A crowd of onlookers witnessed the triumphant release of a newly rehabilitated great white heron at the Founders Park beach in Islamorada on Jan. 4.
A Keys resident discovered the bird floating in an Islamorada canal in late November, according to Sara Read, the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center’s education and outreach coordinator. The bird was severely underweight and had a torn eyelid.
Staff at the Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary, located in Tavernier, worked to rehabilitate the heron over 36 days, slowly reintroducing it to solid food as it gained its weight back. The heron’s torn eyelid was flushed daily with saline until it was fully healed, following the advice of volunteer veterinarian Dr. Ali Millington.
On Dec. 19, the bird was mobile and alert enough to move to an outdoor flight cage from the hospital building, where its flight stamina and weight were closely monitored. Having returned to health, the heron flew off within seconds of its release at Founders, accompanied by the applause of nearly 30 attendant beachgoers.
The Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center is a nonprofit organization centered around the rescue, rehabilitation and release of birds harmed or displaced, and as a sanctuary for birds that cannot be released back into the wild. It preserves a focus on educational outreach within and beyond the community.
The public is invited to support the center by volunteering, donating or visiting the resident birds at the Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary, and should report injured bird sightings by calling 305-852-4486, ext. 1.
