AWARE Wildlife Center
Red Tailed Hawk Gazing Upward
AWARE Wildlife Center- Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education
The AWARE Wildlife Center is located in Lithonia, GA and rehabilitates injured and orphaned native Georgia wild animals. THey also educate the public about peaceful coexistence with wildlife. Through a workshop offered by the Atlanta School of Photography (atlschoolofphoto.com) we were able to spend a few hours meeting and learning about some of the injured and orphaned animals under their care.
AWARE’s website (AWAREwildlife.org) says that they accept up to 2,000 injured and orphaned animals every year as patients at its center just east of Atlanta. On the education side, AWARE delivers hundreds of ambassador programs at schools and festivals across Georgia, offers free tours every Saturday and Sunday at 1PM, and reaches millions through streaming media broadcasts of educational wildlife encounters and releases of rehabilitated patients.
Owls and Other
Many different types of Owls are at AWARE, many seemed to have impaired vision. Below in order is a Barred Owl, Barn Owl and a Great Horned Owl. The other is a Black Vulture which are abundant in the Southeast.
American Crow
I had read that crows are very intelligent creatures. This crow is extra-special because she is a talking crow. With such an overcast day I was surprised that I could get enough light to silhouette her beautiful features. A friend recently recommended a book entitled Crow Planet by Lyanda Lynn Haupt. The subtitle of her book is Essential Wisdom from the Urban WildernessIt is a fascinating account of the beauty and intelligence of a bird that we may frequently not take notice of because they are so ubiquitous.
Other creatures
The staff that led the photo workshop shared each animal’s story of how it arrived there. This helped to try to capture a bit of their essence through these photographs. You’ll have to visit when AWARE is open to the public to hear their stories first hand. In the gallery below you’ll find a python, opossum, not sure what kind of turtle but he’s a senior turtle, red tailed hawk and a bobcat.
