Many of us have been fortunate enough to see songbirds up close as they gather around backyard feeders or bounce from branch to branch in the park. There also are opportunities to watch brilliantly colored warblers each spring as they migrate through the area. They will perch on tree limbs just a few feet away, almost as if posing for a photo shoot.
But raptors are a more elusive and wary subject for the casual bird watcher or the nature enthusiast. They keep their distance. They are much more focused on the task at hand — hunting.
“We can see and appreciate our songbirds and other backyard birds since we can get a much closer look at them, but there is a lot of curiosity surrounding raptors,” said Bernie Place of Wild Birds Unlimited, which will showcase raptors in an Oct. 27 educational event.
“There is a certain wonder in the raptor world as to how they hunt and how they are equipped to be such effective hunters. Seeing them up close is a rare opportunity and one we think will provide a greater appreciation for these amazing birds.”
The exhibit will feature live, rehabilitated raptors from Back to the Wild, the area’s Noah’s ark for injured wildlife. The Castalia-based non-profit rescues some 2,500 animals each year and nurses them back to health, also using its outreach and educational capability to speak annually with more than 50,000 kids and adults about the importance of conservation and wildlife.
Back to the Wild will have a bald eagle, screech owl, barn owl, saw-whet owl, and a red-tailed hawk at the event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wild Birds Unlimited store, located at 5236 Monroe Street, Suite D, across from Target. There also will be reptiles and amphibians from Back to the Wild as part of the educational display.
Place said besides the opportunity to see and inspect these unique raptors and the talons, beaks, and eyes that are such essential tools as they hunt for their next meal, he hopes the visitors to the store who take in the exhibit also will become more aware of the vital role rescue groups such as Back to the Wild play in the survival of these raptors.
“It is not every day that people will get to see a bald eagle’s talons, or the beak of a red-tailed hawk, or how the eyes of an owl make them such good hunters at night,” Place said. “You can read about these things or look at pictures, but you don’t often get to see them so close and really take it all in. We have a certain type of awe concerning raptors. They can hunt for hours, just waiting for the right opportunity.”
The stars of the show include:
Bald eagle: This national symbol was endangered and teetering toward possible extinction decades ago but has made a remarkable recovery. Ohio had just four nesting pairs in the late 1970s, but now has well above 200, with many clustered along the Lake Erie corridor. The mature adults have the easily recognizable snow white head and tail feathers, with yellow eyes, beak, and feet. Bald eagle pairs build massive nests high in the canopy, with some reaching nine feet wide and weighing more than a ton. Bald eagles feed on small mammals, fish, waterfowl, and carrion, and are native to Ohio.
Screech owl: One of 12 owl species found in Ohio, and the state’s most common owl, as well as one of the smallest. Adult screech owls have a wingspan of about 20 inches and their average weight is just six ounces. They are either gray or reddish in color, with darker streaks across their feathers which creates good camouflage against tree bark. They feed on rodents, reptiles, amphibians, and birds, and are known for their call, which is a spooky, trembling chorus of wails and trills.
Barn owl: Found throughout much of the world, this species is comfortable in close proximity to people, earning its name for its affinity to nest in barns or other structures. The adults average 16 inches long with a three foot wingspan and weigh about a pound. They have a white, heart-shaped face that resembles a monkey. They are exclusively nocturnal hunters, slowly passing over fields and other open areas in search of prey, which includes voles, other rodents, and small mammals, along with bats and flying squirrels.
Saw-whet owl: This tiny owl is about the size of a robin, weighing around three ounces with a body length of about eight inches and a wingspan of 17 inches. Adult saw-whet owls have a striped feather pattern with thick brown streaks, and have light brown facial feather discs and no ear tufts. Its unusual name comes from its unique call, which is akin to the sound made as a saw blade is being sharpened. Saw-whet owls nest in dense cover and are strictly nocturnal. They hunt small mammals, including many rodents, and also will feed on birds.
Red-tailed hawk: These hawks spend much of their hunting time soaring over fields and roadside rights-of-way, searching for prey that includes mice, other rodents, insects, rabbits and other small mammals, and carrion. They are common in Ohio and have a loud scream-like call as they descend from above. The adults usually have brown feathers on their back with a white breast and a rust-colored tail, but color patterns can vary. Adult red-tailed hawks are about 20 inches in length, weigh about 2 to 3 pounds, and have a wingspan of around four feet.
FALLEN TIMBERS TROUT: The Fallen Timbers chapter of Trout Unlimited will conduct its fundraising banquet Nov. 3 at Rockwell Springs Trout Club in Sandusky County, which features three miles of private, well-stocked trout stream. The doors open at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m. Fly fishing at Rockwell Springs is available that day and overnight accommodations also are available. Tickets for the banquet are $55 and seating is limited to 70. Ticket information and registration is available at FTTU.org or by calling Tod Armbruster at 419-508-2314. Deadline for tickets is Friday, and the banquet is open to non-members. There will be a silent auction, bag raffle, and the evening’s speaker will be Chris Steffen, Jr., a Trout Unlimited member for more than 20 years who currently serves as the Ohio Council's National Leadership Council Representative for Trout Unlimited. Steffen has engineering degrees from the University of Michigan and works at NASA's Glenn Research Center on the Orion Spacecraft program. Funds raised from the banquet assist the chapter’s clean water conservation programs and youth activities.
Contact Blade outdoors editor Matt Markey at: mmarkey@theblade.com, or 419-724-6068.
First Published October 15, 2018, 6:00 p.m.
