My friend, Teresa, gave my husband & I a
special treat the autumn of 2000 and took us to visit her longtime
friend, Janie. Janie runs
The Raptor
Chapter, an organization that not only
educates others about raptors (birds of prey), but also
rehabilitates injured birds. We got a tour of her facility, a real
highlight for the end of the summer. I thought I would share the
pictures we took that day.
Janie has quite a few birds at her facility.
Some of the breeds she cares for include Bald Eagles, Red Tailed
Hawks, Golden Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Great Horned Owls, Barn
Owls, Screech Owls and many others. Janie is holding the female
Kestrel in one photo, want to hear what one sounds like? We
recorded the female's call with our Kodak DC265 digital camera
during our tour, click
here to hear it.
We didn't take a lot of pictures the day of
our tour, the birds were restless and Janie didn't want them
injuring themselves. The Bald Eagles were by far the most awesome
birds I have ever seen. They have a wingspan of about seven feet.
This is my favorite picture that was taken that day though, my
husband took it. I am holding a male Kestrel, the smallest falcon in
the US. This bird is the only other bird besides the hummingbird,
that can hover in mid-air. This one weighed just a few ounces, but
his talons were sharp!
