Gottlieb's one wish: soar with the birds

NORTH CANAAN — It was Gordon Gottlieb’s turn to be granted “Just One Wish.� For years now, Geer Nursing and Rehabilitation Center residents have benefited from a program that helps them satisfy their longing to visit (or revisit) a special place, to gather the family for a reunion, or, as in one recent case, to take a helicopter ride.

When asked what his wish would be, Gottlieb simply said, “I’d like to see some birds.�

That wish turned into a great afternoon for everyone at Geer when Sharon Audubon naturalists came for a visit and brought some impressive raptors: two owls, a hawk and a falcon.

It was as educational as it was entertaining.

Handler Erin O’Connell introduced her feathered friends, all rescued birds who live at the center. Geer residents and staff got a kick out of hearing how Gordon, a tiny hawk called an American kestral, found a wild girlfriend last summer.

“He tried to feed her his mice through the cage,� O’Connell said.

Mandy is a much bigger bird,  a red-tailed hawk that thrives at the center despite having lost an eye. She dutifully spread her wings impressing the audience with her wingspan.

As the guest of honor, Gottlieb was introduced to each bird and got  chance to stroke the feathers of a big barred owl named Sophie.