Drove out to the country to see the Snowy Owl at an event today since they are not very common here.
Something else caught my eye though and I kept telling myself that it couldn’t be what it looked like. But it was!
It must have not been advertised cuz most people wouldn’t know what it was, but it was an Australian Boobook named Fable!
So when I saw they were letting people hold him for a donation, in couldn’t say no!
More pics to come, they had a lot of great birds I didn’t rxpect. I’ll try to get the photos for tomorrow, but this was exciting so I shared it now before I head back home.
I guess not. Now I’m curious about the falcon! Something about curiosity killing the cat… But satisfaction bringing it back.
We used to have raptor centers nearby. I’ll have to see if they’re open to the public yet)I believe it’s seasonal) and maybe talk my neighbor into going.
They had a Red Tail and a Peregrine, but I saw 2 other birds I wasn’t familiar with. The one was a Saker Falcon, which they said was European, and a Taita Falcon they said was African.
I know nothing about them, so I bookmarked some reading to do when I get caught up with responsibilities. The person with the Saker was walking around and I got some good close up looks at that one, but the Taita was left on its perch near the back the whole time I was there.
They put away the Eurasian Eagle Owl right when I got there, but that one seemed calm, while the Taita looked like it kept wanting to hunt birds flying by or something because it was lunging like it wanted to chase something a few times, but they kept it out.
Kinda sad I missed the EEO, and when I saw it, I thought it was a GHO and they were just walking it around, as they made no mention of any of these fancy owls anywhere in the promotions! But the guy let it back in his crate and I heard him tell someone it was an EEO.
There is extra licensing required to display animals, so not everywhere will always let you in. But many do community events or will have an annual open house or allow you to request a private tour of the facilities. Since they all need donations, they do tend to pop up in random places to try and fundraise.
Well you just had a full day of cool birds, then! I’m curious what the taita was on about, now! 😂
I’m sorry you missed the Eurasian, hopefully you’ll have another opportunity soon.
I’m wondering if seasonal is specific to my state or I’m misremembering? I’ll have to call this week and see if the public is admitted and on what schedule, if so.
Enjoy your evening, my friend, and thanks for so freely sharing about your day with us! It sounds immensely gratifying and joyful, and we all need joy in our lives!