Meet the Serial Bird Rescuer of Kensington

KENSINGTON, BROOKLYN — Local photographer Antonio M. Rosario is making a name for himself this summer as the serial bird rescuer of Kensington, Brooklyn.

First, on June 22, Rosario "herded a sickly Canada goose off Ocean Parkway and protected him from traffic for more than half and hour... saving the bird from certain death," according to Brooklyn Paper.

Then, in the second week of August, Rosario again swooped to the rescue of a distressed and dehydrated kestrel — a rare bird of prey — found stumbling along the sidewalk of Coney Island Avenue.

Here's what happened, in the rescuer's own words:

I found this little guy while I was shooting a story for BRIC on Coney Island Avenue(in#Brooklyn) trying to walk / fly into a store. Almost got stepped on by a little kid and his mom. Again, no one around was helping. At first I thought it was a parrot but then I realized it wasn't green. Once I saw it trying to fly I knew it was a bird of prey. Eventually I caught it before it flew into the street. He was panting a lot because it was fifteen hundred degrees outside today! We tried to give it a little water but it didn't want any. Shirin (the BRIC producer I was with) and I got a cab to head over to Sean Casey Animal Rescue with the baby kestrel securely in my hand. When we got there one of the volunteers took the bird from me and I filled out some paperwork and waited for the wildlife expert to show up, someone who specializes in wild birds and helps introduce them back into the wild. She eventually show up and we told her that we named him Shahbaz after the cab driver who brought us there.

Shahbaz is the Persian name of a fabled bird. It is like an eagle, bigger than a hawk or falcon. Shahbaz literally means "royal falcon." Welcome to the world #Shahbaz. You are royalty indeed. I'm honored to have met you.

“At first I thought it was a pigeon, then I thought it was a parrot, and then my brain kicked in, and I realized, ‘Hey, he’s not green!'" Rosario told Brooklyn Paper in a heartwarming interview posted Tuesday to the paper's "Wild Brooklyn" vertical.

Read the full interview here. And check out more of Rosario's awesome photography — including some great street shots taken in the Kensington area — on his website and/or Instagram.

Lead photo via Antonio M. Rosario/Instagram