A Whole New World For The Wonderful Birds Of Prey At Earthplace
The annual Earthplace Fall Festival kicked off with a ribbon cutting ceremony to open the highly anticipated, completely rebuilt Birds Of Prey exhibit. This exhibit has always been a visitor favorite for many years. Cutting the ribbon is Earthplace Executive Director Amee Borys, with the ribbon being held by their former Executive Director Tony McDowell and Director of Nature Education & Conservation Veronica Swain, both of whom helped make this very special exhibit happen.
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The Birds Are Back at Earthplace!
The birds are back at Earthplace, and for generations of local families who have grown up visiting them, their return is something to celebrate. After 10 months of construction, Earthplace officially reopened its newly rebuilt Birds of Prey Exhibit on October 3, 2026, during its annual Fall Festival. The reopening marks an exciting new chapter for one of Earthplace’s most beloved and longstanding exhibits.
The Birds of Prey Exhibit is home to eagles, hawks, vultures, owls, ravens, and crows. Each bird has a story. All have permanent injuries or other conditions that prevent them from surviving independently in the wild. At Earthplace, they have a second chance as wildlife ambassadors, helping thousands of children and adults discover these remarkable animals up close and learn why protecting wildlife and their habitats matters.
“These birds have been part of Earthplace for generations,” said Amee Borys, Executive Director of Earthplace. “So many people in our community remember visiting them as children and are now bringing their own children here. To welcome the birds back into these beautiful new spaces is incredibly special.”
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A large group of guests gathered to await the big moment when the ribbon is cut and visitors can once again see their favorite birds.
Above, one of Earthplace’s much admired Bald Eagles watches the crowd as the enter to tour the new compound. At right are two Red-Tailed Hawks taking in the scene from their new, spacious enclosure.
Designed With the Environment in Mind
The transformation didn't stop with the aviaries. Improvements to the surrounding site include stormwater management features and a new rain garden designed to capture and absorb runoff. A rain garden does something wonderfully simple: instead of allowing stormwater to rush away from a site, plants and soil help capture and filter the water and allow it to soak naturally back into the ground. It means the exhibit itself can become part of the lesson. Visitors coming to learn about wildlife can also see an example of how thoughtful choices about land and water can help protect the environment those animals depend upon.
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Made Possible by Community Support
The new Birds of Prey Exhibit took 10 months to build, but it was years in the making. Bringing it to life required the generosity, expertise, and hard work of many people throughout the Earthplace community. Earthplace is especially grateful to project funders Saugatuck Financial, Don and Jeanette Linsey and Doug Golden; architect Jeff Kaufmann; Rick Benson and Company; Earthplace's Board of Directors; project sponsors; and the staff, contractors, volunteers, and community members who helped make the new exhibit possible.
Opening the new aviaries is an important milestone, but caring for the birds is a commitment that continues 365 days a year. On average, Earthplace spends approximately $25,000 each year just to feed its resident birds of prey. Their care also includes veterinary services, habitat maintenance, enrichment, and the daily attention of trained animal care professionals.
Donations of all sizes help Earthplace continue that work and are always welcome. Aviary sponsorships and naming opportunities are also available, giving individuals, families, and businesses a special way to support the birds and become part of the next chapter of this beloved Earthplace tradition.
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A Better Home for the Birds
The new exhibit was designed first and foremost with the birds in mind. The former aviaries had aged and required significant repair. Their replacements provide updated habitats that better support the birds and make it easier for Earthplace's animal care staff to provide for their daily needs. Visitors will notice a difference, too. The new aviaries provide more opportunities to see the birds from different vantage points and experience them up close, while still giving the birds appropriate spaces to retreat from view when they choose.
More Than an Exhibit
For generations of local families, a visit to Earthplace has meant a visit to the birds. Children encounter them on school field trips and at summer camp. Preschoolers grow up seeing them just steps from their classrooms. Families return year after year, and many adults who first visited the birds as children now bring their own children to meet them.
That connection is at the heart of the new exhibit.
New interpretive signage introduces visitors to the individual birds and their stories while also helping people understand the larger conservation story. Visitors can discover the adaptations and behaviors that make these species so extraordinary, learn about the challenges they face in the wild, and find simple ways to help protect birds and their habitats at home and in their own communities.
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Architect Jeff Kaufmann (above, left with Tony McDowell) worked closely with Earthplace's resident experts Veronica Swain and Ren Roberts throughout the design process. Their firsthand knowledge of the birds—their behaviors, personalities, physical needs, and daily routines—helped shape spaces created specifically for the animals who would call them home.
