Finally! Pup and I made it out to Birds of Prey

[clovishound]

Had a good day out. There were two school buses pulled up before the demonstration, and the Pup and I grained. Turned out they were a very well behaved group and didn't cause any problems at all. Got a few shots.

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[clovishound]

I thought this one was amusing.

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As was this one.

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[markiver54]

Great pics! Are those first two, of second post Vultures?

[clovishound]

Yes, black vultures. Turkey vultures are what we normally see around here, but black vultures are native to South Carolina as well. This guy was found on the ground as a hatchling and some folks took him home, where he imprinted on humans. Since he couldn't be released back into the wild, they trained him as an "ambassador" for their demonstrations. Ironically, these birds nest on the ground, so he was just fine where he was when found. The folks had good intentions, but ended up doing the wrong thing.

This guy was hit by a car. He is in the first picture. This is his other profile.

He's otherwise healthy, but would not do well with only one eye.

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All their trained "ambassador" birds are either unable to be returned to the wild, or products of captive breeding.

[Cofisher]

Love the raptors. Great experience. Thanks

[clovishound]

The owls are really good at flying close to things. I was changing a setting on my camera when this guy flew literally inches from my face.

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[North Country Gal]

Love it. Thanks for sharing.

[bikeridertim]

Is that at the Raptor Center near Charlotte?? That place is AWESOME!!

[clovishound]

No, it's the Birds of Prey Center in Awendaw, SC. It's about a half an hour north of Charleston SC.

They do raptor rescue work, and public outreach. They have scaled back on the demonstrations, since COVID, but still do one demo 3 or 4 days a week. They provide medical/rehab for many hundreds of birds each year, as well as many outreach programs to inform the public.


https://www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/

[markiver54]

It is fantastic that places like that exist. Raptors are such majestic creatures.

[clovishound]

They are most impressive in flight.

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[markiver54]

Your pics are absolutely amazing. You certainly capture their beauty and agility. I appreciate you sharing them.

[bikeridertim]

No, it's the Birds of Prey Center in Awendaw, SC. It's about a half an hour north of Charleston SC.

They do raptor rescue work, and public outreach. They have scaled back on the demonstrations, since COVID, but still do one demo 3 or 4 days a week. They provide medical/rehab for many hundreds of birds each year, as well as many outreach programs to inform the public.


https://www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/

Looks Awesome!! Love the Raptors!

[clovishound]

Don't encourage me to post more pictures!



This little guy always gets a couple of "How cute!" comments from the crowd when they bring him out.

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[clovishound]

This is a test.

Trying a higher resolution upload to see if it works and how much better it looks on the forum.

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[dave77]

Looks good. Good detail even if you open it in a new tab and enlarge it.

[clovishound]

I saved it as a 2000 long side pixel JPG. I have been using 1000 pixel. Most forums have a maximum file size for picture uploads. I've noticed a lot of my uploaded pictures just don't look sharp, even though the full sized versions are extremely sharp.

[CT_Shooter]

This is a test.
Trying a higher resolution upload to see if it works and how much better it looks on the forum.

Sharp as a razor. You've got some great glass and you know how to use it. Thanks for sharing these photos with us.

[markiver54]

One word...Wow!

[clovishound]

You've got some great glass and you know how to use it.

You could write a ZZ Top song with that quote.

Thanks to all for the kind words. I'm thinking seriously about attending one of the photography days they have at the center. It's probably worth what they charge since you get a half day with them bringing out all the birds that demonstrate. They also give extended demonstrations with the focus on the folks being able to photograph them. The Pup and I went a while back, unfortunately, I was using the old Canon we have, and couldn't find the telephoto lens for it. I came back with virtually nothing, but the Pup came home with some great stuff. Of course, I was going mainly for her.

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