Like most people I have a soft spot for animals. Show me a picture of a cute puppy or kitten and I am done in. Get me near a bird and this big dude turns to mush.

Like humans, animals can also be faced with adjusting to life with a disability. They may need medical care and rehabilitation at first, a friendlier and more forgiving environment at second, and a bit more understanding from those around them at last. It is amazing, the similarities between the needs of so vastly different living things.

In either case, animal or human, the worth and the beauty of the individual is apparent if you only choose to see it.

The birds in these images all have disabilities of a permanent nature. Enjoy the pictures.

	Sail Peregrine Falcon Lost use of wing	Kirby Barn Owl *Imprinted
	Shortie Short Eared Owl Unable to fly	Annie Alaskan Bald Eagle Unable to lift off
	Lady Byron Turkey Vulture Struck by vehicle	Morgan Harris Hawk Imprinted
	Fiona Gyrfalcon Lost an eye	Strix Barred Owl Struck by vehicle
Photographs by Kara Landsman    Courtesy of the Hudson Valley Raptor Center.
* Imprinted- A bird that has been exposed to humans and no longer has the skills to survive in its natural environment.