Flying 09-581
On October 22nd, Tina and I transported a Bald Eagle to the Twin Cities from western Wisconsin. The eagle had hit a car and had some bleeding from his left ear. Dr. Mitch did a terrific job of teaching new vets about triage. November 13th Update: This morning, I...
Flying in the Hallway
As part of the flight crew at the MN Raptor Center, I get to fly various raptors each Thursday, mostly outdoors tethered to a string. Some of the birds are either too small to fly outdoors, or just need some time out of their holding rooms, so we get to release...
Northern Saw-whet owl
A great find in Crepeau Park this morning. Thanks to Val and a noisy bunch of Chickadees, we were able to find a Northern Saw-whet Owl. A small owl of all types of woodlands, the Northern Saw-whet Owl can be found roosting in winter in small, dense conifer trees,...
Another Hawk Release
We helped facilitate another hawk release today.m We hand carried a Broad-winged hawk to the Mississippi River in Minneapolis for a release by Nathan. Zander, our grandson, also went along to watch the release.
Red-shouldered Hawk Release
Terry (head of the Thursday flight crew) and I drove a Red-shouldered Hawk out to Elk River for a release yesterday afternoon. The bird was rescued at the end of September after hitting a car on a county road north of the cities. The clinic vets were...
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Spent a couple of hours birding Ft. Snelling with friends this morning. My highlight was chasing several Golden-crowned Kinglets down an embankment with camera firing. Also saw my first American Tree Sparrow of the season at the State Park.
My First Bald Eagle
It was raining Thursday, so instead of flying raptors, I spent some time helping out in our clinic at the Raptor Center. The highlight was holding my first Bald Eagle. Amazing amount of power in this bird.
Peregrine Release
Last week, I was asked to transport a Peregrine to Hastings for a release. The release was yesterday at the Carpenter Nature Center. Birds in boxes sometimes thrash around and damage themselves, so I was asked to pick up the bird early Saturday morning and...
BAOW release and BAEG tranport
Tina and I released a Barred Owl in Balsam Lake, WI this afternoon. On the way back, we were asked to transport a Bald Eagle to the Twin Cities. The eagle had hit a car and had some bleeding from his left ear. We'll update his condition when its known. Dr. Mitch...
COHW Release
Yesterday, Tina and I drove to Cannon Falls to release a young Cooper's Hawk. This time my great wife shot some images of a very hard to capture moment.