October 2007 - Volume 5 Number 10

2007 Teacher's Open House 

On September 26th the Annual Teacher's Open House was held at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and several other nearby museums. Once again Eeo our Eurasian eagle owl made quite an impression on the visitors and Snag our common buzzard also made a brief appearance. Our display was right next to a new dinosaur exhibit and several teachers asked if it was disturbing Snag; we told them that we believed he was upset because someone had already removed all the meat!

The closing event of the evening for us again was flying Prophet from the third floor of the atrium with her landing on a ground floor perch just a few feet in front of the assembled audience.

A Friend Soars Away

Several times a week since moving to the East Mountains of New Mexico I make a stop at the mail boxes some mile and a half from the property. Often I would arrive at the mail boxes to find our contract mail carrier Gail transferring letters and packages from her vehicle. Gail loved to talk about what was happening with the birds of Avian Ambassador and also to keep me updated about her daughter Stephanie who was away at college. Later Gail talked enthusiastically about the field trips Stephanie took to study birds and animals in their natural habitats. Sometimes an over-sized package would arrive and provide Gail a reason to drive onto the property and take time to visit the birds. I have no idea how long we stood and talked over those many years; whenever our paths crossed we simply enjoyed the moment. Just a few weeks ago, out of the blue, I got a call asking for confirmation of our mailing address; in that conversation I learned that Gail had passed away and it was her wish that friends make gifts to Avian Ambassadors in her memory. The gifts from Gail's friends and family have enabled us to complete the construction of our weathering yard ... it is named "The Gail Krantz Weathering Yard" in memory of our friend.

Featured Ambassador

Eeo Nui is our Eurasian eagle owl (bubo bubo).She hatched at The World Bird Sanctuary in 2004, arriving at Avian Ambassadors at 5 weeks of age. Eurasian eagle owls are one of the largest species of owl in the world, Eeo weighs in close to 6 pounds and has a wingspread of over 5 feet. Their wings are very broad and the flight style of these large birds features some long distance gliding between almost silent wing beats. The "stealth" characteristic of the wing beats is created by delicate "combed" edges to the flight feathers. Even though these are large bodied birds there are reports of them soaring and also taking prey in flight. When it comes to prey they hunt a huge variety; from beetles to roe deer fawn. Larger prey is subdued and killed with their huge powerful feet. Their habitat ranges from coniferous forests to warm deserts, although they appear to prefer rocky landscapes. These magnificent owls are found across Europe, Asia, The Middle East, and occasionally North Africa; in many of these areas they are endangered. Even though Eeo is the largest and to some the most intimidating of our ambassadors she is in fact the most timid, preferring to keep a little distance between herself and the audience. Her size and beauty as she perches on a tall stage perch usually brings gasps from our audiences.

 Birds in the News

Here are a few stories culled from the world-wide web over the last few weeks. If you come across a story or news item that you think would be of interest to Safari readers please let us know.

• California Condors and Lead Legislation in California moves forward to ban the use of lead in ammunition used for hunting, especially in the ranges of the California condor. This extensive article highlights some of the problems that the condors face and the politics that place their survival in jeopardy. It now appears that California Governor Schwarzenegger holds the future of this bill in his hands as  the legislation has now reached his desk for signing. Initial indications are that the Governor will not sign the ban into law and everyone is urged to encourage him not to abandon this important legislation.
• Twenty Year-Old Owl Hatches Chick. While searching for another article this Daily Telegraph story from earlier this year in the UK popped up; it tells of what may be the oldest breeding female tawny in the wild.  The owl has hatched two chicks; she was originally banded in Kershope Forest, Cumbria in 1987. Typical tawny owl life expectancy in the wild is said to be a quarter of this bird's age. Visit the Owl Pages for information about tawny owls.
• "Fluffy" Dinosaurs Also from the Daily Telegraph comes this short article about recent discoveries that are leading scientists to believe that Velociraptors were feathered. The findings were based upon a complete fossil found in Mongolia. 

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