Meet Charlie

We have recently started training one of the World Bird Sanctuary’s newest residents and education birds at the World Bird Sanctuary Nature Center.   Charlie the Harris’ Hawk is only 5 months old, and he is one of the first Harris’ Hawks to be hatched at the World Bird Sanctuary in a decade. 

I am super excited about working with Charlie because 1) he is so young and curious, and 2) he is the first bird I have really gotten to train as a Naturalist.  When we received Charlie at the Nature Center, his name was added to the board.  Under his name it said “Trainer: CS, Secondary Trainers: DG, KM.”  Wait a minute, KM are my initials!  I get to train my first bird!  Charlie and I are both fairly new so we are going to learn together.

This photo is a bit of an optical illusion—do you see a raptor or an odd duck-like looking creature?  It’s just Charlie with his head turned a bit upside down.  If you don't see the raptor, try tilting your head to the side.(photo: Kelsey McCord)

  

Training has so far involved eating food out of the glove, walking around, and crate training.  Eating food out of a glove may sound easy, but when you are as curious as Charlie it can be difficult at times.  There is so much to see and hear that food just isn’t always top priority.  Charlie is always turning his head left, right, up, down, and even upside down to see what is going on around him.  Be it people talking, other birds, insects, or leaves, Charlie has to check it out.

We are also walking Charlie around on the glove so that he is comfortable around people.  He has even appeared in a few special WBS programs; Amazing Animal Encounters and Birds in Concert.  In the Amazing Animal Encounters we explain to the audience that they are helping us train Charlie simply by not running up to him, which a bird could interpret as a threat.  By walking Charlie around groups of people he is learning that he is safe and can trust his trainers and the circumstances.  He has done awesome so far and seems very comfortable around people.  He has even roused (fluffed out his feathers), which is a sign of comfort, at the Amazing Animal Encounters.

When Charlie gets his adult plumage he will look more like this photo of Sheldon, an adult Harris’ Hawk.  (photo: Kelsey McCord)

We are really working hard on crate training with Charlie right now.  We place a piece of meat on the lip of the crate, followed by a small trail of meat leading to a small pile of meat inside the crate.  Charlie steps onto the lip of the crate, eats his snack, then either travels another step in for more meat or turns around ready to get back on that glove.  We then start over: bring some more meat toward the front and put him back in front of the crate.  The more we do this, the more comfortable Charlie will be with his crate.  The further in he goes the better, but going in and out of the crate several times is good, too.  My favorite session was when he went all the way to the back of the crate for me.  He immediately came back to the entrance, but it was a huge step in the right direction.

Once he gets comfortable with being in the back half of the crate we will work on closing the crate door, for just a second or two at first, but then a little bit longer each time.  Charlie will need to be comfortable being in a crate so that he can travel and participate in programs.

Charlie still has a lot of training ahead of him, but he is making great progress and seems to be having fun along the way.

Submitted by Kelsey McCord, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

Watching Birds Grow

Watching Birds Grow

One of the coolest things about being involved with the World Bird Sanctuary for a number of years is being able to watch birds grow and change. 

In addition to watching Goblin grow into an awesome flyer and show-bird, I was also able to watch Mortimer the Turkey Vulture and Wyatt the Harris Hawk grow up and end up being really fun to work with.  I also got to experience the differences in their “personalities.”

Naturalist Cathy Spahn & baby Mortimer just beginning to get his adult plumage (photo: Gay Schroer)

With Mortimer, I was around when he first began roaming the Nature Center with downy feathers, with some of his black feathers growing in, and a blackish face, nibbling at anything within reach.  He then progressed to being used in education programs as a bird which was walked around on a trainer’s glove, so he could get used to people.  During this progression, I was in college, which meant that I was unable to watch the changes like I could with Goblin.  Instead, I got to see the beginning bird and the end results for that time (which ended up being Mortimer making an appearance during the Open House program of 2012).  Then I went back to college for two years, but started working at the Nature Center during the summer of 2014.  I was re-introduced to Mortimer — this time with him flying perch to perch in programs, such as International Vulture Awareness Day. Of course he had grown up, and had that red face and white beak. 

