The Bird Man of Cedar Key, FL
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As many of you know, Cedar Key is a tiny island in the bend of Florida's
Gulf Coast. It is a bird sanctuary. In 1987, Owen Freeman decided to
spend the rest of his disabled life in sunny, southern FL. He changed
his mind when he got to Cedar Key. He saw birds who needed him. They
had no one else. Every day at 4:00 p.m., rain or shine, you will find
Owen on the pier between gift shops, art galleries and restaurants. He
sits against a wall under a sign that asks the visitor to call a number
in case of injured birds and sets up a milk container for donations.
Owen isn't a licensed rehabber. But he knows his birds - and the
pelicans come to him when they are in distress - injured, wrapped in
monofilament line or impaled with fishhooks. When he gets a serious
injury that he knows he can't handle, he makes arrangements to transport
the birds to Homosassa.
Owen is a little eccentric looking - from his squashy hat and bearded,
craggy face to his ever present white rubber boots. But those sharp
eyes can see an injury or an abnormality in a bird from long distances.
When I stood next to him watching at pelicans flying one evening, we
noted a slight abnormality in the same bird simultaneously.
There are some residents in Cedar Key who would like Owen to disappear.
They say he panhandles. He doesn't "look" good. I have to disagree. He
cautions children and adults NOT to harrass the birds, educates them as
well as give them memories of a man who has wild birds come to his side
for company or help as he sits in the waning afternoon. If you donate
to Owen, you are asked to be put on his mailing list, and shortly comes
a postcard in gratitude.
Recently, Owen was given several infant pelicans. He had to bring them
to the right place. An unlicensed rehabber raised somewhat of a snit
and the Feds came for a visit, making Owen's life quite miserable. He
doesn't know the outcome yet. But as a volunteer wildlife rehabber, I
know that the best interest of your charges comes first. You do what is
right and necessary at the time. And who better than Owen to do it. He
motors around Cedar Key on a motor scooter, his only transportation,
with a dog crate bungeed on the back for the injured. Someone stole his
little trailer that was the real bird ambulance and they vandalized his
scooter, too.
If you understand that, in a bird sanctuary, where no one cares to do
for the birds what Owen does, even F&G, then perhaps you will call Sen.
Bob Graham at (800)962-3524 and ask for a transfer to the Tallahassee
office, where you will speak to Pat in Owen's behalf. We need to get a
wildlife rehabber's permit for him so that he will be able to do what he
does best out of love and respect for the birds. You might also want to
drop a postcard to the Chamber of Commerce on Cedar Key, FL and let them
know you're behind their Bird Man. He needs your moral support and a
dollar or two to help the birds. They are his only family and the loves
of his life.
In these days of eco-tourism in a tiny town that exists because of the
tourist dollar, Owen should be one of the town's biggest assets. His
mailing list includes addresses from all over the world and he happily
displays clippings from newspapers and photos to his visitors. I think
Cedar Key should be proud of him and give him all the help it can.
Owen Freeman
Sunset Isle Trailer Park #53
Cedar Key, FL
May