Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter: Hamptons Wild Ride

Mission Statement

The Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter cares for injured or orphaned birds. We provide minimum medical care, safety from predators, food and shelter from the elements. When an animal is able to care for itself, it is released to the wild. We do not keep nonreleasable animals nor use heroic methods to sustain the quality of their life. However, the Shelter does make every effort to rehabilitate an endangered species and every animal brought here is treated with respect and caring.

Hamptons Wild Ride

This young male pelican was banded last July near Cape Hatteras. But Hurricane Sandy took him way north of his migration path. He landed near the tip of Long Island, NY, and got himself entangled in fishing gear. The nice folks at Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons took him in, fixed his injuries and sent him via caring family members to Raleigh, NC. Then "Hampton" was picked up and transported by volunteer Tom Shilson to the Sea Biscuit. Another week or so in rehab and he should be released even further south with a couple of other delayed migrating pelicans.

EDUCATION

While the Mission Statement of Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter emphasizes rescue, rehab and release, it is not surprising that another part of our mission is education. To that end, two education birds are in residence at the shelter.

Neither Tim the pelican nor Scarlet the red tailed hawk can be released into the wild because of wing injuries. Yet these birds serve a wonderful function within the human community as education birds. Sea Biscuit has separate permits from the federal government that allow these birds to remain in captivity. To maintain its status as an education bird, both Tim and Scarlet participate in at least twelve programs annually.

Residents of Oak Island may have recently encountered Tim the pelican at “Party in the Park”, a celebration of an estuarine stabilization project led by the North Carolina Coastal Federation and North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Waterway Park, on Yacht Drive between 14^th and 15^th Streets, features recently created oyster beds and replanted marsh grasses. This volunteer effort was worth celebrating and community members loved seeing Tim at the event.

Scarlet recently made a trip into Wilmington to attend a Communications class at Cape Fear Community College. Sea Biscuit volunteer, Noelle Khatib, who is enrolled in the class, gave an informative presentation on red tailed hawks in general and Scarlet in particular—all while Scarlet casually rested on her arm.

This morning the Hickman Library in Calabash was overflowing with children wanting to learn more about how to help baby birds. Instructions were given on how to assess and handle the orphans. A few lucky kids were able to help feed them too.

Sea Biscuit has welcomed groups like Little Lambs Preschool to the shelter and has also taken Tim and Scarlet farther afield to community group meetings, lecture series and festivals. If your group is interested in a presentation with an education bird, contact Mary Ellen Rogers at Sea Biscuit but please give a generous lead time before your event.

Nesting Shorebirds Help

Oak Island and South

Shorebird Surveys

The NC Wildlife Resources Commission is working with the USFWS and Manomet Bird Observatory to conduct shorebird surveys in the months of March and April. Since neither Audubon nor the WRC has staff stationed in the southern part of the state (Oak Island and south) getting coverage in those areas is challenging. If local birders are interested in conducting 3 high-tide surveys during those months, we can help get an area assigned to you. The same person or group does not have to do each survey but the same area would need to be covered. Data sheets will be provided. Surveyors must be able to ID shorebirds and have a scope.

Nesting Bird Monitoring

Although there is not much nesting on these beaches, there may be some at the inlets. For example, John Ennis found a small colony at the west end of Oak Island (Lockwoods Folly Inlet). If you visit these beaches during the spring and summer and would like to contribute your observations, either on a one-time basis or with recurring visits, the information will be helpful on several fronts. The WRC might be able to post nesting areas, if any are found, and Audubon and the WRC are continuing oystercatcher monitoring. Even if you can report there were no nesting birds, that information is helpful. Surveyors must be able to identify beach-nesting birds. A scope is helpful but not necessary.

Thanks again for reading!
Lindsay

Lindsay Addison
Coastal Biologist
Audubon North Carolina
7741 Market Street, Unit D
Wilmington, NC, 28411-9444
Tel: (910) 686-7527
Fax: (910) 686-7587

2012 REVIEW

Our volunteer Janet Kurz prepared a snapshot of the species and numbers of birds in care last year.
Most numerous were 36 pelicans, 36 common loons, 6 gannets and 4 red throated loons in the "big waterbird" category. We had at least 27 gulls and lots of terns, rails and herons.
Raptors included 23 OWLS, with 10 great horned owls, 8 barred owls and 5 screech owls. The 23 impressive HAWKS included 10 red tailed and 3 ospreys. The rest of the 337 incoming wounded were woodpeckers, wrens, doves and other little songbirds. 70 species were represented. 43% were successfully released! Of the ones not released, 40 were humanely euthanized due to horrendous injuries, 9 are still in care and some were transferred to educational facilities.

HURRICANE PREPARATIONS

Since the Sea Biscuit Shelter is perilously close to the Atlantic Ocean, many folks express concern when a storm comes by. Our criteria for evacuation include the wind direction and velocity. Over 50 mph, the animals are all brought inside. If the predictions are over 70 mph, we evacuate. The clinic is at sea level and flooding can also be a factor. All electrical equipment can be elevated with the exception of the freezers. With over 1000 lbs of fish, they cannot be "lifted" off the floor!
We are always on the lookout for a temporary shelter about 20 miles inland in the event of a Category 1 or higher storm.