Mortimer beginning to do education programs as a walk-on bird (photo: Sandra Lowe)

As I've had the chance to experience, his looks weren't the only thing that changed.  His “personality” has changed from a bird which was not totally used to being around people to one which was much more at ease with people.  In Mortimer's case, this means testing the people who are new to him by trying to see what he can get away with.  I found this out very quickly and learned not to let my guard down when working with him.  Somehow he seems to know when you're thinking about doing just that.

Watching Wyatt grow up was a lot different because I wasn't around nearly as much, so the progression I was able to watch was his transition between juvenile and adult plumage.  In the summer of 2012 he was given many opportunities to show off the beautiful markings of a juvenile Harris Hawk during Amazing Animal Encounters (free weekend summer shows sponsored by Ameren Missouri).

Naturalist Neal Cowan & Wyatt at a Birds in Concert show  (photo: Gay Schroer)

Then, during the same Open House program where Mortimer appeared, I got to see Wyatt flying again, this time over crowds at least four times as large as the Animal Encounters.  This didn't seem to bother him in the slightest, and he's proven to be a wonderfully reliable flyer throughout the entirety of his flying career.

Wyatt easily became my favorite Harris Hawk to work with.  This happened not only because of his cool iris color (tan, instead of the more common brown found in adult Harris Hawks), but also his “personality.”  Even during vertical flight practice when I wasn't ready for him to fly to me, he proved to be remarkably patient — seeing that I wasn't ready, he would circle back down to his perch, and wait for me to be ready before flying to me.  He kept this patience and added quick learning and adaptability to his list of good qualities.  He quickly adapts to different flights his trainers ask of him, showcased in a video you can see here, where he demonstrates how Harris Hawks adjust to flying over terrains that vary in heights. 

If you visit the World Bird Sanctuary when these two remarkable birds are not traveling to programs with their trainers you may be able to see both of these interesting birds, as well as numerous others which call the Sanctuary their home.

Hope to see you there!

Matt Levin, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

365 Photo Project - September

September was a fun and sometimes challenging month for photos. 

I began the month with a trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens for the Japanese Festival.  Then I had two weekends at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival presenting programs for World Bird Sanctuary on the weekends.  Mixed in with all of the festivals I managed to do a little bird watching here and there.

The Missouri Botanical Gardens Japanese Festival is the largest festival of its kind in the United States.  I arrived about 9 am and left about 6pm, so needless to say I had a good time.  The weather was beautiful, so the photo opportunities were everywhere, including flowers, people, objects, and dragonflies.

Choosing photos from the Japanese Festival was a real challenge, but I finally narrowed it down to two.  The first is of some very pretty little parasols they had for sale.  These were sitting out on the lawn to advertise the designs they had available.  

The second photo from this day was of an orange dragonfly hovering over a pink lotus flower.  There were so many dragonflies and lotus flowers that it was hard to choose.

The next photo is from the Kansas City Renaissance Festival.  The World Bird Sanctuary  presents programs on weekends starting Labor Day week, and this year running through Columbus Day weekend.

Since we have limited time to do our presentations we usually have three people presenting these programs to make them move along.  That being the case, I would often use the backstage time while waiting to go on to attempt to take a photo or two through the crack in the divider between the audience and the backstage area. 

Intern Jess Hill and MacGyver the Harris' Hawk

Photographing a bird in full flight through a small crack can be very challenging.  I did however manage to get this photo of one of our interns Jess Hill releasing MacGyver, the Harris Hawk, for his flight up to the stage.   I love the intent stare in his eyes as he focuses on the speaker’s glove.  I also love how the one wing almost looks like you can see through it due to the movement of the wing.

The one thing I have learned with this project is that there are amazing photo opportunities all around you and you never know when they are going to appear. 

Submitted by Cathy Spahn, World Bird Sanctuary 

Wolves Of The Sky

If ever there was a bird that’s all business, it’s Tequila! 

As I was leaving the World Bird Sanctuary Nature Center after a day of volunteering in the office, I happened to venture into the amphitheater as two of our naturalists were giving one of our Harris’ Hawk fliers its daily exercise.  At the end of every day two of our naturalist/trainers exercise our flying performers by taking them out on stage and flying them between the two staff members.  Of course, the bird knows that there is a treat of tasty rat meat at the end of each flight. 

