Two days ago I received very welcome news on several fronts in an email from HawkWatch International (HWI) Trustee Mike Shaw.
Most blog followers will remember the recently fledged Short-eared Owl Mia and I rescued from barbed wire entanglement earlier this summer. I had to cut the little fellow, a male, out of the wire and then we turned him over to Mike at HWI and he made arrangements to have it delivered to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah (WRCNU). The bird recovered but due to wing damage from the wire it cannot be released back to the wild so it was decided that it will be an education bird. Somewhere.
1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I’ll spare you yet another look at that poor little owl hung up on the wire but it was very similar to this one – another fledgling in about the same area and time period.
Short-eared Owls as education birds are in high demand and there’s been multiple organizations vying for custodial honors of this youngster but Mike told me that it’s now been decided that “our” owl will be going to HWI and I couldn’t be more delighted about that decision (which still has to be ok’d by the feds). It seems fitting to me that it will remain in Utah and I can’t think of better custodial parents for him than HWI. Their biology, ecology and conservation programs reach school students throughout the state and that pleases this retired biology teacher very much.
Then Mike told me some other interesting news that prompted me to make a visit to HWI headquarters yesterday afternoon.
Meet Nikki Wayment, Education and Outreach Director of HWI. It’s Nikki and her staff who spend so much time in Utah schools with their education birds. I asked Nikki to pose for a photo next to some of the kestrel nest boxes that HWI places and monitors in the Salt Lake Valley. Significant declines in American Kestrel populations across the nation have prompted HWI to initiate a long-term kestrel study that includes an ambitious nest box project. Staff and volunteers monitor hundreds of these nest boxes and place dozens of new ones each year.
But where do these nest boxes come from? That’s where Mike’s email became particularly interesting to me. But first a little background…
Back in the early 70’s a smart, practical-joking young man named Robert Stevens was one of my Biology and Utah Wildlife students early in my career at South High School. Robert went on to earn a biology degree in college and worked in cancer research at the U of U for a few years but he eventually went into teaching. By that time I was teaching at Highland High School and lo and behold, guess who turned up one year in the room across the hall from me as a new biology teacher – none other than Robert Stevens! Robert eventually went from teaching biology to teaching wood shop at Highland – he’s a master craftsman. We were colleagues and friends until I retired and since then we’d lost touch. Robert is also now retired.
Mike told me that it was Robert who’d been building most of the kestrel nest boxes for HWI and he does it gratis. Several days ago Robert delivered this year’s supply of boxes to HWI.
This is what 75 unassembled kestrel nest boxes look like. The wood is supplied by HWI sponsor Mark Miller Subaru and Robert does the carpentry, wraps each box individually in plastic and delivers them to HWI. This Friday evening all these components will be assembled into nest boxes by kids and their parents at Mark Miller Subaru.
I’ve also discovered that Robert provides additional services to HWI – for example, he recently cut and split 3 1/2 cords of firewood for use at their remote Hawkwatch site in the Goshute Mountains to keep their seasonal biologists warm on the mountain. It gets cold way up there at night!
Robert does all this and more under the radar. He just does it and I like his style so I thought he deserved some recognition for his kind heart and good deeds. I tried to catch him at home yesterday to get a photo of him for this post but I missed him (he was out doing yet another good deed for one of our retired colleagues who’s facing some health issues). But here’s a photo of him left over from his teaching days at Highland.
Our kestrels are surely better off than they would be without the efforts of Robert Stevens and I applaud him (and HWI).
Ron
Notes:
- As I was about to leave HWI yesterday I glanced into the next room and noticed something that at first glance from a distance looked oddly familiar but at first I couldn’t place it. It turned out that it was a large poster of my image of two fledgling Burrowing Owls that HWI had used (with my permission of course) for their most recent fundraiser. Folks would make a donation for a photo of them with their faces in the cutouts. I was happy to see that HWI hadn’t yet had the heart to dispose of the poster…
- If you’re interested there’s a variety of ways that folks can get involved in HWI’s kestrel projects. More information can be found here.
