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Friday, February 20, 2015

Road Trip ~ Eagle Days


Yes, Colorado can be quite brown in the winter - especially on the plains
The Great Outdoors beckoned to us the past few weekends. The weather has been too nice to stay home. So into the trusty roadtrip car [who just got a new set of 'shoes'] we went and headed south to attend Pueblo Eagle Days in a town south of us.



The event was held at the reservoir outside of town where a large group of Bald Eagles nest for the winter. The Eagles roost in the cottonwoods below the dam and hunt the local plains and fish in the reservoir.

Eagle & Owl

Male Golden Eagle - smaller than the female Golden Eagle
Female Golden Eagle - 25+ years old
Even though the only Bald Eagle we saw was a bit 'larger than life', we did get to see many raptors from the local Nature and Raptor Center of Pueblo. These birds had all been injured in some way and their injuries did not allow them to be re-released into the wild. Now they are ambassadors for the facility. 

Oberon the Barred Owl
Great Horned Owl
Barn Owl
The Falcons from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs were also there. Two of the Falcons were tame enough that people could gently pet their breast.



And we did get to see a couple other ambassadors - Talon, the Red-tailed Hawk and Elbert, the Bighorn Sheep who are mascots for the Colorado Dept. of Parks and Wildlife.

Looking forward to the Owl Festival in March!
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3 comments:

  1. the dogs' motherFebruary 20, 2015 at 10:13 AM

    When the kids were little their grandmother did talks with birds of prey at the High Desert Museum in Central Oregon. The kids got to see all the behind the scenes stuff and help with the talk, such as hold up illustrations and such. Our favorite was a Barn Owl named, of course, Owliver.

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  2. Robin LarkspurFebruary 20, 2015 at 11:47 AM

    That looks like a great roadtrip. I think raptors are amazing and beautiful.
    I have to say tho, that the mascots in costume look a bit, um, dodgy.

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  3. Debra She Who SeeksFebruary 20, 2015 at 1:42 PM

    Fun event! I've only ever seen a bald eagle in the wild once and it was a magnificent sight that I'll never forget.

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