Raptor Road Trip

Two bald eagles; and adult (top) and a juvenile (bottom).

Sandhill cranes.

Last year we went on the Raptor Road Trip for the first time, and we didn't want to miss it this year for anything!  We saw lots of familiar faces this year from our homeschool group, so it was quite an event.  The Raptor Road Trip takes place on Sauvie Island, a paradise for birds.  To  explore much of Sauvie Island's natural areas, a parking permit is required, so this is included in the fee, along with a map of viewing locations and guides to bird identification.  At the viewing locations, naturalists were posted with some amazing scopes and a wealth of information to share.  After visiting the viewing locations, we headed to Howell Territorial Park , where the Portland Audubon Society had their education birds and tables of bird specimens to see up close.  An important part of their mission is wildlife rehabilitation, and they had two birds which had been injured but were ready to be released.  The first was a sharp-shinned hawk which was injured in a collision with a window.  It is estimated that somewhere between a hundred million and a billion birds are killed each year in collisions with windows (really!), and the problem is much worse in big cities where skyscrapers are illuminated after dark during key migration periods.  (The Portland Audubon Society has a program called Lights Out Portland to encourage businesses to turn out their lights at sunset.) This particular bird was lucky; it had been in their care for about a month and was finally judged recovered  enough for release.  The second bird was a red-tailed hawk.  It was found in a chicken coop with minor injuries and was ready to be released after a week.  Watching the birds being released was thrilling!

Sauvie Island wetlands.

American robins.

Bald eagle nest.

Red-tailed hawk.

The sharp-shinned hawk ready for release.

The sharp-shinned hawk flies away.

The red-tailed hawk ready for release.

And it's off!

The red-tailed hawk came to rest in a tree.

Julio the great horned owl.

Aristophanes the raven.

Ruby the turkey vulture.

A young Audubon Society volunteer tells Jasper all about bird claw adaptations.