Wounded Warriors is a photographic portraiture series by Leila Jeffreys, created at the Ojai Raptor Center in California, a sanctuary dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of injured birds of prey. Each intimate portrait in the series captures a raptor with a story of survival, resilience, and hope. The centre employs extraordinary methods to support recovery, including imping, an ancient and highly skilled process where flight feathers from deceased birds are carefully stored in a feather bank and later grafted onto injured birds. These temporary feathers allow birds to fly and survive in the wild until their own feathers naturally regrow and replace the impinged ones. Jeffreys’ work pays tribute to the care, precision and compassion behind each recovery, honouring both the birds and those who work tirelessly to return them to the sky.
