Every Thursday, I volunteer at the Raptor Center on one of the flight crews helping with the physical conditioning of recovering raptors, exercising the birds and assessing their abilities as they regain their flight skills. This usually means catching a wild hawk or owl in a flight pen, weighing the bird and attaching jesses (thin straps, traditionally made from leather) to their legs. We then allow each bird 6-8 flights in an open field for exercise and to judge whether they are read for release. I posted images of our crew with Barred Owls and a Peregrine Falcon.
