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What is Uplift?
Uplift is a community naming project that celebrates the people who make a lasting difference close to home. At Save Our Seabirds, every ambassador bird carries a story — and through this initiative, we honor those whose stories inspire, support, and strengthen others by sharing their name with an incoming resident bird. Just as these birds depend on the lift of the wind to stay aloft, we depend on the lift of good people to keep us soaring.
Our Emblem
The chimney swift is a powerful symbol of community and connection. These small birds spend nearly their entire lives in flight, moving together in graceful, synchronized swarms that depend on shared air currents—literally lifted by one another. Once forest dwellers, they adapted to living alongside people, nesting in chimneys and thriving in the spaces we create together. They represent unity, resilience, and the beauty of collective strength—an emblem of how we rise higher when we lift each other.
Current Naming Opportunity
Species: Red-Shouldered Hawk
Reason for Residency: Imprinted
What We Are Looking For: Because this hawk imprinted on people, it reflects how connection leaves an impression that lasts. Naming this bird after someone who has guided or shaped others feels fitting — a tribute to those whose influence helps others find their place in the world, even when their path takes a different form.
To Be Considered: Complete the form below by 5:00pm on November 20, 2025.
We invite Sarasota-area residents to nominate someone whose spirit or story resonates with this bird’s journey. Nominees must have made a meaningful contribution within the Sarasota community — we’re celebrating those whose impact takes flight close to home.
Please review form for more details. Questions? Email lisa@saveourseabirds.org
Uplift Honorees
Leopold
Species: Crested Caracara
Reason for Residency: Impaired flight
Community Inspiration: Leopold Kissling
Leopold “Leo” Kissling has been a quiet force behind Save Our Seabirds — steady, sharp, and endlessly resourceful. It’s only fitting that our crested caracara carries his name. Like Leo, caracaras are clever opportunists: they know when to wait, when to strike, and how to make the most of what’s in front of them. They stride forward with purpose, scanning the landscape for what others overlook, solving problems with patience and grit.
This particular caracara sustained a wing injury that prevents him from flying, yet he remains inquisitive and full of energy — bounding up and down his perches with the same determination Leo brings to every challenge. Both embody a grounded kind of resilience: finding ways to move, adapt, and thrive even when the wind changes.
Beyond keeping our campus standing tall, Leo volunteers on our rescue team, answering calls to help injured birds in need. He also serves on the local turtle watch, rising before dawn to ensure hatchlings safely reach the sea and marking nests along the shore. His work, like the caracara’s flight, is grounded yet far-reaching — a quiet current of persistence and care that keeps life moving forward.
Check Back for More!
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