- If any locals might want to become involved in HWI’s kestrel box building event Friday night more information can be found below.
- Here’s a late addition. Robert and students in the wood shop at Highland High.
Copyright HWI – Image Used By Permission
This is a really wonderful post. I love the fact that Robert was once one of your students! Hummm…I wonder who might have inspired him to go into teaching…
Ron, great post! It’s really nice to hear about some of the good things that are happening out there. Thanks much for that.
Thank you, Todd.
Many times this blog touches upon how everything on Earth is in a game of life together and it’s interconnected in various ways to humans, birds, plants and the environment; plus, all these relationships are in continual change.
Thanks for bolstering my hope with this post. All us humans need that sometimes, too.
Hope is eternal, Pam. Folks like Robert give us more of it.
Ron,
Thanks for your write-up. Getting to know Robert has been a highlight of being transferred to Salt Lake City a few years ago. Your description of him is spot-on. My take on Robert is, that if there were more people like him, the world would certainly be a much better place. He does it all letting you think that you did him a service.
V.Sorensen
Your take on Robert is accurate, V, after you throw in the tendency for practical jokes – a trait that I always appreciated in him unless I was the recipient… 🙂 But to be honest, I have the same tendency.
This puts a smile on my face. It’s a small world at times. That is so nice a student you had is out there doing good works.
Jean, you can imagine how surprised I was when ex-student Robert turned up teaching next door to me.
This was a real spirit lifter on many counts!!! People Iike these are my real heroes…you’re in there somewhere, too, still “reaching and teaching”…..
Thank you, Patty.
What an awesome day for you. I appreciate your sharing it. The “wol” poster made me giggle.
It was fun to see that poster for the first time, Arwen.
Just WONDERFUL! 🙂 Has me grinning from ear to ear! 🙂 SO good to hear of folks doing good things without much fanfare.
I agree, Judy.
Oh just WOW! What excellent news and a joy to read this morning! I’ll be doing my happy Snoopy Dog dance (complete with ear twirlies) all day!! And a standing ovation for HWI and Robert Stevens! Just YAY!!!!!
I’d like to see those ear twirlies in action, Laura!
Happy dances from here too. No ear twirlies (not co-ordinated enough) but plenty of sprinkles and sparkles.
Thanks, EC.
This post gave me goosebumps all the way through. I’m happy that the rescued Owl has found a good home – as well as that there was such wide-spread interest in him. It’s also wonderful to know that there are people out there who care as much about wildlife as Robert Stevens does. I wish I had a place to hang a Kestrel box, because they are possibly my favorite bird these days.
I wish I had an appropriate place for a kestrel box in my yard too, Susan. I just live in the wrong habitat for them. Years ago I built a kestrel box and only house sparrows and starlings have nested in it.
Excellent, Excellent, Excellent – Man do we need more people like Robert and organizations like HWI!
Many thanks for sharing!
We certainly do, Dick. Thank you.
I’m so happy for you, Robert, the folks at Mark Miller–you’re all bringing meaning to your own lives—–and the kestrels are beneficiaries
of your good works ; what a wonderful post–GOOD ON YOU ALL !
Well said, Kris.
Good things seem to be happening! Thanks for the info and shots Ron!
Charlotte
You’re very welcome, Charlotte.
Thanks for sharing this batch of good news. Lovely to hear about Mr. Stevens and his good deeds!
Isn’t it, Dan? There’s still some good folks in the world…
Wonderful, just wonderful.
Thank you, Kathy.
Wow!!! The true lovers !!! That put out their money and time to actually make something happen. I applaud them!!!! I hung a kestrals box on my property and Mr and Mrs kestral successfully raised 5 .
Yup, folks like Robert truly walk the talk. It’s a better world because of him and others like him.
Robert Stevens! What a blast from the past! He was teaching across the hall from you when I did my student teaching at Highland High. I’d forgotten about him until your mention today. I’m so happy to hear of his career. Do say hello if you catch up with him.
I certainly will, Brenda. I talked with him on the phone yesterday and it was just like old times. I really enjoyed the conversation.