Raptures over raptors
By SERRA MUSCATELLO - Journal Staff WriterArticle Photos
MORTON -"Ooohs" and "aaahs" came from the people as one by one each bird was brought out of its cage and shown to the group.
About 50 people had gathered Saturday afternoon at the Lower Sioux Agency to see a program called "Wanmdi and Cetan: Eagles and other Minnesota River Valley Raptors."
The first bird brought out from its cage was an eight-year-old peregrine falcon. The bird was described by Joanne Peterson, a Community Program Education Specialist with the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, to be the fastest animal in the world. A falcon can dive at a speed of 260 miles per hour to catch its food - mainly other birds.
Peterson said that about 30 years ago falcons were almost extinct west of the Mississippi River.
The pesticide DDT had affected the calcium in their bodies and the birds would crush their own eggs. In 1999, they were taken off the endangered species list, said Peterson.
The second bird brought out was "Samantha" - a great horned owl. She is approximately 16 or 17 years old now.
Samantha was found with a broken wing in Deer River in 1992, according to the Raptor Center's website.
"She was hit by a car," said Peterson.
Most owls are nocturnal and hunt at night, said Peterson.
"If it's completely dark she can still find food," said Peterson.
Owls use their acute sense of hearing to help them hunt at night.
The third raptor Peterson brought out was "Jamaica," a female 21-year-old red-tailed hawk.
"Hawks are very beneficial to the environment," said Peterson. "They eat mice, small rodents, snakes..."
Jamaica weighs about three and a half pounds. She was recovered in 1985 in Eden Prairie, according center's website.
The last raptor taken from his cage was "Bud," a male bald eagle.
He was recovered in 1997 in Wisconsin with a serious eye injury.
Bud is 11-years old now and weighs about seven and a half pounds - the average size for a male, Peterson said. He is capable of flying but he is missing his left eye. Bud probably would not have survived in the wild due to his lack of depth perception.
Bald eagles have a wing span of about six feet. A bald eagle in captivity could live up to 50 years, Peterson said.
The purpose of the Raptor Center is to rehabilitate raptors (eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons), educate the public about raptors and also service to the community, Peterson said. It has been in operation now for 34 years.
"It's really about the education and the birds and their environment," said Peterson.
According to the Raptor Center's website, the center treats more than 800 birds a year and it provides training in raptor medicine and surgery for veterinarians from around the world.
The center also reaches more than 250,000 people every year through its public education programs and various events and identifies issues that are related to raptors. The center's mission is to strengthen the bond between humans and birds. It aims to improve the quality of life for both, and to contribute to the preservation of the natural world.
For more information log on to: www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu.
Lower Sioux Agency Site Supervisor Pam Jensen said she was pleased at the turnout of people for the program.
"We did an eagle coloring contest this year and gave prizes away" said Jensen.
Janet, an interpreter at the Lower Sioux Agency, took a group of about a dozen people on a bird hike prior to the raptor program, Jensen said.
