On March 4th, 2025, SUNY Old Westbury hosted a presentation by Sweetbriar Nature Center. It was sponsored by OW STEAM, the Honors College, CEEC, SEJI, the OW English Department, and the Environmental Sustainability and Melittology Club. The presentation consisted of the display of several live birds accompanied by interesting facts about them. The presenter, who goes by Jim, brought some birds from Sweetbriar Nature Center, as well as some birds he keeps as pets.
According to Jim, Sweetbriar Nature Center takes in injured animals with the intention of rehabilitating them. Although rehabilitation is ideal, some of the animals’ conditions are too severe to release them back into the wild, such as Diego, an American kestrel. Diego was stolen from his nest as a baby, a regular practice within the illegal bird trade, and he was taken into custody at the Mexican border by officials who recognized that he was being illegally sold.
Because Diego was kidnapped as a baby, he learned to be fed by humans only, which inhibited his ability to learn how to hunt for himself. He also imprinted on the staff at Sweetbriar Nature Center. All of this combined made him an unsuitable candidate for release, and he will continue to live at Sweetbriar Nature Center. Another bird that was showcased was Nugget, an eastern screech owl, who is missing an eye due to unknown reasons, and cannot be released because of this. Jim stated that eastern screech owls like Nugget can be found all over campus, and there is allegedly one of these birds for every 5 trees on campus. Nugget had an accident during the presentation, which stirred laughter throughout the room. The last bird from Sweetbriar Nature Center was Stitch, a red-tailed hawk who has a half-amputated wing. Stitch was unfortunately hit by a car, and his eye exploded. This, along with his one and a half wings, stops him from being able to thrive in the wild.
The birds from Sweetbriar Nature Center did not seem to be big fans of humans, and they sometimes tried to bite Jim. However, Jim’s pet birds took quite kindly to humans. He brought out his birds, Aria and Aurora, for people to pet (and even kiss). Aria is an Eurasian eagle-owl, the same breed as Flaco, the owl who gained popularity for escaping the Central Park Zoo about two years ago. Some students reported that the back of Aria’s neck had a pleasant, woody smell; a natural perfume of sorts. Aurora is a spectacled owl, who will be turning two years old this July 4th. She was socialized from a very early age, as she was purchased by Jim as a baby. Jim made it clear that these birds are not easy to obtain, and he was only able to purchase them as pets because of his status as an experienced bird handler and employee at Sweetbriar Nature Center.
Jim encouraged students and faculty to visit Sweetbriar Nature Center, located in Smithtown, New York. It is free to visit, but donations are encouraged. There are a few exhibits that require an entrance fee, but none that cost more than ten dollars. There are several acres of land to roam on, as well as many different kinds of animals who live there. Should you find yourself in the area, consider paying a visit!
