Wednesday, May 21, 2008

How Goblin grew...

As a follow-up to yesterday's Adopt a Goblin post, here are some pictures of the little guy growing up, courtesy of Gay Schroer.

Goblin at 33 days old. Look at the size of those feet!! At this age he was still being kept in an incubator most of the time to regulate his temperature.


Still 33 days, and Goblin spots his first eagle.


Goblin at 44 days old. He's learning to keep his balance, and has grown into those oversized feed. He's also beginning to get his "big boy" feathers.


Goblin at 55 days old. Here he is displaying a barn owl's natural hunting instinct as one of our Naturalists rustles a piece of paper inside the log.


Goblin at 55 days old displaying his beautiful new primary feathers.


Goblin at 65 days old. If you look very closely you may still spot some of his baby down feathers, but for all intents and purposes he now has his adult plumage and is almost indistinguishable from the adults of his species, although in the wild he would still have much to learn.


At 65 days Goblin has taken his place in the weathering area behind the Nature Center, and is ready to start his training as a member of the Office of Wildlife Learning. In the days to come he will learn to fly from trainer to trainer, just over the heads of audience members, as he does his part to educate the public about his species. When you visit the World Bird Sanctuary, be sure to look for Goblin.

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