Adventures Of The Blaufuss Family: Klamath Falls birds & Extra Pictures

On Thursday we attended a Birds of Prey show given by the Badger Run Wildlife Rehab volunteers. We didn't know this, but they give shows here at the Running Y every Thursday and they bring different bird/animals every time. I think this will be our new Thursday activity when we return from Fresno.

They brought a Swainson Hawk (picture below) who was hit by a car. He can fly, but will never be released back in to the wild do to long term injuries. They said that most birds that come in their sanctuary are either hit by cars or electrocuted. If you want to learn more or read about the Swainson Hawk just click on the high lighted name above. Here are just a few facts about them: Slightly smaller than a Red Tailed Hawk, They are low flying birds, they feed mainly on large insects like dragonflies, grasshoppers, etc. They are also pretty smart birds do to them following tractors and wildfires to feed on injured animals.

Jeff and the boys taking a picture with the Great Horned Owl.

This guy was pretty cool and unfortunately he was electrocuted and had to have one of his wings amputated. It's so sad to think that these birds will never fly or live in the wild again. To have these great wings for soaring through the air that will no longer feel the air flow through them breaks my heart. They are so beautiful.

Just a few facts about this guy: it's horns are neither ears nor horns, just tufts, their eyes are as large of humans, they do not move their eyes, they move their heads 270 degrees, their hearing is better than the vision, their right ear is slightly higher than the left so they can pinpoint horizontal and vertical direction of sound.

This little guy was my favorite He is known as a Kestrel. This is the smallest of the falcons. This little guy was hit by a car and lost an eye and injured his wing. Being that these great birds are known for spectacular vision, he is no longer a great hunter. Some fun facts: their long tails are a good way to distinguish them, keen eyesight, almost near ultraviolet vision, they are divers, they can hover and pounce, also known to ambush their prey. This bird is also known for its ability to take down sparrows. They hover is the air watching and then dive bomb the small bird knocking it to the grown. Could you imagine?

OMG! I do this every time! I just deleted a picture!

I guess I will just have to tell you about him, Red Tail hawk. The one we saw was also hit by a car and had a paralysed wing. We always see these in our backyard here in Klamath Falls. They live in the trees off of our patio and boy do we get some great shows! Facts about this beautiful bird: known as the chicken hawk, but rarely preys on chickens, most common of the hawks, their feather are sacred by some tribes and are used in religious ceremonies, use their wings less to conserve energy and they also hover, travel 20 to 40 mph, when diving the exceed 120 mph and are very vocal.

The 2 pictures below are just a couple things I wanted to share with you. The butterfly was to pretty to not take a picture. I got so close and it just stayed there. I wish all the spider webs weren't there though!