Raptor Fest 2010 -- Part 2

Some of the educational exhibits at Raptor Fest:

There were plenty of replica raptor skulls and talons. Mikro is holding bald eagle and golden eagle talons below (Golden eagle's are bigger). And this is what a redtailed hawk's skull looks like.



Owl pellet dissection was really interesting. Our pellet had a vole skull, a mouse skull, and a rat skull, as well as lots of smaller bones. Last time we did this project at home, Mikro didn't want to get his hands dirty and I wound up doing most of the work. This time he dove right in and really got into it. I'm not sure if that was because he's older, less easily grossed out, or because, having watched The Owl Box webcam, and seen Molly the Barn Owl hack up pellets, it was more intriguing to him...



We learned about different types of feathers and their purposes.





And we reviewed the science behind flight and looked at the differences in types of raptors.




I have to edit down videos before I can post them, and my back is really bad right now, so I'm hoping to get to it tomorrow... Being on my feet too much two days in a row, in the damp, has made my arthritis sit up and take notice...

Raptor Fest 2010 -- Part 1

Yesterday was the NYC Urban Park Rangers' annual Raptor Fest in Central Park, featuring birds of prey and trainers from the Hawk Creek Wildlife Center.

They had a static display area where rangers were showing off birds to the public and talking about each species, as well as three shows where the falconers actually flew many of the birds. Not without incident, as a territorial wild redtailed hawk decided to get involved and spooked a couple of the birds...

There were also informational booths with educational displays and an owl pellet dissection station.

Mikro had a great time!

First we visit the static display area.




Eastern Screech Owl:


Eurasian Eagle Owl:


Barn Owl:


Saw Whet Owl:


Spectacled Owl:
(Native to the rainforests of South America.)



Harris Hawk:


African Auger Buzzard (closely related to our red tailed hawk):


Ferruginous Hawk:




Gyrfalcon:




Peregrine Falcon:



Saeker Falcon:




Turkey Vulture, aptly named "Barf":




The majestic Golden Eagle. This one, named Canyon, was hit by an airplane, and is not able to fly. Sadly, he can never be released back into the wild. But what a beautiful creature!







This is getting to be a huge post. Guess I'm going to have to split it up. Kev and Mikro are rushing me out the door. Some photos of the educational booths and flight shows when I get back...

Raptor Rapture

Watch a bald eagle nest cam! Liberty and Justice's eggs are a tad overdue for hatching.

Watch a barn owl nest cam! Molly and McGee have 5 viable eggs. Three have hatched already, and you can watch Molly feeding her brood.

These are just amazing, and it is funny to see how many comments are from homeschoolers! I've seen links to the MollyCam on lots of homeschool lists and blogs, too.

Mikro really enjoyed watching Molly cough up a pellet, preen herself, and feed her owlets. I'm hoping we'll get a glimpse of McGee later tonight... And maybe get to watch a hatching.

Hudson River Eagle Fest 2010

On Saturday, we enjoyed three live bird of prey shows, lectures, crafts, and seeing friends at Teatown Lake Reservation's annual Eagle Fest at Croton Point Park. This is one of my favorite events of the year, much anticipated, and always hugely fun and educational.

We missed the birdwalk (Kev worked ridiculously late the night before, and the walk was really really early, so we opted to skip it this year...), but we did scan the treetops for birds. Lots of songbirds and waterfowl, but no eagles, though some had been sighted earlier.

We started off our day at Van Cortlandt Manor, which hosts fun eagle-related craft activities for kids and adults. Mikro helped fold an origami crane, painted a bookmark, and made a couple of holes in a tin punch eagle design, then punted to Dad, who finished the job.




Next, we headed to Croton Point Park for the main Eagle Fest events. First, we wandered the main tent, where there were exhibitors, vendors, and crafts, games and educational exhibits.



We saw Bill Streeter of the Delaware Valley Raptor Center, Hope Douglas of Wind Over Wings, and Jim Eyring of Pace University and their amazing birds of prey. Here are some of the fascinating creatures we learned about:

















Mikro's favorite was the American Kestrel. I find it impossible to choose just one.





Fun stuff:

Raptor "cootie catcher" or "fortune teller" for kids from Wind Over Wings And check out the rest of their kid's page, too!

Teacher's Page at Delaware Valley Raptor Center

DVRC Kid's Page