Yellowstone Road Trip 2017: World Center for Birds of Prey

Day 2, Tuesday, July 25, 2017

We woke up in Farewell Bend State Park on a cooler, but still hot, and still breezy morning.  I took a shower – the water took a long time to warm up so most of it was cold… Then we had omelettes and chocolate muffins for breakfast.  We live such a rough camping life! Tear down and packing the car took a bit of time, as it was our first attempt at re-Tetrising on the road.  I had my stuff packed and ready to go long before the kids, so I helped their parents try to wrangle them and we got on the road at 9:30.

Our next stop was at the World Center for Birds of Prey.  I had been there once before, in 2013 and loved it! The World Center for Birds of Prey was founded by the Peregrine Fund, as a conservation and education center. They are a group dedicated to the ancient sport of falconry.  Peregrines have been used in falconry for over 3,000 years, and the group wanted to save them for the sport.  Peregrines are the fastest animal on earth, diving at speeds more than 200 mph while hunting.

Peregrine Falcon

Their first conservation mission began in 1970, to save the Peregrine Falcon from extinction – the Peregrines and other birds of prey had become threatened due to the agricultural pesticide DDT, which causes birds to lay eggs with thin shells.  The breeding program and legislation to ban DDT were so successful that the Peregrine Falcon was removed from the Endangered Species list in 1999.  They are doing so well now that the Center no longer breeds them for release into the wild; they are focusing their efforts on other, still endangered, species.

While we were there, we saw a demonstration on a Lanner Falcon, which is native to the Mediterranean area.  He was beautiful, and we all loved seeing him up close.  We learned about the malar stripes, which reduce glare on the bird’s eyes as they hunt.  It’s where football players got the idea.

Lanner Falcon

We watched the movie on the work of the center, and I also loved seeing the success story of the Peregrine Falcon (removed from the endangered species list in 1999), as well as the California Condor, which in great part is due to the efforts of the World Center for Birds of Prey has gone from only 22 individuals remaining in the world to 446 in captivity and in the wild as of the end of 2016.  We also checked out the birds on display inside.

Swainson’s Hawk

Orange Breasted Falcon

Gyrfalcon (pronounced “jeer” falcon)

Aplomado Falcon

When we went back outside after touring the indoor exhibits, we split up and I was lucky enough to find two bird handlers with a male and female American Kestrel.  They look so different from each other – it was very cool to see them up close!  They are very small falcons, and the females are larger than the males, which is common among birds of prey.  Also very interesting is that Kestrels can hover, in order to ambush and swoop down on their prey!

American Kestrel Male

 

American Kestrel Female

The center also has several birds on exhibit outdoors, including a Bald Eagle, a Turkey Vulture, a Peregrine and my favorites, the Bataleur Eagles.  These eagles were 45 and 47 years old when I visited in 2013, so now they are 50 and 52 years old!  They were hatched in 1966 and 1968.  The birds here are not able to be released in the wild, either due to the fact that they were imprinted on humans when they were young or due to an injury they suffered previously.  The Center uses them as education birds, teaching students and community members about the species and their conservation efforts.

 

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Bataleur Eagle

Bataleur Eagle

Bataleur Eagle

I was sure they wouldn’t be interested, but after we told them about it, the kids really wanted to do the tour of the archive.  The archive, of course has books and information on the history of falconry, but it also has exhibits and artifacts related to falconry.  There are falconry hoods and perches, radio and early GPS tracking systems, and artwork related to falconry.  There is also a 20 x 12 foot traditional goat-hair hunting tent from Syria.  The archive was made possible in large part from a donation from Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, son of Sheikh Zayed, the Founding President of the United Arab Emirates and a falconer himself.  I guess it goes to show that it pays to know people…  I was surprised to see how much the kids enjoyed seeing it, especially the hunting tent, and they listened attentively to the guide during the tour.

 

Teeny tiny falcon hoods

Falconry Perches

Houbara-Bustard – a prey bird of Africa

After the archive, we had a snack and got on the road again.  Our plan had been to head over to Craters of the Moon National Monument, not thinking we were going to be at the World Center for Birds of Prey for so long.  What an issue to have!  So sadly, by the time we got to Craters, there weren’t any campsites available – they are first-come first-served.  After a bit of discussion, we decided that we would do Craters on the way home.  So that evening we really just breezed through…

At this point, it was getting late and starting to get dark and we still didn’t have a campsite…  A call to a KOA RV Park in Arco, Idaho and we had a site!  We got checked in and my brother took the kids over to the pool while Susanna and I got tents up and dinners started.  Cooking dinner over a camp stove in the dark with a headlamp is always interesting!  We had noodle pasta with hamburger and salad.  Not gourmet, but it hit the spot!  We had picked up a bottle of wine on our travels that day, and Susanna and I enjoyed some wine while cooking and during dinner too.

After dinner, and after booting the kids to bed, Michael, Susanna and I stayed up talking and enjoying our bevvies – wine for the girls and a bit of whisky for my brother, before turning in for the night.  Another great day…

 

Distance for the Day: 4 hours, 58 minutes; 282 miles
World Center for Birds of Prey: $10.00 adults, $8 seniors, $5  youth ages 4 to 16. 
Craters of the Moon KOA, Arco, Idaho: $30 for a tent site (if I remember correctly)

 

Boise Roadtrip: The World Center for Birds of Prey

After visiting the Old Idaho Penitentiary with me the day before, it was Jon’s turn to choose a touristy activity.  Of course, he hadn’t really done any research ahead of time, so he is lucky that we drove past an informational road sign on our way into Boise, stating that the World Center for Birds of Prey was nearby.  That got him curious enough to look it up online and declare that that’s what he was interested in seeing.

