Raptors of ARC

Arriving a little ahead of the rest of the banding crew, I got a chance to see one of ARC's Great-horned Owls, Gordon. What a beautiful bird!



Carol McCorkle was bringing him out to check on his weight and allowed me to get some nice, close-up shots. He was very vocal.
I am always amazed when getting a close view of any bird of just how subtle, yet incredibly intricate the colors and patterns of feathers are and Gordon was a nice example of a nice array of overlapping colors and pattern. Plus, those incredibly yellow eyes...




Once we banded the Barn Owls (their legs are so fuzzy!) and got them into their mew to rest, we were afforded the opportunity to see a couple of the resident birds at ARC get some exercise.

First out was Scarlet, a Red-tailed Hawk and Carol's darling. Easy to see why.



Scarlet had an encounter with a truck some time ago and lost an eye. She is still healthy and alert and seems stuck on Carol in return. She got a few flights in for us around the yard.



Here she is on another successful flight, landing on Carol's hand after being called. You can see another palette of natural colors weaving through the underside of those great wings.



Next up: Zip, a Harris's Hawk. Yet another gorgeous creature. First I think I have ever seen as they are not Florida birds.



Talk about colors!



Zip had a lot of fun flying up to the rooftop to check out the area. Probably still looking for that escaped Quail...

Something different in this shot. No, it is not Robo-Zip. That is the inner eyelid that birds possess. I just happened to click at the right split-second.



I had a great time out at ARC and hope to head out to assist with other raptor banding in the future. I also want to get out and see Cora, the Peregrine Falcon fly!

Again, you can find more info about the birds at ARC by visiting The Avian Reconditioning Center or help sponsor a bird at the Adopt-a-Bird site.