Medina Raptor Center

At the Medina Raptor Center

For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.

~ Leonardo da Vinci

(Quote is from the sign posted on the tree in the above photo.)

Turkey vulture

Way back in May I received notification that I had won a free tour of the Medina Raptor Center through the Western Reserve Land Conservancy‘s Spring Fever contest.  It’s been a busy summer, and I wanted to take my granddaughters, so I didn’t get to go until this past Saturday.  It may not have been the first place prize of the contest, but it was a first place tour and I very much enjoyed it.  The birds are all so beautiful, and I learned a lot.

Cloud, a white red-tailed hawk. Cloud is white due to leucism, not albinism. Cloud may end up getting a blog post of his own.

The girls seemed to enjoy the visit too, although Maddy was a little young for it (she’s 3 years old now) and lost patience near the end.

A note about the photos:  I had a difficult time getting my camera to focus.  I have no idea why.  I tried a number of things, but it just didn’t want to cooperate.  In addition, the lighting was not always good (the birds were often backlit), and birds are alive and moving.  Some of the photos are okay.  Most are not very good at all.  I’m posting them anyhow so you can get a look at some of the birds we saw.  I’ve used a few tricks to try to tweak the worst of them.  The Great Horned Owl below, for instance, was processed in Picasa using “pencil sketch” to help bring out the details of the owl who was in the shadows.

Great Horned Owl

Our tour guide, Laura, was wonderful.  All of the folks who work at the center were wonderful, very friendly and quite knowledgeable about the birds.  If anyone from the center happens to be reading, thank you all so much for taking time out of your busy day to give us such a fantastic tour.

Peregrine Falcon

The reason birds can fly and we can’t is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.

~ J. M. Barrie

Peregrine Falcon close-up.

All of the birds at the Medina Raptor Center were rescued.  If possible, they are rehabilitated and released.  Some were so badly injured they cannot be released.  Most of the birds we saw are in that particular situation.

Red-shouldered hawk

In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.

~ Robert Lynd

Screech Owls

I pray to the birds because they remind me of what I love rather than what I fear.  And at the end of my prayers, they teach me how to listen.

~ Terry Tempest Williams

Migisi, a female bald eagle

One of the things I learned on the tour was that bald eagles make an astonishing amount of noise.  Or maybe it was just Migisi having a particularly vocal day.

That’s it from the Medina Raptor Center for now.  You can learn more about the center at the links I’ve provided.  I’ll bring you some more photos of Cloud, the white red-tailed hawk, soon.

We’ve had a lovely day here in the Bogs.  Sunny, a few clouds here and there, breezy, and not too hot.  That will end tomorrow as we creep back up into the 80s and then the 90s on Friday.  Summer isn’t ready to give way yet.

Today’s view of the pond

Thank you so much for visiting, and coming along with us to the Medina Raptor Center.  It looks like we might have a good sunset this evening.  Feel free to have a seat on the deck to watch.  For a really good view, stand on the balcony at the top of the spiral stairs.

The bee and the jewelweed

Wishing you a delightful day, a wonderful evening, and a restful night, wherever and whenever you are on the spectrum of time.

Advertisement

---