Sky Eyes Education

06/21/2023

Use this to get rid of rats, etc… instead of rat poison which kills Birds of Prey and other cool wildlife who eat the poisoned rodents.
https://contrapeststore.com/?mibextid=Zxz2cZ&fbclid=IwAR2Rx5wp7mjFfCD1KnpGzKI_2K0or7biGQ2SeOHeQhEZw4CF1e_Tzewkp8g_aem_th_ATS4bBp_sN8lZLmP8XgQyoVQTCWPtUUgc_VsBTj-5UE6VWNiuIWK4DUX_WqZJuEeXR0

ContraPest

06/01/2023

🩵🩵

04/17/2023

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=6525946587438322&id=513423562024018&mibextid=SDPelY

It's about that time (around us) 🌞🩱
If you have a pool, consider getting 'escape ramps' like these for wildlife.
👉 https://amzn.to/3yERKgp

04/09/2023

This hospital and their staff help a lot of our hooked birds and injured wildlife. Throw a few bucks their way— as they are overworked, underpaid and do a massive job with their whole hearts!

https://www.facebook.com/100064618754597/posts/655850063245613/?mibextid=SDPelY

Our staff were collectively shocked to see the radiograph of this poor this morning. This is by far the largest hook we've ever found in a bird, and immediate intervention was required to save this bird's life. We are so grateful for Dr. Zellner at Avian and Animal Hospital who stayed late today to take the bird in, and she was able to surgically remove the hook. Dr. Zellner and her dedicated staff do so much for us and our patients, they are amazing! The cormorant's prognosis is still incredibly guarded so we are crossing our fingers and will do everything we can to support it through this time.

Swallowed hooks can cause a variety of complications no matter the size, and while they can occasionally pass safely through on their own these cases often require our intervention. These cases are just another way that fishing line and hooks affect wildlife. You can help prevent injuries like this by avoiding casting in areas with congregating birds, using at least 30lb line to prevent line breaks, disposing of tackle properly, and by never cutting the line if you accidentally hook a bird.

04/02/2023

Let us show you how easily fishing line breaks against a concrete pier and pilings! People are not ‘cutting the line’ on birds as often as it is often thought! The line breaks sometimes immediately and often in the process of attempting to reel in and rescue a bird on the line. This is why we advocate for strong, tight lines and keep your lines off the concrete and away from the pilings! Godspeed!

04/02/2023

We had a wonderful day out on the South Skyway Pier for the Kids Fishing Expo hosted by and ! We finally met more great partners— and ! There were zero bird entanglements, and we were able to share a lot of bird prevention and intervention tips with the young anglers! is looking forward to future with these great organizations spreading knowledge, peace, fun and ! This is just the beginning!

03/19/2023

02/18/2023

Don’t be afraid to be yourself....

Be that weird guy who pulled over and checked on the animal that was hit by a car to see if it was still alive and needed help.

Be the construction worker that left work early while his buddies laughed at him because he found an injured squirrel and wanted to get it to safety.

Be the irritating woman who isn’t afraid to stop traffic because a mama duck is trying to cross the road with her babies.

Be the gross person who isn’t disgusted by a mangy fox and sees it as an animal that needs help from the right people.

Be the aggravating informant who tells the guy buying rat poison what it does to our local wildlife.

Be the uncool kid who stops his friends from trying to hurt a snake they found for fun.

When we start feeling bad or embarrassed for showing EMPATHY toward another and trying to SAVE A LIFE, then we have let the opinions of others mean WAY too much.

Never apologize for being a good and caring human being. There aren’t enough in this world.

12/11/2022

👍🏽👍🏽
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=5433272660127925&id=544237192364854

Previously, it was thought that only humans, and perhaps primates, could do this.

11/08/2022

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3369543350032056&id=2318241098495625

03/12/2022

The LOVE this weather!

03/03/2022

What a wonder-filled day! Hardly any birds have been out lately. So I get to showcase some of my favorite pier-people! Spanish Mackerel just returned so the catching has been fun n furious, at times! The bait is back up on the surface and plentiful! The birds tend to take off and stay further away when it gets warmer—they don’t have to be around the piers for life or death reasons due to starvation! They spread out, they’re mating, they’re catching their fish elsewhere, and they generally stay further away from the piers when bait is easily catchable…And we are…Still present and making connections, pounding prevention into this pavement, learning about fishing, available to help at any given moment— this is what it’s all about!

03/03/2022

Gene gave me a holder for my cutters today! 🥰

03/02/2022

My friend, George! Another good guy I’ve known out here since the early 2000’s!

03/01/2022

S. Sky Baitshop—This Saturday—03/05/22 @ NOON— Liz-thebirdgirl of and the are to provide a 🎣 . We prepare for as we the equipment needed, strategies and species likely to catch, bycatch prevention and safety tips, and rescue and release instruction including ‘pier birdology 101’ validation. 🎁 FREE GIVEAWAYS FOR ATTENDENCE AND PARTICIPATION!!!!

02/26/2022

Back to work! Bait is UP on the southside! Macks are biting finally. Not a lot of bird activity. Beautiful sunny day!

