Rock Creek Park Day 2006

A red-tailed hawk named Big Girl with the Raptor Conservancy of Virginia at a talk on Rock Creek Park Day.

I just love the two profiles in this picture, even though the bird moved its wing and it's out of focus.

And here she is showing off the markings beneath her wings.

This is a barred owl who was badly injured and cannot be released into the wild. Her name is Hipster because she shattered her hipbone.

One little screech owl (female) blinded in a collision with a car...

...and another little screech owl (male) also injured in a car accident...

and a hybrid falcon, bred and imprinted upon by humans, who cannot survive in the wild and is not supposed to be released because it's not one species or another.

Here again is the little blind screech owl.

And the other screech owl, who apparently has no idea how tiny he is; he sat and ruffled his feathers and paced up and down and did not look at all intimidated.

This is the hybrid falcon, part peregrine, part some other sort of falcon, with magnificent feather patterns but the conservancy is not allowed to breed this bird, since neither it nor its offspring would be accepted by any other falcons.

Reptiles Alive is always a huge hit with kids, who keep creeping toward the table with the cages and have to be reminded repeatedly to move back.

The woman who talks about the animals makes fabulous faces while describing what they eat and stuff.

Here for instance she shows off a bullfrog and eagerly discusses eating bugs.

Doesn't it look like she's going to eat the box turtle like a sandwich?

I want a bracelet like this!

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