Mount Pleasant Magazine March/April 2018

north mount pleasant www.NorthMountPleasant.com | www.ParkWestNeighborhoods.com | www.BrickyardHomes.com NMP - 7 you domesticated birds. So, no, they aren’t named.” Kara, who serves as the marketing communications manager at The Center, told me she considers herself “a lifelong environmentalist” as she circled dense clusters of trees in the golf cart until we pulled up to the clinic. “I came here to learn more about being a good steward of the environment,” she explained, adding that promoting environmental responsibility is one of the key goals of The Center. From aiding sick and injured birds to educating the public on how to care for our native species, it’s a big job, and it’s handled wonderfully by people who take it seriously. What exactly is meant by the term “bird of prey?” According to The Center’s guidelines, it’s any bird categorized as a raptor, catching its food – or prey – with talons. Raptors include hawks, eagles, kites, owls and falcons, to name a few. The Center is proud to have representative birds of 50 different species from different parts of the world. Having just celebrated 25 years, The Center for Birds of Prey started as a small medical nonprofit, the brainchild of avian enthusiast and former commercial real estate agent Jim Elliott, who initially hosted operations in his own home. Much later, in 2008, attorney Joe Rice donated the land now known as home for more than 100 birds, and The Center has expanded to include a South Carolina Oiled Bird Treatment Facility. “Beginning solely as an avian medical center and evolving into a comprehensive organization that combines educational, research and oiled bird treatment disciplines – along with still treating thousands of injured wild birds – Left: Stephen Schabel, director of education, lets a yellow- billed kite rest after an avian flight demonstration. Right: Emily Davis tends to an injured owl. Photos by Brian Sherman.