Construction was led by Rick Benson and Company.
Come Meet the Birds
Now that the doors are open, the best way to experience the new exhibit is to come meet the birds yourself. Visitors can see the birds during regular visits to Earthplace and learn even more about them through programs led by Earthplace educators and animal care staff.
On the first Sunday of every month, Earthplace offers Winged Wonders, a drop-in program featuring a bird-on-glove demonstration. Visitors can meet one of Earthplace's birds of prey up close while learning about its unique adaptations, behaviors, personality, and important role in the ecosystem. Winged Wonders is included with admission. Whether you remember visiting the birds years ago or are meeting them for the very first time, Earthplace welcomes you to come see their new homes.
For more information about the Birds of Prey Exhibit, visiting Earthplace, making a donation, or supporting the project through a sponsorship or naming opportunity, visit Earthplace.org or contact Director of Development Lucie Connell.
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Earthplace Fall Festival Draws Hundreds For Family Fun Day
There were plenty of fun activities for kids and their parents to enjoy. Everywhere you went there were games to be played, crafts to be created, and an opportunity to get close-up and personal with some of Earthplace’s wonderful wildlife.
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The event began at 11:00AM and by 11:30 the parking lot was full and cars lined Woodside Lane all the way to Stony Brook Rd., with Lilian Wadsworth Arboretum used for overflow parking. People continued to stream in throughout the day.
A perennial favorite, the “corn pit” kept kids engaged for quite some time as they jumped, dove and “swam” in hundreds of thousand of corn kernels. They found several clever ways to enjoy this very busy attraction.
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The line forms for another very enjoyable attraction, the hayride around the Earthplace pasture.
The hayride passes another fun game, pumpkin bowling, above, right and below, where one youngster met the staff’s challenge to “be creative”.
Kids and their parents were enthralled by a visit with Banana, Earthplace’s Ball Python who came to live there in 2015.
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This exhibit is part of Earthplace’s efforts to protect the shoreline of and sea life in Lon Island Sound. It illustrates the harm caused by people who fail to properly deal with all of the plastic which is polluting our precious environment.
With all of the fun activities some these kids found the rock wall a different kind of challenge. The popular donut on a string posed a challenge for kids looking for a treat, but only with a bit of work, kind of like an Earthplace version of bobbing for apples (a boomer reference no doubt).
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A Fall Tradition, Annual Blessing Of The Animals At The Buddhist Center
Last month the monks of the Do Ngak Kunphen Ling Tibetan Buddhist Center for Universal Peace (DNKL) in Redding held their annual Blessing Of The Animals at the Center on Putnam Park Rd., Redding a tradition which began more than a decade ago.
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About 70-80 people ore more attend each year to seek the blessing from the monks, waiting patiently in line with a variety of dogs and cats, even several horses and even a pair of beautiful parakeets
There are various Animal Blessings held each year in Fairfield County but none are quite like the Buddhist blessing in Redding which has been held for more than a decade. Fall is the time when many Animal Blessings are held. Christian churches host theirs around October 4th which is the celebration of the Feast Of St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Catholic Franciscan Order and the Catholic Patron Saint of animals, ecology and the environment.
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Horse people will look at this photo and notice something unusual. Whenever horses are standing on a nice field of grass, they will spend every minute grazing. For the last several years, as the monks begin their prayer program all of the horses simply raise their heads and stand quietly. Horse owners here notice that and cannot help wondering if the spirituality of the event has some unknown effect.
The large audience made themselves comfortable, either in seats or sitting or on the grass as the DNKL Monks spoke to describe Buddhist Animal Blessings and describe how the program would proceed.
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The monks begin the sequence of prayers with each reading different prayers. From left to right, is Lobsang Nyima, a monk from Sri Lanka, venerable Kurunegoda Dhammaloka Thero, a Theravada which is the oldest surviving school of Buddhism, visiting monk Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa, holder of three major seats of highest Buddhist study, roughly equivalent to a PhD level of study, Geshe Lobsang Dhargey, Geshe Gelek Choedup and at the end, Lobsang Sherab and Geshe Gelek Choedup.
The monks and nun recite a series of prayers in Tibetan and then in English. One of those prayers say in part:
Please always bestow fortune and blessing to these animals,
and always be their protectors and saviors.
Always conquer their enemies, and always bestow liberation on them-
Liberate them from illness, untimely death, negative karma and the chain of suffering
and liberate them from the miserable circumstances that lack leisure and opportunity.
