I recently had an opportunity to visit the Carolina Raptor Center outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. This is an non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and rehabilitation of birds of prey. There are a least 25 species of eagles, hawks and owls for viewing all in one location in the woods. All of them are so damaged they cannot be returned to the wild. They do also house raptors for rehabilitation and release when they can. You can see from the photo below that some have had serious wing damage. These photos are photo-shopped extensively since they were somewhat out of focus and had to be taken with a link fence both in front and behind the birds. To the right of this bird below and hidden behind a screen there was a female sitting on two eggs on a nest! The nesting could be viewed from a mounted camera in the gift shop.
They also had a golden eagle building a nest for his sweetheart. If you are ever in the area of Huntersville, North Carolina, this is a great place to stop.
And if watching raptors makes you hungry there is a great BBQ place just a few miles down the road.
They also had a golden eagle building a nest for his sweetheart. If you are ever in the area of Huntersville, North Carolina, this is a great place to stop.
oh wow...some great close ups....we used to have a raptor rehab place nearby when we lived in MD...i like to go and see them...
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures, especially the detail of the first one. Got to visit the raptor rehab in Sitka last year. A wild & woody looking place.
ReplyDeleteI am fascinated with raptors and get a little obsessed with the Decorah Eagles now that they're about ready to lay eggs again. Incredible birds.
ReplyDeleteIts great that people look after these birds, and that you can visit them Tabor - Dave
ReplyDeleteLove that first pic!
ReplyDeleteAmazing photos!!
ReplyDeleteWowzers
Hugs
SueAnn
I think golden eagles are incredibly beautiful birds. What a great photo shopping effort here. Lovely work, Tabor!! Our local zoo has a raptor area where we can visit birds that have battle damage scars. I suppose it's kind to protect them. Do they become depressed? We need more exposure to understand them. Thanks for sharing Tabor.
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