The Birds of Prey Centre opened for the season on July 1st (they usually open May 15). We had been to visit in the fall on their last day of the 2019 season, so we figured we should go for the first day of the new season.After 3 days straight of rain, we were super happy to have a sunny day.
First thing on the agenda was feeding the ducks at the pond. No, they are not birds of prey. We are aware.
Next was the first bird flying show of the day -- the Red Tailed Hawks. All the birds just chill out over the winter months, so this was the first day back out flying for shows and they were not the most cooperative. The trainer would go to where she wanted them to fly and take out a piece of meat. Then she would slowly takes steps toward the bird until she was close enough that the bird figured it was worth their trouble to fly.Birds of prey are sort of lazy -- it takes a lot of energy to fly, so they prefer to exert themselves as little as necessary.
YOu are in my old stomping grounds. Little known fact that my grandfather, your Uncle Lawrence had a Hawk when he was a teen. Trained and all! We have a photo with him and the hawk on his gloved arm. Loved your photos brought back all the memories.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that Lawrence had his own hawk as a teen. There must be lots of stories around that! And yes, Mary will be in your old stomping ground for one more year ... "working from home" and in her time off, exploring the coulies and mountains in southern Alberta.
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