Rainsong Wildlife Sanctuary and Retreat
 Rainsong Wildlife Sanctuary

RARE BIRD RELEASE PROGRAM

Dr. Raymond Kray, Avian D.V.M., is a good friend of Rainsong, and has been working with endangered native bird species in Costa Rica for over 30 years.
He maintains a bird rescue center,
a reproduction program for endangered native bird species,
and an expansive collection of exotic peacocks, pheasants, doves, pigeons, and other beautiful birds from all around the world.
He sells the exotics that he raises, to fund his life’s mission…
laboring to save from extinction many of Costa Rica’s lesser known bird species.
His energy and dedication should be appreciated by all conservationists in Costa Rica and the world!
Amazingly, at 83 years old, he still maintains all his birds by himself !!!

If you know anyone who would like to acquire beautiful exotic birds, or donate to Dr. Kray’s project, please have them call him for an appointment:
Tel # 2487 8000
La Garita de Alajuela
(no email)

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Opportunity for Internship or Volunteer Commitment: 

If you or anyone you know loves tropical birds and would like an opportunity to learn from Dr. Kray’s lifelong experience caring for birds,
please contact mary at Rainsong to begin a screening process.
subject title of email: MARY- Dr.Kray’s project
Please do not call Dr. Kray until you have an appt. set up thru mary.
Prerequisites :
must be ~ (age 20’s thru 30’s);
responsible, serious, dedicated;
willing to work long days (7am til 5pm) with one day off per week (or work 14 on, then 2 days off);
a 6 month commitment is desired,
~ (help with visa renewals will be arranged);
( * for qualified applicants a shorter stay –even just one or two months - would be considered);
bed & board included in Dr. Kray’s home;
a modest compensation is possible after the 1st month.
You must be a passionate birdlover !!!
and hopefully have some background or experience in the care of birds.

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For many years Dr. Kray has been the attending D.V.M. for the Amigos de las Aves rescue center and Scarlet Macaw release project founded by
Margot (R.I.P., God bless your sweet soul !)
and Richard Frisius, decades ago.
This project is also in dire need of volunteers and funding.
www.hatchedtoflyfree.org
tel # 2441 2658

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Dr Kray's Alliance with Rainsong:

Dr. Kray has donated to Rainsong to date (May 2009) :
6 juvenile crested guans,
2 young crested guans,
2 mature breeding pairs of gray-headed chachalacas,
a group of 6 young gray-headed chachalacas,
a breeding pair of native wood partridges,
a breeding pair of native red-billed pigeons,
a breeding group of quail…
(and several other species are being prepared to be sent to Rainsong in the next few months).

Most of these birds are destined to be released on the Rainsong sanctuary, in breeding pairs.
Certain extremely rare bird species will be vital elements in Rainsong’s Reproduction for Re-introduction Programs...
(the guans, wood partridges, & red-billed pigeons, for example).
Their offspring will be released in genetically diverse breeding groups, on the Sanctuary.

Wood PartridgeWood Partridge

The crested guan has been extinct (due to heavy poaching) in our area for over 40 years.
Rainsong’s release of this species is a pioneering landmark in re-introduction in Costa Rica.
Our next scheduled release of the crested guan will be in late june, 2009.
GuanCrested Guan

The plain chachalaca has been gone in our area for a VERY LONG TIME !!!
It is so rare in Costa Rica, Dr.Kray has never even seen one! altho he has organized and lead several expeditions in search of this very rare and special bird, in his younger years.

The red-billed pigeon once was numerous in our region.  In the last few decades its population has dropped drastically, and sightings are rare now.

Red billed pigeonRed-Billed Pigeon

The gray-headed chachalaca (a small tree-dweller similar to a wild turkey) has been gone from our area for decades (also killed off by poaching), but just in the last year we at Rainsong have been sighting pairs of the gray-headed chachalacas around and about on the sanctuary.
They are moving back into our region.
The chachalacas that we release will be vital in widening the genetic pool of the local ones moving back in, since the released ones originate from the central valley area.
Excellent genetic diversity !!!

Dr. Kray has also donated to Rainsong many exotic birds from all over the world !!!
1 pair of Silver Pheasants;
3 Lady Amherst Pheasants;
a Silky Bantam hen;
many various species of doves and pigeons from Russia, China, Japan, Europe, …
we got our blue peacocks from him, too ( purchased).

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Exciting new Conservation Education project:

Recently, Dr. Kray helped Rainsong acquire a state-of-the-art incubator (with automatic rollers for the turning of the eggs, and a viewer) for Rainsong’s Conservation Education Programs.
We will be beginning this project with the schoolchildren in the kindergarten class of Dinia Villalobos Varoano in the Cobano Elementary School Carmen Lyra in the next week.
The children are supremely excited for this chance to observe the miracle of the life process as it unfolds !
This is a very special project and we are very grateful to Dr. Kray for his help in making it happen !

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We hope that all bird lovers all over the world will be inspired by Dr. Kray’s endless labors of love for the ‘unloved’ (or lesser known) tropical bird species of Costa Rica !!!

Dr Raymond Kray
Dr Raymond Krays contact details

Beaches of Cabuya Photo Collage
Copyright 2005 by Rainsong Wildlife Sanctuary All Rights Reserved