WBU Kentwood Michgan

If you weren't at our store on Saturday January 22nd you missed an amazing Birds of Prey Show Presented By Joe Rogers, Head of the Wildlife Recovery Association. But no worries! It won't be the last show we have, in fact, we have at least one show every year!

The Bird of Prey show is definitely and eye opener for the kids as well as very educational. Joe Rogers is full of information on these beautiful creatures, as he has devoted years studying these creatures and has been involved in many rescues and releases of these birds. Unfortunately for the birds that he brought in to show, they are unable to be released into the wild because they cannot fend for themselves, they have been injured beyond the point of releasing.

This is a spectacular picture of Midnight, the Arctic dwelling hawk

Among the birds he brought in, my favorite was the Great Horned Owl and the Kestral. The Great Horned Owl, as Joe Rogers pointed out, wanted nothing to do with the crowd here! Owls are nocturnal so he was frightened by all of the people, and I'm pretty sure he didn't want to be up either! The Kestrals on the other hand, weren't scared at all! They were used to being up during the daytime, as they are daytime hunters. The Kestral was making loud squawking noises that definitely got the attention of the audience!

A beautiful picture of Midnight the Arctic dwelling hawk

I think the big eye catcher for most people was the Arctic dwelling hawk named Midnight. Every time Joe brings him in I'm just in awe of his beauty; his silvery beak, in contrast with his beautiful dark grey feathers. Joe explained that during the winter time, these beautiful birds will make their way all the way here into Michigan, so we might be able to get a snapshot of these hawks, though they are rare, so Joe said that most likely we would just think it's a more common hawk flying in the sky.

Joe Roger looking through the nose cavity of the Vulture

Another visitor, however unwanted or unloved, was the Vulture, who was nothing short of amazing. Joe was telling us that you can see through their nose cavity, he even demonstrated, as you will see in this picture to the right that his nose cavity is hollow! They are made this way because it helps keep the vultures cleaner as they eat. Another characteristic of these ominous birds is the way that they slouch while perching in a tree, and as i conversed with a guest we agreed that they look shady doing so! Vultures are definitely an interesting bird, one that you might have difficulty even putting in the same category as hawks and owls. As Joe mentioned that they are not the fastest of the birds of prey as they are known to sit and wait for their food, rather than chasing it down. But as we all know, that is typical of vultures.

We had many other birds including a Saw Whet Owl and a Screech Owl that Joe brought in to talk about, as well as some samples of pellets and feathers! He explained these artifacts to the audience and explained the importance of why he brought them in. Joe educated us on how we could tell what an owl ate if we dissected a pellet, which the bird throws up after eating; which I'm sure we will all go out and do that on our next visit out to the woods, right?!

Thanks to Joe Rogers and Wild Birds Unlimited's partnership we try and bring awareness to the community about the amazing creatures that we have on this earth. The show educates young minds and prepares them for the future so that they can carry on the responsibility of caring for the wildlife and wild places in the community. Joe Rogers has always worked very hard to bring attention to these special creatures. If you would like to know more information on Joe Rogers or wild birds unlimited feel free to contact us, all questions are welcomed. We also have a link to the Wildlife Recovery Association on our website, where Joe Rogers is director of the association. Thank you to everyone who made this years Birds of Prey show such a success. Thank you for your patronage, we are solely here because of you.