Part Two of Blue Ridge Wildlife Center’s ‘Walk on the Wildside’ wildlife residents tour slated for this weekend, May 1-2

BOYCE, VA – With our car sitting in the parking lot occupied by a dog named Goose, how appropriate it was to be greeted by a high-flying bird named Goose, the first of the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center’s “ambassadors” on display at the center’s Grand Opening of its “Wildlife Walk” over the past weekend.

The “Walk”, planned, or perhaps only dreamed of six years ago, provides an outdoor viewing area of a dozen or more small animals and large birds, the first being Goose, a Peregrine Falcon, described as being arguably the fastest animal on earth – clocked at over 200 mph in dives while hunting smaller and less speedy prey. Goose, the bird, not the dog, broke his “fingers”, possibly in one such flight six years ago, and was turned in to the BRWC hospital where he found a permanent and safe home following his injuries.

Goose the Peregrine Falcon is taking it a little slower than 200 mph these days. Below, graphic showing profiles of Peregrine Falcons in full dive mode – oh wait, the bottom one is a stealth bomber. Talk about reverse engineering alien technology. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini

“Home” is where Dr. Jennifer Riley, DVM, treats up to 2,000 animals, reptiles and birds per year, most of which are eventually released to their previous habitat, all fixed up and ready to go again. Just a few, by comparison, wind up as permanent residents at the million-dollar facility on Island Farm Road in Boyce, and these are what more than 200 visitors saw and were greeted by last weekend.

A second version of the grand opening of the “The Wildlife Walk” is scheduled this coming weekend, May 1 and 2. Admission is free.

A longtime resident of the Center is a handsome, elderly “ambassador” named Jefferson, a Bald Eagle, introduced this day by Kelly Bailey of Stephens City, one of 12 docents at the Boyce facility.  America’s national bird, Bailey said, survived three surgeries for injuries received when he hit a utility pole. The medical attention was successful, but Jefferson still couldn’t fly so, 10 years ago, had found himself a home.

A perspective on the new BRWC Wildlife Walk from the main building. Below, Jefferson the American Bald Eagle, a resident at the center for a decade.

It appeared that the new outdoor refuge had been a gleam in the eye of the Center’s manager for education and research, Jennifer Burghoffer. She was one of two senior staffers on hand to greet attendees, the other being Executive Director Annie Bradfield, new to the job with, like veteran staff member Burghoffer, a fondness for birds and education of the public. Bradfield began her new duties about six months ago.

While BRWC tends all animals native to Virginia, the Center has one spectacular “outsider” a long way from home. She is Snow, an Arctic Fox, a popular Number 8 on the list of 12 “ambassadors,” currently a white ball of fluff sound asleep when we reached her home. She, too, is a longtime resident – nine years – and among the most popular. A year or so ago I was fortunate to see her being taken for a doggy-style walk outside her lofty and comfortable cage.

Upon arrival, our intrepid reporter Malcolm Barr Sr. is greeted at The Wildlife Center front office where paraphernalia and apparel are available for purchase by wildlife fans. Below, as we neared the end of our informative Wildlife Walk, one of the guide docents explains the history of the center’s Artic Fox named ‘Snow’, curled up asleep like a snowball.

Number 2 among the animals on display was Vega who gives local residents a closer look at what many see mostly from afar, the ubiquitous Turkey Vulture. Docent Heather Shank-Givens said Vega was admitted to the hospital in 2019 suffering from gunshot wounds. Turkey Vultures, as well as all native birds, are federally protected and shooting them is illegal. Among other injuries, Vega lost an eye and suffers from lead poisoning. While non-releasable, Vega makes a good case against hunters of any animals and birds using lead ammunition which Dr. Riley lustily and regularly preaches against in the Northern Valley area.

Vega the Turkey Vulture was a 2019 victim of illegal hunting, who while surviving, like the other animals on the BRWC’s new Wildlife Walk, cannot be re-released due to lingering after affects of its injuries.

Future visitors will view close-up the animals they mostly see dead on our highways and byways, the Virginia Opossums. My accompanying colleague and mission photographer Roger Bianchini recently argued over the name during my January visit to turn in an injured dove.

“Why was I taught to call them Possums if there’s an ‘O’ in the name – it wouldn’t be a silent ‘O’ first letter, would it?” argued Bianchini. We took the opportunity to settle the issue while being greeted by Bradfield, Burghoffer and others on duty in the front office. The result was a tie – we were both correct. There are Opossums native to this area; the Possums my colleague described were cousins of the local guys, living in far-away Australia.

Well, we did see Opossums on our trip to Boyce’s Blue Ridge Wildlife Center – at least a trio of toy replicas, along with two foxes, for sale with other souvenirs as our reporter chats with Executive Director Annie Bradfield. Further down the counter the center’s Manager for Education and Research Jennifer Burghoffer takes care of other visitors.

Closer to home, visitors were fascinated by a solitary Virginia Box Turtle enjoying an afternoon swim in the enclosure’s pond; and attempts were made to out stare an inquisitive Screech Owl named Dopey, and so ended one of the area’s most enjoyable shows, courtesy “The Ambassadors.”

Advance reservations, due to the pandemic, are required. To sign up, visit the BRWC website: blueridgewildlifectr.org

Above, the turtle enclosure at distance with the Arctic Fox enclosure beyond it. The following sequence shows the adventure of one of the box turtles as it heads from grassy land into the water for a lengthy adventure around the enclosure’s pool.

Attempts to outstare this very focused Screech Owl named Dopey by the Royal Examiner team were predictably unsuccessful.

With the help of a rope labeled ‘Bald Eagle’ from one of the Wildlife Walk’s display tables, two docents illustrate the wingspan of a Bald Eagle – seven feet!

The BRWC main office and greeting point for visitors with the center’s Mission and Vision statements posted inside.

An impressive wood carving of birds and a squirrel near the entrance to the Wildlife Walk