We’d like to start off the month highlighting a KEY member of our team, Taylor Spiliotis, Facilities & Safety Coordinator at the Los Angeles Wildlife Center.
Taylor has worked as everything from professional trumpet player to general handyman, to manufacturing fishing rod blanks and biological field equipment. At Orange Coast College, he studied coastal oceanography of the Southern California bight.
How did he get started at Bird Rescue? Well, he only lives a few blocks away from the Los Angeles Wildlife Center. His curiosity grew each time he passed the center, wondering what was going on inside. After researching Bird Rescue, he was interested in what seemed like good-hearted and engaging work. Once the job opened up, he was quick to apply.
His favorite thing about working at Bird Rescue has been getting to know and be a part of such a dedicated team. The series of response events during summer and fall of 2021 demonstrated the team’s remarkable ability to find solutions, even under demanding circumstances and without a great wealth of resources. A close second favorite was his important role in the Long Beach Harbor Tern Response, from designing and constructing the haul-outs to 12-14 hour days in the field near a nesting tern colony.
As far as favorite birds, cormorants catch his eye. “They’re very impressive to watch underwater. I think they are some of the cutest hatchlings.”
Outside of work, he is interested in Los Angeles area history, whether it be natural history or history of public works. Most recently, he took a field trip to San Francisquito Canyon and the site of the St. Francis Dam disaster.
Thank you, Taylor, for your amazing work, we are so fortunate to have you on our team.