Even though there are treats involved, some of the birds aren’t as quick to respond to the trainer’s cue as this one was.  I wasn’t sure which bird this was (since to me all Harris’ Hawks look pretty much alike), but I was mesmerized by its concentration and intensity.  No sooner would she land on the trainer’s glove and devour the treat than she would be ready for the return trip.  The bird sat on the trainer’s glove like a coiled spring, anticipating the next cue from the other trainer.  After the flying session was over I discovered that this spot-on performer was Tequila, one of our veteran fliers.

Harris’ Hawks are unusual in the raptor world in that they are not lone hunters.  Due to scarcity of day-active prey in their desert environment a family will work together cooperatively (somewhat like a wolf pack) to hunt and capture prey. 

One bird will land on the very top of a Saguaro cactus, and then another will land on top of that bird and another on top of that one until they are stacked as much as three or four high.  Hence, the name for this behavior—stacking! 

From this vantage point, and with many sets of eyes scanning the desert, any movement on the desert floor could signal the presence of a prey animal. Watching Tequila’s intensity I could only imagine what it must feel like to be a prey animal (mouse, rat, rabbit, etc.) when these wolves of the sky are on the hunt. 

Over the years I have attempted to photograph many of our Harris’ Hawks in flight, but in my opinion they are one of the most difficult to capture—digitally or on film.  Their speed in flight is amazing.  However, this particular day some of Tequila’s concentration must have rubbed off on me as I did manage to get several acceptable photos of this brown dynamo. 

If you would like to see Tequila in action join us for Birds in Concert any Thursday night in August.  Tequila and a number of our other performing animals will light up our stage, along with our in-house band, The Raptor Project.  In addition to our birds and The Raptor Project, each Birds in Concert features a different guest performer. 

Where else can you find entertainment featuring live music, guest artists, and flying birds--and all for FREE!

Birds in Concert Information

When:              Every Thursday in August

Time:              7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Where:              The World Bird Sanctuary amphitheater

                        125 Bald Eagle Ridge Road

                        Valley Park, MO 63088

Bring your family, friends and picnics.  Food will also be available from our snack table.

For the safety of our animals and other guests, no pets please.

Submitted by Gay Schroer, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer/Photographer

From Intern to Staff Member

My name is Whitney Cowan and I wanted to tell our readers about the great experience I’ve had working with the birds and people at the World Bird Sanctuary.

Before coming to the sanctuary, I had absolutely no prior experience involving birds of prey, but of course I realized that an internship at the World Bird Sanctuary would be an awesome experience. 

 I never dreamed that an internship would evolve into a full-time job

I was born in Phoenix and we moved to Missouri when I was about 5 years old and have lived outside the town of Bland (it is a real townJ) ever since. Ever since I was young, I’ve had a deep love and respect for all animals.   As a child growing up in the woods I was fortunate that I could spend most of my free time with such animals as horses, cats, dogs, chickens, emus and others.

As a great many youngsters do, I wanted to be a veterinarian because I wanted to have a career caring for animals.  However, after attending college and getting a degree in Biological Science, I decided I wanted to have a more hands-on day-to-day experience working with animals. Most vets only see their patients for a short visit and then the animals go home.  I wanted to be part of their lives on a daily basis.  I never imagined I would be able to work so closely with the birds of prey at the World Bird Sanctuary.

Initially I was introduced to the Sanctuary by my brother Neal, He works in the Education Department at the World Bird Sanctuary’s Nature Center and he suggested that I should apply for an internship. After touring the facilities and seeing the birds kept there, I definitely knew this was what I wanted.

When I started my internship I was introduced to a variety of birds of prey.  The best part was being able to carry them on the glove! I learned a lot about the care of these birds, including prepping their food and flying them for exercise. Working at the rehabilitation hospital, in the Nature Center, and at the Training facilities was an eye-opening experience that taught me about how the World Bird Sanctuary is educating the public and helping to protect biodiversity.

My internship evolved into a full time job, and I am now responsible for several birds of prey that WBS keeps at Grant’s Farm for the Animal Encounter shows. I couldn’t be more excited to have this opportunity to introduce these birds to the public and show them the majesty of the Bald Eagle and the entrancing beauty of the Barn Owl!

