The loss of Pignoli, the Center’s education Eastern Screech-Owl, was hard on the entire staff of the Wildlife Center, and on the Wildlife Center community. Staff, volunteers, and students often get to enjoy a special bond with education animals, and especially so with animals that have been at the Wildlife Center for many years. These animals aren’t just a member of the team but are a member of the family.
Here are some remembrances of Pignoli from the Center staff and volunteers.
Raina, outreach coordinator:
Pignoli was such a special little bird. Really, knowing Pignoli was kind of like knowing a low-key celebrity. She wasn’t the flashiest bird, and she wasn’t the most talked about among Center supporters. But when it came down to it, she was definitely the one of the most well-remembered education animals when it came to the thousands of people she met over the years. I can’t count the number of times I’ve spoken to people who met Pignoli years before at a program and remembered "the little one-eyed owl". She was charismatic in a quiet way and was a tremendous ambassador for wildlife. Her death is a great loss, but her life was so very meaningful.
Shelly, outreach volunteer:
My favorite memory of Pignoli is from an outreach event. I brought Pignoli and a couple other raptors to a student science fiction convention at JMU. I had always been told that Pignoli had very limited eyesight, and some wondered if Pignoli could see very much at all. I know one thing she could see: sparkly blue and silver tutus. One of the visitors to our program was a girl in a magnificent sparkly blue and silver tutu. She was decked out in glitter and rhinestones, and light reflected off of her at all angles. From the moment the girl arrived, Pignoli was intrigued. She studied every inch of the girl’s outfit from head to toe, and when the girl left to visit other booths, Pignoli kept her gaze fixed on that tutu - clear across to the other side of the convention floor!
For most of an hour, Pignoli did not lose sight of that girl and her tutu. Other visitors walked up to us and asked, "What is she looking at?" Apparently, Pignoli liked sparkly blue and silver tutus. Pig was the first raptor I ever worked with, at the Wildlife Center or elsewhere. I will remember her always as a calm and patient ambassador with a hysterically unfortunate molting pattern and the most gorgeous post-molt feathers on Earth. I will miss you dearly, my friend Pignoli.
Chapin, former outreach coordinator:
Pignoli was an incredibly special bird. She was the first raptor that I ever handled and took out on program. She was always a good sport, and I knew I could always count on Pignoli to win over every member of the crowd.
But one of my favorite things about Pignoli is that she would talk to me. Well, not talk but she would call back to me when I made Screech-owl calls. I would call out to her and just about every time she would trill back to me. I’m sure my human accent was pretty thick, but I think she enjoyed hearing the sound and responding nonetheless. She always had a high, lilting call that sounded sweet but haunting at the same time.
I’m so sad that I will not hear her call again, but her little trills will remain clear in my memory. Rest in peace, Pig.
Leighann, former wildlife rehabilitator:
I’ve been working with raptors since college and the Screech-owls have always been my favorite. On the west coast, they have Western Screech-owls and they only have the gray phase. When I moved to Virginia and started volunteering at the Wildlife Center, I was introduced to Pignoli and she took my breath away! She was the first red-phased Screech-owl I had seen and she was stunning!
My favorite memory of Pignoli actually involves my dad. I brought him to visit my work one evening and introduced him to all the education birds. I took Pignoli out on the glove and my dad was so fascinated. He had no idea that an owl could be so small and had a hard time believing she was full grown. When we got home he said Pignoli was his favorite bird he had seen that day so when Christmas came around I “adopted” Pignoli for him through the Caring for Critters program. Every time he got an update, my dad was sure to fill me in excitedly, asking more questions because he could get the inside scoop from me. One evening I was over at his house for dinner and realized he even changed his computers desktop background to Pignoli!
That’s what Pignoli did best. She exceeded at her role as education ambassador and captured the hearts and minds of her audience. She will be so greatly missed.
Ashley, former outreach extern and current front-desk coordinator:
Pignoli was the first raptor (and bird in general) that I ever worked with. I have a lot of fond memories of her, but one of the best was when she trilled while on my glove, which she apparently never did with other people. Usually Alex was our chatty Screech-owl and Pignoli was our quiet beauty. She did this trill on my glove two or three times and it was the most beautiful sound (and super surprising each time) and made me feel really good about my handing abilities because she seems to feel comfortable with me. I loved taking Piggle out for programs, she was always a big hit with the audience. Everyone liked to call her the "pirate owl" because of her missing eye. I will miss her sass and "love" bites and her grumpy morning face.
