I am a poster child for the wonders of educational outreach programs. My life was completely changed during an hour-long Birds of Prey program, very similar to those presented here at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Even though I don’t remember much of what was taught that day, I can remember watching in […]
How Northern Harriers are Similar to Owls A Northern Harrier flies low over the grasslands with a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds following it. Commonly mobbed by blackbirds, sparrows, starlings, swallows, kestrels, Short-eared Owls, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and other birds, the raptor decides the annoying harassers are too swift and maneuverable to put out the effort of […]
It’s summer, and you think you may have heard the scream of a Red-tailed Hawk. You look up, and see a bird with a contrasting two-toned underside consisting of dark flight feathers and paler underwing coverts. You are pleased, maybe even surprised, to see a Swainson’s Hawk -a raptor that resides in the western part […]
Within our natural world we are surrounded by amazing facts of life. In this blog I have presented 10 remarkable facts on the lifestyles of birds of prey and vultures. 1) Harpy Eagles are one of the world’s largest and strongest eagles. According to the Peregrine fund, their hallux (a raptor’s back talon) averages 3 […]
As I looked out my window I spot an uninvited guest arriving. It settles on a branch near one of my sunflower feeders and begins looking around. A little larger than a robin, but smaller than a crow, this hawk did not come for the seeds. Visitors to the Draper Museum Raptor Experience https://centerofthewest.org/explore/greater-yellowstone-natural-history/raptor-experience will […]
For many people, owls are a favorite bird. One of the most common owls in the United States is the small Screech-owl. There are currently three species of Screech-owl found in the United States – Eastern, Western, and Whiskered. At one time the Western and Eastern Screech-owls were considered the same species as they are […]