 Stetson, the Harris' Hawk 

One of the most exciting experiences I’ve had because of my Grant’s Farm job has been training a Harris’ Hawk named Stetson. He has a set pattern of flights that involves flying to perches above the audience, then flying back to perches on the stage. We have certainly been through a lot of “practice” flights before he got the routine down and nothing is quite as exciting as when he flies a perfect pattern!

Submitted by Whitney Cowan – Grant’s Farm Supervisor

Mesquite...Not Just Another Barbeque Sauce

Today I want to introduce you to a truly amazing bird!  His name is Mesquite and he is a Harris’ Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus).  

Mesquite was hatched at a breeding facility in California in 2010, and WBS purchased him at about 8 months of age for educational purposes.  He travels around the country to help educate people about his species and how all birds are in need of our help.

Harris’ Hawks are also known as the Bay-winged Hawk because of the chestnut-colored patches on their wings.  John James Audubon discovered this species and named it after a friend, Edward Harris.  This species can be found in the southwestern areas of the United States, and through most of Mexico and South America.  In the United States they can be found in arid habitat.  They can also be found in lowland shrub and tropical deciduous forest areas.

From the tip of the tail to the tip of the beak, a Harris’ Hawk’s length is typically 18-23 inches with a 4 foot wingspan, and they weigh only two to three pounds.  Harris’ Hawks can live from 10-15 years in the wild and may range from 25-30 years in captivity.  Their diet consists of mostly mammals, but will occasionally include small birds and reptiles.  These amazing birds lay two to four eggs per clutch (a group of eggs).  Females will lay a second clutch, depending on whether their first clutch is successful or not.  These birds have been known to have chicks or eggs in a nest in every month of the year.

Harris’ Hawks are extremely intelligent.  They are social birds that not only raise young together, they also hunt together, especially when hunting large prey. They use three different methods of hunting; relay chase, surprise pounce, flush and ambush. The relay chase method occurs when the birds take turns chasing after prey so that no one bird will tire out.  The surprise pounce method suggests that multiple birds will fly at the prey at different angles to capture and kill their food.  The last tactic Harris’ Hawks use is the flush and ambush method.  One hawk will flush prey from cover, say a bush, and sometimes as many as 5 other hawks catch it.  Harris’ Hawks are the only raptor in the world that will hunt in a pack!

Through trial and error Harris’ Hawks learn which perches are the best ones to hunt from.  Harris’ Hawks have devised a very clever strategy—a behavior called stacking.  One hawk will land on a cactus, for example, and another one will fly up, ball up its feet and stand on the shoulders of that first bird.  Then a second hawk will fly up and do the same thing.  Harris’ Hawks have been observed stacked 4 high on a single perch! 

Even though they are listed as a species of “Least Concern”, their numbers are declining due to habitat loss.  Their habitat is decreasing from habitat destruction due to expanding human development.

In the summer of 2011 Mesquite worked with me at Grant’s Farm in the bird show.  He is an amazing flyer! He loves to sit up high on his jump box (an outside perch with three walls and a roof) each day.  I love his “personality,” too!  He is always on the lookout for any wild intruders and loves to bathe in the brilliant sunlight. This summer he can be seen at the Nature Center at the World Bird Sanctuary.  Be sure to look for Mesquite when you visit. 

Mesquite is available for adoption through our Adopt A Bird program. To find out more information Click Here or call 636-861-3225.  All adoption donations are tax deductible.

Submitted by Lisbeth Hodges, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

RIFLE

On May 6, 2011 our staff sadly said good-by to one of our most beloved veteran performers, Rifle the Harris’ Hawk, who succumbed to old age after a long and eventful career.

Rifle was hatched at the World Bird Sanctuary in the spring of 1987, and was raised by our staff to help educate the public about the many problems faced by wildlife in the modern world.  She quickly learned to fly from one trainer to another and soon became a featured performer.  Rifle spent the summers of 1988-1990 at WBS’s Louisville Zoo Bird of Prey show. 

Since that time she has thrilled thousands of audiences far and wide with her low swooping performances.  Every fall she was a featured performer at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival in Bonner Springs, Kansas.  She even took part in a wedding, acting as the ring-bearer by flying the rings into the wedding ceremony of one of our staff members.

Many people had a tendency to refer to Rifle as “he”, probably because of the masculine sounding name.  However, there was no doubt among our staff that Rifle was a female, since she was one of the largest Harris’ Hawks we have ever had.  With most birds of prey there are very few, if any, outward differences between the sexes.  Short of doing a surgical procedure, the only guideline to determining sex is based on differences in weight and size.

