Raptors

(and a Roadrunner)

In a November 2002 visit to The Arizona Desert Museum in Tucson we had the good fortune to view a raptor free flight demonstration over the desert. These birds, trained to fly free and return to their handlers, had been rescued from injuries or early abandonment. They would not be able to forage and survive on their own in the wild. A roadrunner, while not a raptor, was trained and shown by the raptor free flight program.
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Barn Owl (1) Barn Owl (2) Barn Owl (3) Barn Owl (4)
A Barn Owl

Ferruginous Hawk (1) Ferruginous Hawk (2) Road Runner Screech Owl
A Ferruginous Hawk, in free flight,
still in training: note tether thongs.
Roadrunner Screech Owl

A Cooper's Hawk (below), a wild bird in Saguaro National Park, was perched about 40 feet up on the Saguaro. I took this photo about 30 feet from the base of the cactus. When I approached closer the hawk abruptly departed. We watched its circle and soar as it flew several miles.
Coopers Hawk

Red-tailed hawk (1) Red-tailed hawk (2) Red-tailed hawk (3) Red-tailed hawk (4)
Red-tailed Hawks - Central California
Red-tailed hawk (5) Red-tailed hawk (6) Red-tailed hawk (7) Red-tailed hawk (8)
Hawk-enforced? Time to go!

We looked out to our back garden one morning to see this juvenile sharp-shinned hawk messily dismantling a bird for her breakfast. Typically a hawk will take its meal away to consume it. This one stayed for 45 minutes or more before flying away with the carcass (leaving the feathers for our cats to explore later).
Sharp-shinned Hawk Sharp-shinned Hawk

Copyright © 2007 Bob Shomler. Please see the Copyright page.
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