder of a security guard at Hampton University and wouldn’t get off. When he was able finally to be removed and transported to NNWR it was discovered that he had severe head trauma. The injury cost Harvey one of his yes, which meant he couldn’t be returned to the wild.

As a very young bird he was able to adjust to sharing life with humans and became a member of our Education Ambassador program. A big favorite with our volunteers, he was known for his calm demeanor, which allowed him to connect with the public and share with them the importance of wildlife conservation and the connection with nature.

We were privileged to provide Harvey with a full, happy life and share his uniqueness with all of us.

This Summer it became apparent that Harvey had developed a fatal brain condition. He was provided freedom from this life and now soars in the heavenly skies. Harvey was and always will be loved, his memory sure to live on as an example of the importance of the connection we all share with nature’s world.