Wild animals have always fascinated me and I think there are not many that have the beauty and majestic nature of the birds of prey. While we were at the Bloom ‘N Garden Expo on Saturday there was a table set up from a wildlife rescue group. I wish I remembered the name of the group so I could give them credit for the work they do. If anyone reading this post was there and knows the name of the group let me know and I’ll edit it into this post. They brought with them three birds that had been injured through accidents or the malicious actions of people.
The first bird you see here is relatively common in Tennessee and other parts of the county. Meet Aubrey. She’s a red-tailed hawk that was shot and injured. She had a good recovery and is now serving to educate people about birds like herself. If you can’t tell she likes getting her picture taken. She looked right at me for it!
Red-tailed hawks and other birds of prey (raptors) eat all kinds of small game like small rodents, snakes, and birds. Their eye site is up to eight times better than a humans. It would have to be in order to see food from those heights.
You can see in the back of this picture the American crow. I didn’t get a close-up of him since crows are pretty common.
Another feathered friend at the expo was the screech owl. This little bird was hit by a car. Apparently this is quite common since they haven’t learned that cars are a threat. Screech owls enjoy a variety of food from small rodents to fish and insects. These little guys can eat all the rodents they want in my yard!
We have a pair of Red Shoulder hawks that nest in our front woods. I wish they would eat more moles and voles as tunnels are always in our yard! Found a new tunnel (highway) yesterday under the bird feeders!
The crows have discovered the suet feeder pole this year. Not too happy about that as they can wipe out an entire suet cake in no time at all….
I spotted a dead turkey on the side of the road today. Sad to see such a beautiful bird killed by a car. The buzzards will have a meal though.
The owls are all gorgeous and it sounds like an awesome day. If you had the little girl with you I bet she either fell in love with the owls or was scared by them, esp if it screeched!
Skeeter,
I’m not sure the hawks will go after the moles since they stay underground so much. Get a garden hose and shove it in the tunnel then turn it on for a few minutes. That might flush them out. I’d rather not have the crows around either. Seems like the hawks might like to got after them. Thanks for the pictures! I haven’t gotten to them yet but I will soon!
Jean,
Grace loved the birds. She tried to walk right up to the hawk. We had to tell her that it was a wild animal and not like our kitty cat. She sure thought they were interesting though!
Dave, actually the crows go after the hawks! I see the hawks sitting in the top of a tree and the crows dive bomb them. I have seen the Blue jays do that also….
We also have the Voles which are the ones that eat the plants. The Moles only eat the grubs… The Voles run around during the day looking for the Mole tunnels. I catch them at times and take them to farmland nearby. I just can’t kill a thing ya know. But if the hawks want to eat them that’s fine by me because that is nature doing its thing!
I like this display. I think they also go to the Nashville Lawn and Garden show each year and are so educational for me!