Sometimes our friends are really different!!!!!

This week was really great because of an opportunity not many people get.  I've been volunteering up at The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Pray since 2005.  It was a chance meeting.  In January 2001 I took a new job in Boise, Idaho.  Deb stayed back in Wisconsin with the kids so Erin, our oldest, could finish high school there.  I drove out, and moved into an apartment, and if anyone has experienced that you know the place is about as boring as can be.

The first weekend, determined to not spend the two days staring at a TV and bare walls, I spent Friday night searching the web for some place to go on Saturday.  Found the Birds of Prey Center and so after breakfast went up to see what it had to offer.  I got there about 10:30am.  After a very short four and a half hours I decided there wasn't much more I could see and headed out for lunch at 3:00pm.  One thing was apparent--when I retired I was going to volunteer to serve up there.  So, in 2005 I filled out the volunteer form and started. 

The hardest part of being a volunteer was getting in two years of service so I could begin training to handle the educational birds, and show them to the public.  That first day was filled with concern of doing everything just right, not frightening the bird, and being able to focus on his care and handling while talking to the Interpretive Center visitors.  It was also filled with considerable excitement having a wild raptor on a glove no more than six to eight inches from my face.  To be that close the very first time is an undescribable feeling.  It doesn't compare to holding your new born child the first time, but it definitely has to be the next closest thing.

The first raptor with which I worked was a male Peregrine Falcon named Jess.  Jess was born at the center and had bad eye sight so was kept as an educational bird rather than release him to the wild and have him die because he couldn't catch prey.  That's Jess to the right (no not the bald one).  The photo was taken this week and is one of the reasons I started this particular blog.  I wanted to share with all of you some of what I experienced.  

It was spring break, so one of the programs we added was to have a bird on display, along with lots of art supplies so young people (three to sixty+) could come up to the Center and draw/sketch the birds and learn about them.  Jess is sixteen now.  He has been quite the Raptor Ambassador of these years.  I still get just as excited when I show him as I did the very first time.  Through the work of The Peregrine fund over 4000 birds were released to the wild, and in 1999 the peregrine was taken off the endangered species list. 

The Center has over 20 educational birds which the public can see and learn about.  During the day there are six scheduled live bird presentations for the visitors to see.  Additionally, during warmer weather two or three birds are often placed on perches in our courtyard for visitors to see and photograph.  Our volunteers work as bird sitters during these sessions and are available to answer questions from the public. 

This week I had the opportunity to bird sit in the art program on three different afternoons.  What a lot of fun being with the birds and being afforded the chance to share with the public a little information about these great creatures.

 This is an American Kestrel.  His name is Bob and he's about four years old.  He was initially taken to a rehab center, but because of the time spent there he became an imprinted bird and could not be released back to the wild. 

Bob is the smallest of the falcon family and though he can catch birds the size of sparrows often feeds on grasshoppers and crickets as well.  Frequently you will see these birds on telephone lines along the road where there is an adjacent field which offers lots of feeding opportunities. 

Falcons as a family typically prey on other birds, and are some of the fastest fliers in the raptor community.  They have exceptional eyesight, and often can spot prey at considerable distance.  Additionally, you will find most of the falcons also either have an all black colored head or at least have a black stipe of feathers crossing the eye vertically or horizontally.

Another falcon we have as an educational bird, and one of the prettiest ones coloring wise is the Teita Falcon.  It is also found spelled Taita.  Our falcon, Minnie is a three year old imprinted bird.  They are one of the rarest falcons in the world and found in eastern Africa.  They typically nest near areas with high cliffs and their favorite prey is the chimney swift, one of the fastest flying birds in the world. 

As a result, they must fly even faster in order to catch their prey.  They will climb up to higher altitudes and then when prey is spotted will dive at the prey to catch it.  It has been estimated they can dive at speeds of 170 to 180 miles per hour.  She has a beautiful fawn colored breast, the typical dark markings around the eyes and head, and the tubercle or cartilage in the nostril.  Because they dive at such high speeds they can "pop" the tubercle up to close off the nostril and reduce the high speed wind entry into their lungs.  And, as with all the raptors, has large eyes, talons and a hooked beak for tearing the prey for consumption. 

Another falcon with which I was able to work this week was the Aplomado Falcon.  Ours, Stella is an eleven year old bird born at the World Center for Birds of Prey.  We are now raising these and releasing them to the wild as we did with the Peregrines. 

The Aplomado had disappeared from the United States about 1952.  We were fortunate to obtain several breeding pairs from the Yucatan Peninsula by agreement with the Mexican government.  We've been releasing them in Texas and New Mexico along the South Coast and Rio Grande Valley where their habitat used to be. 

The Aplomado is unusual in that the pairs hunt together to team-up and catch prey.  One often will work lower while the other works higher and they use a deception and attack approach to catching their prey.  You can see she has the same dark coloring around the eye.

 























I've included these last two photos of Stella since they show a couple of things about the birds when they get comfortable with their surroundings.  There was another bird presentation going on at the time and we had no one in the art area.  Stella was settling down to the point she began to get comfortable and doze off.  In the left photo you will note she is standing on only her right leg.  This is common and the other one is pulled up in her chest feathers.  You can see she's also closed the "nictitating membrane" (her third eyelid) on her left eye and is just peeking out of her right eye to see if I'm still there.  The right hand photo is after she got really comfy and tucked her beak down and has the eye completely closed.  This third eyelid is opaque, and although not transparent as in the sense of a clear pane, still allows some shadows to show through, and most importantly protects the eye when they are attacking prey.  It also is used to wet the eye when flying as we would when we blink with our eyes. 

Finally, we are back to our original raptor Jess.  Peregrines are the fastest animal on the planet.  We often ask visitors which animal is fastest, and the most common response is the cheetah.  Cheetahs have a top speed of about 70 mph.  One peregrine was actually "clocked" at 242 mph in a dive on prey.  Of course, they too have the tubercle to protect their lungs from the high speed wind. 

Jess is a truly great Raptor Ambassador and has been with us for considerable time.  When on display on the glove he is often vocal with the "ker-chuk" sound they are known for.  A great bird, my privilege to show, and one with which I wanted to share with you as to why my week was so very special.  Thanks for hanging in there while I rambled.  VR. Mags.






For Jack, who was with us for many years.  A very special Raptor!