The Santa Barbara Audubon Society has acquired some very special wildlife ambassadors who are no longer able to survive in the wild. They now live with us under special state and federal permits that allow them to visit classrooms and attend educational and environmental events. Their up-close magnificence brings our conservation message close to people's hearts. All are species found locally in Santa Barbara. If they enchant you, please feel free to adopt any one of them.

• Ivan, Red-tailed Hawk

• Max, Great Horned Owl

• Squirt, Red-shouldered Hawk

• Grumpy, Western Screech Owl

• Katiwa, Barn Owl

Red-tailed Hawk - 4+ years old

Max believes he's human - or perhaps that humans are owls. As the first fallen nestling of the season brought to WCVC, Max lacked exposure to other Great Horned owls during a critical time and became imprinted onto humans. This year Max, himself, became foster-parent to a young orphaned chick, preventing a repeat scenario for this young Great Horned owl, which was successfully released back into the wild.

Red-shouldered Hawk - 1 year old

Squirt's tree home was cut down while he was still in his nest. During his long fall, he permanently injured one wing and a leg.

Western Screech Owl - age unknown

Grumpy, like Ivan, was hit by a vehicle and sustained injuries that no longer enable him to survive in the wild.

Barn Owl - 7 weeks old

Katiwa, now 6 months old, fell from her nest and sustained internal injuries that required separate housing and daily treatments, causing her to become irreversibly associated with humans (imprinted). Perhaps in the future, she too will foster wild orphaned chicks for release back into the wild.