A Letter from Bret Stedman
A Bird's-Eye View of 39 Years with Raptors
In early January, 1982 I rode my bicycle south from campus to the UC Davis Raptor Center in search of a volunteer opportunity and a student research project (for a couple of academic units towards my Zoology degree). It was a cold, overcast day and upon arrival I was immediately drawn to the first raptor enclosure I saw. It held two Great Horned Owls whose names were Clacker and Eli. Clacker was a relatively tall Great Horned Owl and Eli, as I remember, was a shorter, stockier bird. Being so close to them and observing the details of their appearance and subtle behaviors was fascinating right from the start. Still, I was here to meet with the manager of the center, Terry Schulz, so I moved on to the small building that served as office, clinic, and meeting room. Terry greeted me with a handshake and I remember that my first impression was that he was helpful, knowledgeable and dedicated. He also had a very neatly trimmed beard and what I thought was quite a serious demeanor.
After I made arrangements to volunteer at the center and to take part in a study of feather regeneration in captive raptors I rode off towards campus on my humble old bicycle with absolutely no way of knowing where this first step would lead me. Thirty nine years later I am still here and in the fullness of time I have changed from a 23 year old young man to a 62 year old soon to be retired man with two children that are older than I was when I started here (I have one child who is slightly younger than when I started here also). Terry Schulz has been my mentor and great friend over all of these years and my initial impression of his serious demeanor has long since faded and been replaced with the more accurate assessment as a man who has an excellent sense of humor and a generous and very kind heart. I am sure that he still has the neatly trimmed beard too.
As for Clacker and Eli, of course I came to know them both very well. Eli was transferred to the Santa Barbara Zoo on 3/29/1985 for use as an educational ambassador bird and I remember that he was generally calm on the glove and easy to work with. Clacker first came to the Raptor Center in 1978 (though unclear records suggest he may have been here a few years before). He had his wing amputated at the wrist due to an injury there. Clacker was a “famous” bird who was on many local media appearances throughout the approximately 28 years he lived at the center. He probably was used in more educational programs than any other bird of his time and was as steady and dependable as any bird we have ever had here. Anyone could safely handle him and he was a really easy bird to maintain in captivity. He died of cancer on 12/8/2006 and in a silent moment of sadness and reflection I buried him at the Raptor Center in a location probably only known to me nowadays.
After working with thousands of birds and maybe thousands of people I have far more memories from this place than I can possibly recount here. This facility, now called the California Raptor Center, has been a huge and very important part of my life. All of the birds have been special and I wish my memory was able to recall each of them. There have been many wonderful feelings of joy in releasing birds back to the wild and many feelings of sadness for the ones who could not survive and go back to the wild places from which they came. Of course losing long term resident birds, that I have known for many years, has always been very difficult and it has never gotten easier over time. I have had the privilege of meeting a great number of outstanding people at this center and I am thankful for what they have given me and for how they made my job so much easier over the years. Teaching so many people about raptor rehabilitation and captive raptor management has been an amazing and rewarding experience and I am glad that I could pass on the things I learned from the people and experiences I have had at this modest but incredible place.
Soon my California Raptor Center experience will pass from what is to what was but I am confident that this place is in very good hands and will move on to levels that have not been reached during my tenure. The California Raptor Center has great potential and with proper support it can realize that potential fully to the benefit of birds, people, the university and the community.
Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who ever supported the California Raptor Center in any way over the all the years of its existence. Without you we would not be here. Long live the California Raptor Center.