Today I learned about raptors from a person named Zack. Zack works for an organization to help raptors. They help injured animals heal and let them out again. The birds have to stay in the organization if the wound is permanent. Raptors are birds that have big talons and curved beaks. A few examples of raptors would be Bald Eagles, Golden Eagle, and  Red Tailed Hawks etc. Raptor rely on their sharp claws to come down and catch their prey. All raptors are carnivores meaning they eat only meat, you won’t see a Bald Eagle eating broccoli or onions! There is another kind or raptor called scavengers. Vultures are scavengers, and scavengers do not hunt for their food but they eat the remains of animals others have killed. Example: Bald Eagle kills Rabbit and leaves half of it in the forest, the Vulture will come and eat the remains.

Today we met two owls, named Cricket and Bob. Cricket is a Boobook owl. When she was an owlet she was taken to an organization that studies birds and she was held there for a while. Later on that organization gave her to another organization called “Owls” (organization where Zack works). ‘Owls’ took her in and helped her become a mature owl. Sadly Cricket is one of those birds ‘Owl’ has to keep. The reason they had to keep her is because she adapted to human the life style, and not because she has a permanent injury or is not grown. Zack said that she had her own bath and everything. If you sent her out in the wild she will not catch anything to eat and will probably get eaten. She also has her own “territory” warmed up because she doesn’t like the cold.

We also met a bird named Bob. I didn’t catch the name of the species Bob is but I know how he got wounded. Bob is blind in his right eye. He got blinded in a car accident, Bob was looking for food (Mice/Rats) and saw them on the road. Mice and Rats are attracted to garbage or stuff that we might compost. Bob came up to the Mice/Rats and then a car came and hit Bob. How you can tell the bird is blind? I learnt that the way to tell or check if the animal is blind is by waving your hand over the birds eye to see if they would blink or not. In Bob’s case, his right eye was shrunken inside the head, and if you wave your hand over Bob’s right eye he won’t blink either.

Another thing we learnt is to tell the difference between baby birds and mature ones. We all can tell the difference by looking at the feathers. As an example, a Baby Bald Eagles will have fluffy and poofy feathers and the feather colour is brown, whereas, a grown up bald eagle will have straight feathers which are darker in colour and longer in size.

Fun Facts!😁

Did you know owls can turn their head two hundred sixty degrees(260). If you already did not know a whole circle is three hundred sixty degrees(360), so that is only one hundred(100) degrees off! Did you know a mature Bald Eagle can be up to seven(7) feet also known as eighty-four(84) inches! Some raptors such as the Grey owl camouflage into it’s habitat!

Did you know the egg of a Snowy Owl is as big as the top of a of an adults pinky finger, although in two months the owls will be big and mature.

Thank you for reading!🦉

 

-Kashvi Mehta