Calvin and I Spent a full day with the different raptors and I can't believe how much we learned in one day.From the biology and all the different type of raptors and their characteristics to what falconry was and the art of it, to interacting with the birds (holding, feeding, flying). It was such a unique and amazing experience.
Near the end of the day we took the raptors for a walk through the forest. They would fly from tree to tree staying close to us and every once in awhile we'd hold out a piece of meat and they would come swoopng down to our arm. In the wild, raptors only fly when they are hunting. They can get tired out and it's was cute to see how they wanted to use you to carry them back once they were tired. Falconry is a team effort between you and the bird and you could tell that there is quite a bond that developes between the bird and the owner. The birds that we trained with were hawks, falcons,owls, a bald eagle and a golden eagle (which has a wing span of 8 feet!). The more time I spent with these birds the more appreciation I had for them and I couldn't get over how intelligent they were.