Week 5:
Feeling Accomplished

June 24, 2021

After this week I am feeling accomplished! To be qualified to handle raptors and do programs on my own, I had to pass the written exam, which I did! This also means I am now able to train my coworker on handling the larger raptors. I am practicing handling the different raptors so I feel more comfortable around them. I am learning a lot about the different ways each raptor has to be handled. I learned that I have to turn my arm so there is more area for the owls to perch on my arm compared to the hawks and falcons. This is information I learned after one of our programs this week.

We had six programs total this week. Four of the programs were on site while two of them were off-site. Three of the programs on-site were for different groups of kids from a Wildlife Camp. At each program, we presented different raptors for the kids. We gave the kids many opportunities to ask questions and make comments. It was fun to hear their comments and figure out how to answer their questions in terms they would understand. A couple kids were really interested in giving the raptors nicknames, and it turned into a competition of who could come up with the best nickname for each bird. The campers asked some great questions some of which I did not know the answer to but their counselors did. Given that, I learned new information while presenting the raptors which was very helpful for future programs.

Presenting Saguaro to the campers

One of the programs we went to off-site this week was at the Swisher Library and the other was at St. Matthew Catholic Elementary School in Cedar Rapids. The Library program was fun because it was a casual group of locals from Swisher with their kids. Everyone sat on the grass while we presented Killy, Zorro, Saguaro, and Wannago. This program was late in the evening which was a whole new experience. The program at St Matthew Catholic Elementary School was indoors with a large group of kids. We brought Serelle, Zorro, Boreas, Wannago, and Duchess. We decided to bring both the great horned owls to this program to get Duchess used to programs and so the kids could see the differences between the two. Unfortunately, Duchess kept bating and was very stressed, so we had to put her away soon after we got her out. Despite that, the kids were very excited to see the owls.

The last program we had this week was on site for the Hawk A Model A Ford Club. This was probably one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. This club drove their cars down the road and parked them in a line. We split the club into groups of three and gave them a tour of the Raptor Project, which they adored. The main reason we had this event was to get them to donate to our fundraiser. The cars were so cool! It was fun to talk to all of the old people about the raptors because when they asked questions, they challenged our knowledge about the raptors.

Throughout the week, when visitors came, I spent some time taking out the bigger raptors to practice presenting them. I got the opportunity to present raptors to some family friends as well, which was a lot of fun! This allowed me to learn more about the raptors and how I wanted to present them during programs. I learned so much about each raptor throughout this week which will help a lot moving forward with programs. I am excited to get the opportunity to go to more programs and eventually lead programs on my own.

We are working on getting our 50-day-old peregrine falcon, Tigerhawk, used to people and intense situations such as loud noises and traffic. We are also getting him used to being on a glove and being touched. The reason for this is because our goal is to use him for education. We brought him to the University of Iowa where there is a lot of traffic and people. This adventure with Tigerhawk was a success! He did great around people, traffic, and all the loud noises. I can’t wait until we can bring Tigerhawk to his first program off-site.