The Party: Owls, hawks, and vultures, oh my! Merriment took flight at this year’s Wild at Wingswood gala hosted by the Center for Birds of Prey. Located in the heart of the beautiful Wingswood Campus in Awendaw, the event welcomed supporters form near and far, giving them a hands-on look at the Center’s efforts to conserve and care for native avian species. While sipping signature cocktails and enjoying pork belly bites and miniature crab cakes, guests were invited to get up close and personal with some of the Center’s resident birds. As the night continued with silent and live auctions, News 4 meteorologist Tom Crawford acted as the evening’s lively auctioneer, and guests went home with everything from private birding excursions to a stay in California wine country. An impassioned speech by founder and director Jim Elliott rounded out the evening, in which he introduced the Center’s red-tailed hawk, one of their very first patients who has been assisting the team in avian education for the past 26 years.
Highlight: Flight demonstrations during cocktail hour and the Center’s black vulture that scurried through groups of people as they mingled
Overheard: “Ok, now I am officially a ‘bird person!’”
Beneficiary: The Avian Conservation Center and Center for Birds of Prey
