Can't afford some of these trips or classes? That's alright. Wye Marsh has a Birds of Prey show every Sunday, rain or shine, indoors for rain. Call before you head out, sometimes illness can cause a cancellation, and check out all the trails while you are there for a chance at practicing your other photography skills.
So now it's time to meet the birds. I'm sure if you follow my on Flickr or Facebook, you will be sick of seeing these guys in the future as I work my way through the amazing shots. I will also be returning for a "Birds in Flight" course, so I am really looking forward to what birds Matt will bring out this time. BTW Matt has 85 birds, that cost $1.25/day each to feed. What a job!
You can see the jess's on these birds as they were perched on this log in the field just for us. First up is Axle! He is a Eurasian Eagle Owl, largest of the owls. I have the fortunate experience of being able to hold him last year when I first went to the Wye Mash.
The above photo was taken on my camera by my sister-in-law Danielle. Without her we would not have had that experience, since she is the one that asked if we could hold them. Didn't occur to me to ask, but you can be sure I do now. Thanks Danielle!
This is Jimmer the Barn Owl, very cool bird, and really something to see in flight. These birds are becoming threatened in the wild because we are destroying their original habitat, and they are slowly losing their second habitat on the farms.
I don't recall his name but he is a very young Tawny Owl, another eurasian bird. He still has his down feathers, so adorable.
This is a young Peregrine Falcon. The blue coloration on his beak and legs will change soon to the orange/yellow that we are used to seeing on these birds.
A young Lanner Falcon, very new just off the block, and she did very well for having all of us moving around her. She stayed very calm and even surprised the Falconer on how well she did.
Saved the best for last. This is Einstein, also known as Eini! This is the coolest bird I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Personally I think he looks like a Jim Henson muppet lol. He is a Spectacled Owl. This guy hails from Costa Rica. He also makes the coolest noises of all the birds. If I ever take up Falconry, this is the first bird on my list. Only a cool $3000.00 or so to purchase plus the $1.25 a day to feed, not to mention the facilities needed to keep him. I thought photography was expensive. Still, he was just soooo cool! lol!
If you are thinking about doing one of these courses I highly recommend them, even if you are only into photography for fun, or hobby. This was still an amazing experience. Thank-you to David and Matt for making it happen.
