Tag Archives: Center for Birds of Prey

Crested Caracara, Mating Display

October 18, 2021 Ellen Jennings 1 Comment

Doing what Crested Caracaras do, this gorgeous bird demonstrated an attention display even though it is not breeding season and there were no other Caracaras around.

The handler shared that this bird was raised in captivity and this has become his default behavior around humans and is not to be taken personally.

Crested Caracaras are found in the wild in Central Florida, much of eastern Texas, and a sliver of Arizona.

He is beautiful, and I think he knows it!

Ted and I recently attended our fifth Photography Day at the Center for Birds of Prey in Awenda, SC. Photographers have an opportunity to take close-up images of a number of birds of prey as well as some flight demonstrations. As always the staff and volunteers provided a fun and educational experience.

The Center for Birds of Prey, Awenda, SC.
Photography Day, October 10, 2021

Raptor

Yellow-billed Kite, Feeding Sequence

October 13, 2021 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

I’ve witnessed and photographed a Yellow-billed Kite feeding before, but it never gets old. Even if I once again didn’t get the actual snatching of the food as the handler tossed it high into the air.

Yellow-billed Kite Catching Food In Flight

Kites of all kinds grab their food with their feet while in flight then pass it to their mouths.

Imagine how much work it is to keep yourself fed this way.

The tossed beef pieces mimic the Kite’s natural diet of insects .

Yellow-billed Kite, Milvus aegyptius

The Center for Birds of Prey, Awenda, SC.
Photography Day, October 10, 2021

Raptor

Yellow-billed Kite

August 11, 2021 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

When we visited the Center for Birds of Prey in June the Yellow-billed Kite was part of the flight demonstration. First they demonstrated how the bird snatches prey with its feet then passes it to its mouth. It happens really fast and I only captured the pre-swallow moment.

After flying, the Kite perched with the handler, fluffing its wings.

The handler turned so the Kite was facing the audience.

The bird adjusted to stay facing right, into the morning wind.

Juvenile Birds, Raptor

Turkey Vulture Chicks

August 7, 2021 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

I mentioned in a previous post that the Center for Birds of Prey has hosted two wild Black Vulture nests this year.

The Vulture parents picked spots in between the captive birds’ enclosures, which mimic the dark recess they might find in the wild. The female lays her eggs on the ground.

The juveniles’ feathers were transitioning from chick fluff, making them look a bit scruffy.

The Center for Birds of Prey, Awenda, SC
June 24, 2021

Raptor

Turkey Vulture, Flying Low

July 25, 2021 Ellen Jennings 5 Comments

This is the same Turkey Vulture I’ve featured in recent posts as part of the the educational and flight demonstration program at the Center for Birds of Prey, this time showing off his flight skills.

Turkey Vultures are impressive with their flight skills, easily making sharp turns, using their wings to full advantage.

It was very cool to see this one glide just above the ground, with seemingly little effort.

The Center for Birds of Prey, Awenda, SC
June 24, 2021

Previous Posts:

Turkey Vulture, Wings Out

Turkey Vulture, Up Close

Raptor

Turkey Vulture, Up Close

July 22, 2021 Ellen Jennings 5 Comments

I know, not the most attractive bird up close with the bald head, but check out the feather colors.

The blues and browns shown in the morning sun.

The Center for Birds of Prey, Awenda, SC
June 24, 2021

Raptor

Red-tailed Hawk, Living with One Eye, Part 2

July 19, 2021 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

The one-eyed Red-tail Hawk at the Center for Birds of Prey has adapted and despite my not getting any decent pictures, he flies with ease.

At one point when he was on a post in front of us he turned away from the group, likely so he could face into the wind, which was steady with gusts that morning.

But he was quick to turn back, the wind fluffing up his feathers was preferable to not seeing movement in front of him.

The Center for Birds of Prey, Awenda, SC
June 24, 2021

Raptor

Turkey Vulture, Wings Out

July 18, 2021 Ellen Jennings 3 Comments

Another un-releasable bird that is part of the educational and flight demonstration program at the Center for Birds of Prey is this Turkey Vulture. He was “rescued” when a passerby spotted him on the ground, the normal nesting spot for Turkey Vultures, and took him home. The bird subsequently imprinted on the human and now cannot live in the wild on his own.

The Center for Birds of Prey, Awenda, SC
June 24, 2021

Raptor

Red-tailed Hawk, Living with One Eye

July 17, 2021 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

This Red-tailed Hawk is a part of the educational and flight demonstration program at the Center for Birds of Prey.

Due to the program setup I was not on the side to see his fully lit body but got backlighting of his tail, which is quite pretty.

A key take-away lesson from the center is Don’t Litter! This bird lost his right eye after being hit on a roadway, most likely trying to catch prey that somewhere down the food chain was after something discarded from a vehicle. The medical team was able to remove the eye and he recovered from his other injuries, however he cannot safely be released as he cannot reliably hunt to feed himself.

The Center for Birds of Prey, Awenda, SC
June 24, 2021

Raptor

Burrowing Owl, Center For Birds of Prey, 2

July 5, 2021 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

Continued from Burrowing Owl, Center For Birds of Prey, 1

New to the educational program at the Center for Birds of Prey since the last time I was there was a Burrowing Owl.

The little Burrowing Owl (about 5 ounces, 150gm) is quite striking.

Scanning the sky for safety, the Burrowing Owl was aware of any movement overhead.

The presenters are also on the lookout for hawks and other predators which have been known to drop in on their programs. On this day we only saw Black Vultures and Anhinga passing by.

Without any apparent preparation, the owl dropped into flight.

The Center for Birds of Prey, Awenda, SC
June 24, 2021