The center is a couple miles outside of town, a pleasant drive through strip malls, urban sprawl, and then agricultural land.  It is located at the top of a hill, and it overlooks the valley below, which is designated as a wildlife preserve.  The World Center for Birds of Prey was founded by the Peregrine Fund, as a conservation and education center for… well, duh… birds of prey.  I had heard of the Peregrine Fund before, but had never really thought about what their mission is – I learned that they are actually a group dedicated to the ancient sport of falconry.  That’s right – the Peregrine Fund is a sportsman association for hunters who use falcons to kill other birds – including other birds of prey.

At the center, they are pretty candid about this sordid connection and explain that conservation is part of their mission, because they need the prey birds to remain at healthy numbers in order to be able to continue their sport.  That got me thinking – I really don’t agree with the concept of sport hunting (using birds or otherwise) but I suppose they do have a point.

Their first conservation mission began in 1970, to save the Peregrine Falcon from extinction – the Peregrines and other birds of prey had become threatened due to the agricultural pesticide DDT, which causes birds to lay eggs with thin shells.  The breeding program and legislation to ban DDT were so successful that the Peregrine Falcon was removed from the Endangered Species list in 1999.

We bought tickets (AAA got us a discount) and listened to a kind, older gentleman give the intro before heading through the double doors back outside into a fenced area.  The man explained that the birds are not able to be released into the wild for various reasons; either they have been injured or because they are too imprinted on humans.  The center doesn’t take in wild birds though; because they are a breeding center for critically endangered birds, they cannot afford to risk diseases getting into the center.

Once we stepped outside, we were in a sunny courtyard with several benches and natural landscaping.  Around the edges of the courtyard, there were several gorgeous birds on perches in enclosures.  The center has two Bateleur Eagles, native to Africa, who were raised from birth by humans and are imprinted.  They were hatched in 1966 and 1968 – making them 45 and 47 years old!

Bateleur Eagle – Native to Africa

I had never seen a Bateleur Eagle before (nor had I even heard of them), and I was struck by how beautiful they are.  They are considered medium sized eagles, but they seemed large to me – and they are all black with red orange feet and faces.  Also on display were a Bald Eagle, an Ornate Hawk Eagle (native to South America), and a Peregrine Falcon.

Bald Eagle

In another enclosure, the center has three California Condors, two adults and a juvenile.  The story of the California Condor is an interesting one.  Over the last hundred years, the condor population declined significantly due to habitat loss, hunting and lead poisoning because Condors eat the carcasses of animals discarded by hunters.  The shot used to kill other animals often contains lead, and the pellets were ingested by the Condors as they were feeding on the carcass.  Add to that the fact that Condors only raise one chick every other year – although they will hatch a second egg in a year if something happens to the first egg.

As a result, the wild population plummeted to 22 – that’s right – there were only 22 California Condors remaining in the world in 1982.  The drastic decision was made  to capture all of the remaining Condors and begin breeding them in captivity – the capture was completed in 1987.  The World Center for Birds of Prey has 20 breeding pairs of Condors – and they have released several Condors near the Grand Canyon in Arizona.  To date this year (as of June when we were there) the center had hatched 14 eggs!

California Condor Adult – Native to California and Arizona

The program is not without some controversy, but there is no way to deny that it has had success.  Currently, there are 226 Condors in the wild and another 179 in captivity.  And they are beautiful to see – these birds have the largest wingspan of any North American bird, about 9.5 feet!  They eat carrion and have the characteristic bald head of a vulture, and always worth mentioning, they poop on their feet to keep cool in the hot desert sun.  How’s that for making good use of your resources?!  In their enclosure, they have enough room to do a bit of flying, although in the wild they will soar at altitudes of up to 15,000 feet, looking for their next meal.  Amazing!

After seeing the birds outside, we went inside, where there is a small museum and some other birds.  The museum contains exhibits on falconry, the captive breeding program and specimens of many bird of prey, ranging from the very small to the very large.  It is disconcerting to see dead animals preserved, but it does allow you to compare the different birds to each other to see differences in size and appearance.

Orange Breasted Falcon – Range from Southern Mexico to Argentina

Inside, we saw:

• Gyrfalcons – native to the Arctic and threatened by global warming
• Eurasian Eagle Owl – the largest of the tufted owls – native to Northern and Southern Europe
• Turkey Vulture – native to the Americas and the Caribbean
• Orange Breasted Falcon – native from Southern Mexico to Northern Argentina
• Aplomado Falcons – Endangered – native from the Southern United States to Southern Mexico

Eurasian Eagle Owl – Native to Northern and Southern Europe

The Center also breeds Aplomado Falcons – in 2012 their 24 breeding pairs hatched 74 chicks!  These falcons are released in Texas and New Mexico to repopulate areas where the birds had not been seen since the 1950s.  During our visit, they had demonstrations of various birds they care for – we watched one with a Western Screech Owl.  That little guy was super cute!  It was an opportunity to see the bird up close and to hear a bit about what they eat and how they live.  I did kind of want to take him home though!

I really enjoyed our visit and learned a lot – if you are in the area, you should definitely go.  It is well worth the time.