Recently we noticed that during performances and training sessions Rifle seemed to be having trouble landing on the trainer’s glove.  We discovered that she had arthritis of the wings and that flying was becoming increasingly painful.  WBS staff respectively decided this veteran performer had earned the right to a comfortable retirement.

Rifle spent her last days on the display line just beyond the hospital, where she could be seen basking in the sun, enjoying a refreshing bath, or just people-watching. 

Rifle will be sorely missed by one and all.

The Rookie Files: Mesquite

Having only flown two Harris’ Hawks, both of whom are old pros, I didn’t know what to expect when we got a new juvenile. Mesquite, otherwise known as skeet or skeeter, was definitely not what I expected. Eager from the get-go and always learning, I can tell that one day he will be an excellent flyer, once he matures.

Meet Mesquite, the Harris' Hawk 

Mesquite is a juvenile male Harris’ Hawk. He is only a little over a year old and not only is this his first year flying in shows, but it is his very first year in shows period. Mesquite was put on equipment and manned (taught to sit on the glove) this winter. He is very precocious and a quick study. Within a matter of days he was eating in front of us, and only a few weeks later he stepped to the glove and was walked around the ETC.

Mesquite has always allowed us to push the envelope. He was hopping from one glove to another within a couple of months of being introduced to humans. This ready adaptation to humans is not completely uncommon in Harris’ Hawks, which is why many falconers use them and why they are a favorite bird for educational programs.

 Mesquite displaying the juvenile plumage typical of an immature Harris' Hawk

Harris’ Hawks are one of the only social birds of prey. They will actually hunt in family groups of four to seven birds. Hence their nickname “wolves of the sky”. One hawk will chase their prey, for instance a jackrabbit. If the jackrabbit dives for cover in a burrow, that Harris’ Hawk will actually crawl in after it to flush it out. Once it is flushed the jackrabbit is in for quite the surprise, since waiting on the other side is the rest of the family of hawks, and together they would kill their prey and join in the feast. In this social situation however, the young actually get first dibs on the kill. This helps to ensure their survival and the survival of the pack.

 Rifle, an adult Harris' Hawk - note the difference in overall plumage and tail feathers between Rifle and Mesquite

Now, unless you live in the US Southwest, it is unlikely that you have seen this particular species of hawk in the wild. If you are familiar with the Southwest, right about now you’re picturing how very sparse it is in terms of plant life and therefore perching options. Have no fear; the Harris’ Hawks have a great adaptation for this as well. One hawk will land on top of a cactus where the spines are still nice and soft. Then another hawk will come along, carefully ball up its feet and land right on top of that first hawk. This is known as stacking, and up to four Harris’ Hawks have been seen hunting in this manner. Not only does this offer them somewhere to perch, but there are now four sets of eyes on the lookout for food and predators.

Mesquite does not stack with other Harris’ Hawks.  For now he enjoys soaring right over the audience’s head (twice!), and getting used to Malone in the weathering area. If you happen to stop by before shows start (9-10:30ish) then you can see both Mesquite and Malone on display.

 Notice the stripes on Mesquite's tail feathers

Right now you can tell them apart since Mesquite still has his juvenile plumage. His front looks like cookies and cream ice cream as opposed to Malone’s solid brown, and Mesquite’s tail feathers are striped. This coloring would help him to blend into the nest in the wild.

Better hurry though! He already has two white-tipped dark brown tail feathers. They grow up so fast…

Submitted by Leah Tyndall, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Chester

It is with a heavy heart that we inform you that Chester, the Harris' Hawk, has passed away.  He was 27 years old--double the normal lifespan for his species.

Chester originally came to us from a falconer who could not keep him.  He quickly became a favorite of all those who worked with him.  In his long career he has appeared at Busch Gardens Tampa, Louisville Zoo,  Denver Zoo, North Carolina Zoo, and Cleveland MetroParks Zoo, as well as performing at hundreds of other events throughout the country with our Office of Wildlife Learning staff.

For the last several years he has been greeting visitors to our facility from his perch on the upper nature trail.  He will be missed by staff, volunteers and visitors alike.