Raptors!

Had a wonderful shoot at the Medina Raptor Center on December 8. The Center rehabs injured raptors as well as other animals. Only one of the birds we had the good fortune to photograph is likely to be able to return to the wild, and that was a juvenile osprey.  Josh Clark, an excellent nature photographer and coordinator for MPEG, made the arrangements for 15 photographers. The weather was frigid, which was good, because that meant the snowy owl could come out. Here are a few of the photos. I hope to post more soon, including the snowy owl.

This is a red-tailed hawk. His name is Owati, which means Mischief,

 

Victory, ruffling his feathers at the crowd of photographers, is an adult osprey. I saw one of his kin flying over the Snake River when Chuck and I were on our death-defying off-road expedition in Grand Teton National Park.

Cloud is a luecistic red-tailed hawk, not quite an albino because they have pigmented eyes and legs. This guy lived in an area with a lot of limestone, so his coloring didn't make him a target for larger predators.

And finally, the bald eagle Migisi. He looks all fierce and noble here - and he is a gorgeous bird - but he was basically checking out his handler for more snacks.

 

More information on the Medina Raptor Center can be found here: http://medinaraptorcenter.org/.