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Every Vulture Deserves a Party

by

Some of you might not be aware that Suli, the Raptor Experience’s turkey vulture, turned three earlier this month. Just like every three-year-old in America, we felt she needed to have a birthday party to mark this milestone and we wanted it to be a BIG deal. So for weeks, we planned, built, tested, and schemed to come up with a party fit for a vulture of Suli’s discerning tastes. Not to toot our own horns, but I think we succeeded. . .

Of course there had to be lots of presents…

Suli the turkey vluture standing among all her presents.
Suli with her pile of presents!
Turkey vulture amidst her presents.
Somebody made out like a bandit!

And what three-year-old’s party is complete without activities…?

Woman painting a peregrine falcon on a child's face.
UW intern, Nicole, is an amazing artist and we put her to work painting faces.
Close up of face painting.
What an amazing job she did!
Kids creating their own vulture mobiles.
Kids were able to create their own vulture mobiles!
Bird feeder filled with turkey vulture feathers.
You could even take a guess at how many of Suli’s feathers were inside the bird feeder. The answer was 872!

Educational demonstrations were a must as well…

Man with a vomiting vulture cut-out.
Sam helped demonstrate the turkey vulture’s defense: vomiting!
Crowd gathered around woman with peregrine falcon.
Lisa and Hayabusa were teaching guests about peregrine falcons.
Red-tailed hawk and handler.
Edlyn and Isham were another big hit.
Woman holding golden eagle.
LaDaun with Kateri, who was another big crowd pleaser.

Suli’s favorite part of the party had to be the cake…

Turkey vulture with her "birthday cake."
Suli with her cake made of pieces of trout, venison, and mice frozen in layers of colored water.
Turkey vulture with her cake.
“No, I’m not sharing!”

Of course, the whole thing couldn’t have happened without the hard work of the staff and volunteers of the Raptor Experience…

Staff & volunteers of The Raptor Experience
The Amazing crew that made the birthday party a success!

We hope to see you next year for Suli’s 4th Birthday party!!!

About Melissa Hill

While earning her Bachelor's Degree in Wildlife Management at the University of Wyoming, Melissa began volunteering at Laramie Raptor Refuge and was instantly hooked on birds of prey.

Since those early days, she has worked with nearly 70 different raptors at four different raptor education groups in three states. She is a former member of the Education Committee for the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE) and a National Association for Interpretation's Certified Interpretive Guide.

When she's not "playing with the birds" she enjoys spending time quilting, crocheting, and exploring the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with her non-bird family.

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