Birdwatchers Meeting Featured Project Wildlife

 

 

The Birdwatchers Club’s guest speaker at its March 22 meeting was spokeswoman Carly Padilla of the nonprofit organization Project Wildlife. Her talk was both richly informative and laced with humor. Carly described some of the habits of often-misunderstood animals, such as the opossum and skunk, and she explained their value in the total ecological scheme of things. She emphasized Project Wildlife’s dual mission: rehabilitating injured, orphaned or ill native animals; and offering educational programs for youth and adult groups about wildlife and the importance of co-existing with and protecting wildlife.

 

Project Wildlife, which was founded in 1972 and now partners with the San Diego Humane Society, is one of America’s largest wildlife rehabilitation organizations. It has what has been described as “an army” of volunteers, and thus depends upon donations. Annually, the organization helps rehabilitate and provide patient care for 8,000 to 10,000 birds and mammals. While most rehabilitated animals can be returned to the wild, a few of the injured ones that cannot be released become “ambassadors” for the organization’s educational program.

 

The star of the presentation was one of Project Wildlife’s ambassadors -- a young male Red-shouldered Hawk that Carly gently removed from its cage. This stately bird, which perched quietly on her gloved hand, has been given the Native American name, Kwa Pai – meaning regal or kingly. Just prior to the meeting, some of us heard the repetitive call of a Red-shouldered Hawk flying near the Clubhouse.