
After all, it's not everyday that your backyard lets you view white-tailed deer and sand-hill cranes, swim in ponds populated by snapping turtles or hear the hoot of an owl named Jackson as he keeps watch as you sleep each night.

Enjoy." With illustrations from Gjisbert (Nick) van Frankenhuyzen, noted wildlife artist and illustrator of our Legends series as well as The Blue Spruce by Mario Cuomo and L is for Lincoln: An Illinois Alphabet.Īs a young girl growing up on Hazel Ridge Farm, Kelly is aware of how special the place she calls home is. This is the true story of his life with us. His personality was unique from the very beginning and we know that we were lucky to have shared such a close bond with this wild bird. We have cared for many Great Horned Owls but none of them were like Jackson, the owl in this story. Taking an owl from its nest is dangerous and illegal.

For good reason, caring for these birds is very tightly regulated and closely monitored. Without these permits, we would never have been able to care for hawks and owls. More importantly, Gijsbert was issued all the Federal and State permits needed to care for birds of prey.

Gijsbert took every opportunity to sketch, paint, and photograph our temporary guests during their stay on the farm. Growing up on a farm, as well as my training as an animal technician, prepared me for many of the medical situations that arose.

Some of the animals were injured adults, others were orphaned babies, but all of them were in need of a little help to get them back into the wild. From the Author (Robbyn van Frankenhuyzen): "For twenty years we have rehabilitated a wide variety of wild critters, from fawns, foxes, skunks, and crows to opposums, raccoons, rabbits, and owls.
