I have just had friends visiting from Michigan (the Upper Peninsula with all of its snow!) for a few days, and our Tucson weather has been bright and sunny, in the high 70’s. (78° as I type.)
Sunday took them to the Desert Museum
(www.desertmuseum.org/).
The highlight was the Raptor Free Flight – a dynamic bird of prey flight demonstration that occurs in the open desert showcasing natural behavior of 
native birds.
A banded but not captive family of six Harris Hawks did a marvelous demonstration for us, zooming in (inches above our heads as the crowd awed) to get a treat from the trainer.
We also had an interesting talk by a docent about barn owls (by a retired anthropologist from Munich with a lovely German accent) and their declining populations due to Harry Potter.
(For you who haven’t read the books or seen the movies, many of the wizards-in-training have owls for their mail delivery. Harry has a beautiful snowy owl, Hedwig, but others have various owls.) People have been raiding owl nests and taking the nestlings too young, so that they don’t survive.
Yesterday we hiked in Sabino Canyon (www.sabinocanyon.com/) and I can’t remember my reasoning in not taking my camera. The vistas were fabulous. (Had to get this photo off the web.)
In an Arizona Daily Star story (A few reasons to pause, enjoy our community), the author noted that at Sabino Canyon
We … saw a group of Hasidic Jews in traditional dress along the paved trail and in the tram.
Strange – we did too. Had I my camera, I would have asked permission to take their photo. They looked way overdressed for a hike.
Tags: Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, barn owl, Harris hawks, Raptor Free Flight, Sabino Canyon, Tucson
February 15, 2011 at 7:26 pm |
What interesting show; I wonder if Tulio can do the same with the black collared hawks. Is a DVD available?
I wish you a Happy Saint Valentine’s Day Lynne.
February 17, 2011 at 9:09 pm |
Here’s an ad for the DVD on this youtube site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdFIosiU9Go&feature=related
The free flight demos are not just for hawks: “Each flight demonstration showcases different raptor species. Typically at the 10:00 a.m. demonstration visitors may have the opportunity to see and learn about Chihuahuan Ravens, Barn Owls, Great Horned Owls, Ferruginous Hawks, Gray Hawks, Prairie Falcons, or Greater Roadrunners.”