Smedley, a male Osprey or fish hawk, came to Audubon's Center for Birds of Prey in June of 1998 as a nestling with a badly-infected, broken wing, probably resulting from a fall from his nest. The wing was surgically repaired and he was placed on antibiotics for several days.
He was hand-fed tiny bits of fish four times a day. In between feedings, he would settle down for a nap on a warm heating pad. As he grew stronger he was moved into an enclosure with an adult Osprey who could teach him the skills he would need to survive on his own in the wild. But as time passed it became evident that, although the fracture healed, the wing drooped and Smedley would never be able to fly free.
Staff decided to train Smedley to the glove to serve as an Audubon Ambassador. Slowly he learned to balance and, as he gained confidence he became more comfortable. He is now quite content to be on the glove and is slowly being introduced to the many different situations he will encounter while working with the public such as movement and noise around him.
Smedley has the odd habit of standing tall on one leg and scratching the other leg with his long, sharp talons. He also likes to bathe in his pond and usually climbs to the highest perch to preen and dry his wings in the breeze. Ospreys feed almost exclusively on fish and Smedley's favorite part of the fish is the head. He becomes very vocal at feeding time and you can almost imagine him singing, "Fish heads, fish heads...eat 'em up, YUM!"
Smedley can be sponsored through the Audubon Adopt-a-Bird program.
Call 407-644-0190 or e-mail info@adoptabird.org for details on how
you can make Smedley a part of your family!