Monk Lobsang Nyima sprinkles blessed water with a peacock feather on one of the Icelandic horses who come to the Blessing each year from Jibe-iT a family farm nearby in Redding. Next, Ani Lobsang Tendrol, a Buddhist nun places a wrapped object called a a Compassion Sutra on the animal's head and prayers are placed on the head as a transmission to the animal.
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Pet parents, friends and visitors at the event love capturing so many of the animals as they are blessed.
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Above, left, Sara brought here 7 year old Great Dane, Krueger back for a blessing. She last brough Krueger as a puppy when he was nine months old. Several children, relatives of the Monks also received blessings. Bottom, the Monks are clearly joyful as they greet each owner and show some love for their precious pets after they have received the blessings.
Always a favorite part of the day, especially for the children is a visit with goats who come from Jibe-iT farm. This is a rare opportunity to pet and feed these charming creatures. The farm hosts goat yoga which has become very popular in the last few years.
Above left, Ani Lobsang Tendrol blesses a photograph of a woman’s beloved pet and a family’s parakeets. One of the monks enjoys a moment with a lovely cocker spaniel. At right, Gloria, communications person for DNKL addresses the audience.
One of Jibe-iT’s horses takes a moment for a pic, as do the two adorable parakeets. Sara shows just how big her Great Dane, Kreuger is. Sara told WestportLocalPress that she “tries to incorporate Buddhism into her life by being mindful and compassionate with others, especially animals”. Her ink is part of that endeavor.
All of the DNKL monks and visiting monks from around the area pause for photos at the conclusion of the event.
An array of hundreds of Buddhist Prayer Flags greet visitors to the Blessing. In Buddhist tradition the prayer flags use the wind to carry blessings, good intentions, and sacred mantras into the surrounding space rather than delivering literal messages to a deity. As the wind flutters the cloth, it is believed to purify the air and spread compassion, peace, and wisdom to all beings.
Symbolism and Colors
Five Elements: The flags are arranged in a specific color order that represents the natural elements: blue for sky and space, white for air and wind, red for fire, green for water, and yellow for earth.
The Wind Horse (Lungta): Most traditional sets feature a central steed carrying three flaming jewels, symbolizing the Buddha, the Dharma (teachings), and the Sangha (community).
Sacred Mantras: Phrases like Om Mani Padme Hum are printed alongside protective animal symbols representing fearlessness, wisdom, strength, and confidence.
The Dogs Are Coming! The Dogs Are Coming! Thursday, October 1st, Compo Beach Becomes A Dog’s Playground Again
Scenes like this captured in October, 2025 will be relived again by doggie friends, both old and new beginning on Thursday October 1st., 2026 until March 31st, 2027.
File photos by J.C. Martin for WestportLocalPress.
The big day dog owners and their four-legged besties have been waiting for has finally arrived! There will be lots of splashing, chasing of sticks and toys and each other as every day becomes a great day.
File photos by J.C. Martin for WestportLocalPress.
The Westport Parks & Recreation Department reminds residents and visitors of the regulations which will be in effect for Compo Beach visiting canines.
Animal Control Enforcement and Leash Restriction:
Dogs are prohibited from the Pavilion, playground and walkways.
All dogs must be leashed in all areas of the park except in the designated off leash area of the beach south of the Pavilion, including South Beach. Off leash regulations are posted at the entrance to the off leash area.
You are required by law to pick up your dog’s feces.
Violation of the above regulations subject to a fine of $77.00
Additionally, animals are not permitted on Town athletic fields or playgrounds at any time, in accordance with Westport Parks and Recreation Department Rules and Regulations. This policy helps protect public safety, support athletic programs, and maintain field conditions. While animals are welcome in surrounding areas, owners are encouraged to keep them leashed near these facilities.
Because Luciano Park is made up entirely of an athletic field and playground, animals are prohibited from the entire park.File photos by J.C. Martin for WestportLocalPress.
Staples Field Hockey Romps Over Danbury With 9-0 Shutout
Wreckers Varsity Field Hockey came home from Danbury on Wednesday with a dominant performance. Standout Senior Daisy Hackett found the net twice and added an assist.
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Scoring one goal each were Emilie Russell, Quinn Lopatin, Ava Pattinson, Leya Chaves, Izzie Schmeiser, Chloe Smith and Olivia Lambert.
Adding assists were Maya Fridman, Ava Pattinson, Solane Dearborn.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.