The Significant Other and I took advantage of a gorgeous fall day recently to visit the Raptor Trust in Millington, New Jersey. It's a small place, not heavily trafficked and deeply peaceful.
The facility was established more than 30 years ago as a bird rescue site by Len Soucy, who announced recently that his son would take over the organization. The 2013 annual report noted that 3,509 of our feathered friends had found their way to the trust's "repair shop for wrecked birds" last year -- hawks, owls, falcons, vultures, eagles and ospreys, as well a large number of orphaned songbirds.
Most of the birds had been found on roadsides or injured in collisions with human structures. Those that can be treated or just need a little time to grow to maturity are released. The birds whose injuries are more severe are given long-term leases on the site.
Here are a few of the birds we saw.
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| A curious kestrel |
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| A barred owl, one of several |
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| Two bald eagles, one above
Photography, particularly my own, does not do these birds justice. You really have to visit the place to experience the grandeur of these birds.
For many years now, I have counted it a lucky day when I see an owl, so a visit to the Raptor Trust, which always has owls on the property, is a particular treat. On my last visit, a snowy owl was in residence; what a beautiful animal that was.
Perhaps because of the quiet dignity and peace of the place, the Raptor Trust has attracted donations from many families who have lost loved ones, particularly bird lovers. On this visit, I noted down some of the comments on memorial plaques.
"Just like the eagle, you have spread your wings into eternity."
"And the heart doesn't die when one thinks it should"
Czeslow Milosz
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
2 Timothy, Chapter 2, 4:7
"Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light for you." Psalm 139: 12 "He always was for the birds."
If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of Millington, New Jersey, you could do worse than to spend a little time at the Raptor Trust.
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