Tim Snyder
Curator of Birds
Birmingham Zoo

I worked at Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Center in 1991 and 1992 as the Collection Curator. I came to join the staff by accident. I was aware of the Center’s great reputation in the bird world, so I made a point to stop for a visit on my way to an AZA Regional Conference and ended up staying almost two years.

My time there was the most fulfilling of my life. It provided me an opportunity to grow, both in avicultural knowledge and skill and in developing my management skills. The time allowed me to gain valuable experience that would have taken many years to gain at any other zoological facility.

The training at Sylvan Heights has provided opportunities for young aviculturalists to become Bird Curators at a number of the AZA institutions. The extent of knowledge that Mike Lubbock makes available through the Avian Husbandry and Management Program would be extremely valuable to those seeking advancement their profession.

Brad Hazelton
Curators of Birds
Fort Worth Zoo

I started my career as a keeper at the Fort Worth Zoo in 1990. My philosophy was that if I were going to be the best bird breeder in the world, I would have to learn from the best, which I heard from a colleague was Mike Lubbock. So, in 1992, I accepted a curator position at Sylvan Heights at half the annual salary I was making. Although I barely scraped by financially for the next year, I consider my decision to be the one of the best I ever made. The knowledge I gained from Mike’s experience gave me a huge head start in life and my career.

Mike’s knowledge goes well beyond just waterfowl, and he is able to teach you how to apply his techniques to other bird species. Zoos have a tendency to train all keepers to use mammal-keeping techniques and then try to apply that to birds. Unfortunately, that does not work well. To be an effective aviculturalist, a keeper has to "get into the mind of the bird" to figure out what triggers the breeding instinct. Mike trains many students in his avian program every year who go on to use these techniques in zoos or apply them to wild populations in peril.

If it had been up to me to discover some of the secrets of the bird world, it would have taken a lifetime - and I still would not figured out everything Mike taught me. I returned to the Fort Worth Zoo as a lead keeper, which is a supervisory position. In just seven years I was promoted to a curator position. In the zoo business, it is very rare to move from keeper to curator that fast without changing institutions. I would never have achieved this advancement without the time I spent at Sylvan Heights.

Editors' Note:

In November 2006, Brad was named the General Curator of the Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park & Eco-Center.

Chris Shupp
Keeper, Cypress Swamp
North Carolina Zoological Park

The NC Zoo sent me to Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Center for a two-week period in 2002 to learn the intricacies of caring for a waterfowl collection. Since taking the avian program, I have returned several more times as a volunteer. Every time I go to Sylvan Heights, I learn something new that allows me to do my job at the zoo better, such as incubation, hatching, rearing, sexing and countless other aspects of husbandry.

When you go to Sylvan Heights, it becomes obvious that the diversity of waterfowl throughout the globe must be preserved. I’ve never experienced anything close to the amazing collection there. Equally beneficial is the fountain of knowledge that flows forth from Mike, Ali, Nick and others. Anyone would benefit from an internship at Sylvan Heights.

Christian Newton
Keeper, African Aviary
Disney's Animal Kingdom

I was the Curator of Birds for several years at Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Center. The experience was an opportunity of a lifetime for me to help manage a collection of birds and turn into a profession what I once thought would only be a hobby.

I learned many things during my time there - honesty, responsibility, management skills and common sense in dealing with birds. The knowledge gained at Sylvan Heights has helped my future professionally by giving me a choice of doors to knock on.

James Ballance
Curator of Birds & Small Animals
Zoo Atlanta

I consider myself fortunate to have worked as curator at Sylvan Heights from 1985 through 1991. It was as intense and thorough a learning experience as any person could hope to have in the zoo world. Although Sylvan Heights concentrates on waterfowl, the bird collection is very diverse. This resulted in a training that has truly been the foundation of my career.

Sylvan Heights is at the center of waterfowl breeding and management in the U.S., both within the zoo world and the private sector. Zoos do not have the time or facilities to devote to the reproduction of waterfowl species. Sylvan Heights has enormously influenced the availability of waterfowl species in this country.

Over the last twenty years, the Lubbocks have opened their home to uncountable numbers of students, zoo staff, veterinarians, researchers and volunteers, all of them coming to immerse themselves in the world of waterfowl. All are greeted with hospitality and support. They have hosted conventions, seminars, and meetings; and they are involved with in situ conservation programs in other countries. Sylvan Heights is synonymous with waterfowl worldwide.