Lacy, development associate:
I have been familiar with Pignoli since I started here at the Wildlife Center in January 2009 as a rehab extern. The first impression that I recall is that she and Alex were fun to feed because they were so vocal and I loved hearing them angrily “talk” as I placed food in their enclosures.
Through the years, I’ve watched as Pignoli helped train staff and volunteers in the art of raptor handling, and I was awed at her calm demeanor at events like the Gala, where she quietly perched on her handler’s hand in the midst of a crowded, noisy, and somewhat unpredictable environment. Even though she was a wild animal, Pignoli was well-trained and well-adapted to her position as an education ambassador and she always made a big impression, despite her small size.
Most of our time spent together was while Pignoli was on the gloved hand of a fellow staff member or volunteer. I was ecstatic earlier this summer when Amanda suggested I learn how to handle her, since that would be one more person with the ability to handle a raptor at events. Our course of getting to know each other through supervised handling sessions was enlightening – Pignoli was even more tolerant of my fumbling and awkward fingers than I had imagined she could be! She handled my “learning curve” with patience and grace. She was truly a professional and I’m honored to have had the chance to get to know her a little better this summer.
While we are grieving the loss of our feathered colleague, it is comforting to know that Pignoli played a central role in the Center’s mission and success. We will never know how many lives of wild animals Pignoli and her handlers were able to help save as she captured the attention of her many audiences and educated the world.
Thanks for all you’ve done, Pig. Rest in peace.
Pam, outreach volunteer:
Pignoli … I’ve watched her for years and this year was the first time I got to handle her (on a falconer’s glove). I found it really complicated to learn to handle raptors on a glove and Pignoli helped me by being patient and not too cranky with me when I did things wrong. I so clearly remember how transcendent the experience was when I successfully got her on the glove and she looked up at my face. I’m pretty sure she was thinking “It’s ok Pam - I’ve got you - we’ll get through this." She was so, so beautiful and had such a sweet and funny personality. Gosh, I’m going to miss her!
Jackie, Pignoli fan:
Pignoli was one of my favorites, from the first moment I visited the Wildlife Center and saw her. She was small, fluffy, and brown with that head cocked just-so. Cool chick. What was not to love?
A few years ago, I visited the Center to give seated massages to the staff. As a "thank you" one of the rehabbers went and got Pig from her cage so that I could see her up close. They brought her into the front lobby and she sat there on the rehabber’s gloved hand. To be so up-close to an owl is an amazing thing. And, Pignoli just sat there. Completely still. Oblivious to me. Then after a minute or so she reared back, opened her beak, and hocked up an owl pellet right at my feet. A gift from Pignoli!
My cats hock up hairballs all the time … and I grumble at them as I clean them up. But, this was different. "Can I keep it?" I asked Randy. "Umm, I guess so."
I still have it. It is one of the coolest things anyone has ever given me.
Amanda, director of outreach:
Pignoli was our "go to" bird. Sure, she appeared in hundreds of school assembly programs, on-site field trips, and open houses, but she also often accompanied many staff members and trained volunteers to hundreds of "atypical" events. Pignoli’s easy-going nature and small size made her a regular choice when we wanted to make a quick appearance with a bird.
"I need to take a bird to an early morning rotary club meeting. I’ll take Pignoli." "I need to drop by Panera to do a quick photo shoot and pick up our donation check. I’ll just grab Pignoli!" "I’m attending a grant awards ceremony and should take a bird. I’ll take Pignoli — I can just tuck her under my chair!"
Sometimes, this meant she’d come home with a staff member — if we were out late on a program, or prepping for an early morning. More than once, I’ve greeted my husband at home with, "Hey, FYI — Pignoli’s in the guest room." Sometimes, late at night or early in the morning, we’d hear her make her soft tremolo call. This trill is used by pairs or families for keeping in touch. I like to think of it as her way of saying, "Hey, I’m here … are you there?"
We’re here, Pignoli. Your family misses you.