LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Lee Payne Jr. stood in section 10 of Cave Hill Cemetery and focused his camera on a red-tailed hawk perched in an evergreen tree, about seven weeks old. 

What You Need To Know

  • Lee Payne Jr. is the security and customer service manager and the wildlife specialist at Cave Hill Cemetery 

  • He’s worked at the cemetery for six years

  • Payne often shares photos of wildlife online with the public

  • He’s captured photos of owls, otters, foxes and deer, among other animals 

“His plumage is growing very well,” he said, after snapping a photo. “They’re ready to take off at any day now.”

The hawks are one of more than 170 species of birds at the cemetery, where Payne works as security and customer service manager, chaplain, spokesperson and wildlife specialist.

"When I was a child, I’ve always loved animals,” he said. “They just come to me, no matter where I’m at.” 

In fact, Payne is the reason why many of the birds he tracks and photographs are there. 

"All of our geese and ducks, I have hatched,” he said. “I have a hatchery here. I have six incubators.”

Payne paid a visit to John, an Australian black swan in the cemetery’s main lake. 

“We’ve got two beautiful Australian black swans named John and Petunia and they are just a beautiful couple, and they love me,” he said. “They know my voice. When I start talking, they start chirping with me.”

Payne often shares photos and videos of the animals with the public, from great horned owls to wild turkeys to river otters. 

 

He follows a family of red foxes from den to den through cameras placed on the property. 

“I’m watching everything that’s happening,” he said. “I’m watching what they eat. I know all the food that she’s bringing … I’ve been following their diet for six years.”

Erin James, the environmental educator for the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District, met Payne while she was out birding. 

“I was looking for owls at a park nearby and he sort of roamed by and knew exactly where they were and I thought immediately … I’ve got to find a way to be friends with this guy,” she said. "Any conservation work is first and foremost about the well-being of the people in our community and Lee has the ability to invite people into the conversation in a way that … not only makes them feel wanted, but needed."

After six years at Cave Hill, Payne is still discovering animals he wants to share with others. 

“Who wouldn’t like to wake up in the morning and say, you know, ‘What’s the next animal today?’ You know, I wake up and I ask myself, ‘What’s next?’” 

As a chaplain, he's often present for funeral services at the cemetery. 

His hope is that families on their toughest days can find some peace there. 

"I believe in peace and a peace of mind,” he said. “People believe in souls, and these animals, I have seen with our animals, how they have changed a person’s day ... Just for a moment, took their mind off of the deceased and gave them peace and ease and calm and joy, just from seeing an animal."