02/19/2022

It takes a village! One by one, 2 x 2, we’re making a difference, me n you! 

02/19/2022

“We like the birds, too!” These two little guys made my day! They wanted to attend the bird class at noon, but their Dad is taking them home by then because they’ve been fishing all night, so I told them I would give them their own personal class! We went over how to safely help and hold different types of birds. I gave them a little biodegradable towel as a prize for attendance and they were so enthusiastic and thankful! This is what it’s all about!!!💘🙌🏽☀️

02/07/2022

02.06.22 My first ! For as slow of a day as it was on the , it was a day of a lot of for me!! 🤩💪🏽🥰 I got to handle and help my first ! A unintentionally caught a Bonnethead on his line and I happened to roll up just in time. I offered my hoop net, scooped up the shark and pulled it up to the pier. I asked the if he was good, but he had no idea what to do with the shark. 💫🌟🌟 I had seen a gentleman show his girlfriend how to hold a that she had caught just a couple days ago on the . So with that knowledge, I jumped in and grabbed the shark behind the head in the soft spot, (careful not to apply too much pressure there, just support—as I had seen and heard the guy coach his girlfriend) then I put a firm hold with my other hand on the body above the tail. The fisherman grabbed his pliers and removed the hook from the shark’s mouth. I picked the shark up so that people could untangle the rest of the line from the body. The dude quickly got a picture with his shark as we carefully transferred the hold and then he released it into the water where it zoomed off! We all learned and got to experience some thing there! 🌟🧐🌟 If I had not been watching the fisherman who caught a Bonnethead shark a couple days prior and listened to how was coaching his girlfriend about how to safely handle it, I never would’ve known how to safely help the shark and the fisherman here. 💖💖💖💪🏽

02/07/2022

02.06.22– I got to fight my first live-line Loon! What a fight!!!! My forearm was cramping up and I got my first braid-burn on my finger!! The line ended up breaking as we were trying to get it in the . All you can do is try. It’s really good for bird-people to hold a rod and experience a bird on the line (live-line) from the fisherman‘s angle/perspective! It surely is not as easy as we may think. I know Loons are strong and I’ve only held them once they are up on land. (in order to remove from the ) Fighting a in the water in their territory is a whole different battle! 😳😯💪🏽
Tips: * Tighten the drag but don’t tighten it too tight, especially with braid. * Wrap your sleeve or towel around the line, especially if it’s braid, so it doesn’t cut into your flesh.* Pretend that bird is your prize catch and reel it into the pier quickly so that it does not go under the bridge or get wrapped around the pilings, and always * keep your line off the cement! * Have a ready to lift it up to the pier. When you do get a hold of a Loon, * hold the head firmly behind the eyes on its skull and * cushion the belly with your lap or a bunched up towel because Loons cannot stand on land and could hurt their chest bone if they thrash around on the concrete or hard surface. * To release, lower the bird back into the water in a hoop net. 🙌🏽 Good Luck!

02/07/2022

02.06.22 He will never be the same— on Sunday his life was touched. This lil guy, Colton, has the biggest ! A young flew into his line while he was fishing. His dad, Rob, ran to help as they looked for the rescue number I had given them earlier. . I happened to be scanning the pier while I was heading that way and saw the bird on their line in the water. Sometimes the timing is just perfect. I was able to coach them through the rescue. After they reeled it in close to the pier, I cast netted the bird up and they learned how to safely handle and help a Pelican. Colton was so sweetly shook up—he kept saying his heart just wouldn’t stop pounding and he had a lot of questions about how to help the birds in the future. It is about the future, all of our futures. This is why it’s SO IMPORTANT for experienced people to be out there on the and at fishing hot spots educating, teaching, helping, sharing knowledge, working WITH the fishermen—encompassing the children!

02/07/2022

02.05.22 Peter made a decision on Saturday that saved this baby Pelican’s life! He sprinted down the pier to get me to help him retrieve the bird from the water after it flew into his line while he was fishing and then became tangled around a piling. 🙏🏽Hands-on, on-the-spot education is so powerful! compares to none other! (Fear is the biggest reason people don’t take more action to help a bird on their line. They are afraid they will hurt the bird or they will get hurt. Honestly, it is a very scary experience if you have never been close to a snapping and thrashing ! Once you safely walk somebody through it, it helps to dissolve the fear!) These guys will be more equipped to handle the next encounter with a bird on their line, if it should happen again. It’s all about being prepared with knowledge and proper tools.

02/01/2022

They saved a life. ♥️ I asked these to look out for a Pelican who just broke someone’s line near where they were fishing and had a weight hanging from its mouth. They called me a few minutes later because they spotted the bird right below them in the water from mouth to wing to leg. I cast net-elevatored the bird up and they helped me hold while we unhooked, untangled, evaluated and released the . It’s the good people out there that make it all worth it!

02/01/2022

1.30.22– The story of the ‘behind the back sunglass smuggler’… Zoom in for a laugh! This fisher-friend just helped me free two different from , and while we were taking a celebratory selfie, this swooped in to steal her sunglasses! The are so hungry right now In this —apparently he thought it was a !