Return to People behind the Eagles Profile of Tom Ricardi Back in the 1940s, when other kids were collecting baseball cards or poring over the latest statistics, Tom Ricardi had a different obsession: birds. Ricardi, 65, raised carrier pigeons in his hometown of Worcester, Mass., starting when he was about 13. That initial interest lead to a lifelong career in wildlife law enforcement and education, and a vocation helping injured raptors recover, return to the wild, or live out their lives in comfort in captivity. Today, Ricardi is caring for more than a dozen varieties of raptors, including owls, hawks and falcons, and breeding bald eagles in captivity so their chicks can be released into the wild. Ricardi, who operates the non-profit Massachusetts Bird of Prey Rehabilitation Center in Conway, Mass., supplied three bald eagle chicks to the Vermont Bald Eagle Restoration Initiative in 2005, and two more in 2005. "It's rewarding," says Ricardi, who retired from the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2001. "When I went to Vermont and saw those birds being hauled up to the hack tower, it was a great feeling." Ricardi, who has turned much of his property in Conway over to a sprawling, well-kept series of aviaries, lives with his wife, Annette. Their yard is filled with dozens of birds, including eagles from Africa, owls from New England, a golden eagle and five bald eagles, including one breeding pair. "Sometimes it's pretty hectic - just the feeding alone!" Ricardi says. Ricardi does most of the work himself, feeding, cleaning cages, collecting sticks for the birds to build nests, and bringing birds to local schools for educational talks. "There are a lot of rules and regulations, and it is quite a bit of work, but I love it," Ricardi says. "The best thing is, when I go to a school, I usually get letters back from the kids. That's exciting, especially when I go to a school in a big city. A lot of the kids have never been in contact with wildlife at all, let alone a bald eagle. I love to share this with the kids." Terms of Use - Copyright 2007 Central Vermont Public Service Copyright photos CVPS, Floyd Scholz U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife Web related issues || Site developed by Interactive Media Advertising