Birds

of

Prey

EYEING THE MASTER

A Red Tail hawk eyes master falconer Kin Quitugua. The Douglas County Division of Open Space had a two-hour nature hike Feb. 6 at the North Willow Creek property that ended with a presentation by HawkQuest, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating people about birds of prey.

HawkQuest Volunteer handler Jean Vore holds a bald eagle named 'Free Spirit.' Bald eagles have a wingspan of 6 1/2 to 8 feet. Since 1995, it has been listed as a threatened species. Bald eagles build large stick nests that sometimes weigh more than 1 ton.

A Harris' or bay winged hawk flies back to its handler during the HawkQuest demonstration Feb 6.  In the wild, these hawks often are seen sitting in pairs on tall posts and can be quite tame (especially the young) if approached with care. The hawk was discovered by American naturalist Audubon and named after his friend, Col. Harris, who was with Audubon when he saw it.

The great horned owl is the most fierce and aggressive owl in North America.  It can be found in a variety of habitats such as cities, parks, residential areas and industrial developments.  Owls are nocturnal hunters.  They cannot move their eyes from side to side but can turn their heads three-fourths of the way around.