This is not our first visit to Raptor Trust. When the kids were little, we would go there to visit the birds. When we would find a wounded little bird on our front lawn, we would put it in the shoe box and drive it to Raptor Trust. There, the wonderful people working there would rehabilitate it back to health. Since our first visit there, we have gone back multiple times, and have brought many birds there for rehabilitation.
This time we went with kids and grandparents. We were heading out to see the oldest white oak tree in the U.S. (see bottom) and Raptor Trust was right on the way for us.
Raptor Trust is located in Millington, right next door to the Great Swamp and the Lord Stirling Environmental Education Center. I absolutely recommend a trip to that area and exploring these spots in one day.
There, we met some of the adorable permanent residents. We also met a very knowledgeable man that volunteers there, and he knew the stories of some of the resident birds. Some of them can never be released back into the wild due to the injuries they were brought in with.
Meet Vilma:
While I did find it very sad that some of these birds were hurt, and some will never go back into the wild, I was also happy that there are people that take their time to help and care for these magnificent creatures.
Just a small note, while visiting Raptor Trust is free, their only source of funding are donations. When you visit, there is a donation box on the premises for your convenience.
You can find out more about Raptor Trust by visiting their website.
A little bit about the White Oak tree. This oak is 600 years old when normally these trees live to about 300 years of age. It is currently dying, when you visit it, you will only see leaves on a small part of the tree. It’s located in the graveyard of the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church on Oak Street in Basking Ridge.
