Raptors. I love them. Not only their grace and beauty, but the incredible stories that surround their lives. Birds of prey not only survive on their instincts but they must learn to hunt during their fledgling year through trial and error. And that is only one of many fascinating details that make learning about birds of prey so intriguing.
Bales, a nature interpreter with Ijams Nature Center and author of two books, is also the coordinator of Knoxville's county wide Walk-Abouts sponsored by Ijams Nature Center and designed to help people get better acquainted with the nature that can be enjoyed in our city and county parks. The possibilities for raptor species include American kestrels, wintering northern harriers, ospreys just returning from migration, bald eagles and nesting red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks.
Links and Resources:
Top image: Red-tailed hawk; second: Stephen Lyn Bales holding a non-releasable Red-tailed hawk at Ijams Nature Center.
Top image: Red-tailed hawk; second: Stephen Lyn Bales holding a non-releasable Red-tailed hawk at Ijams Nature Center.
More information about Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge in this blog: TN Conservationist and Bird Banding
Visit Stephen Lyn Bales at Nature Calling. There you will also find information about his books, Natural Histories--Stories of the Tennessee Valley, and Ghost Birds.
Other links you may enjoy: Ijams Nature Center and Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge
Oh how much fun this event is going to be and you already know what I think of Raptors. Having had a federal permit and then keeping up with the Red-Shoulderd pair for a decade...I love them as well. Wish this was happening nearer to me...have fun~
ReplyDeleteFascinating. I really admire your work. Here in India we get a good share of raptors, when a lot of the great eagles move to warmer climes in the northern hemisphere. There are also a few resident eagles -- such as the Tawny Eagle -- and a variety of forest eagles such as the Indian Black Eagle, the Crested Serpent Eagle and the Changeable Hawk-Eagle.
ReplyDelete