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| A close-up of Harris's Hawk, held by raptor expert Bill Clark. Teresa Shumaker Photo. |
I had the wonderful privilege of going on a raptor trapping trip with the local Audubon Society last month. Bill Clark, an expert at trapping and banding raptors, gave us an up-close look at his job. Although the weather was cold, overcast, and windy (not the best weather for catching raptors) he was able to trap a juvenile Harris's Hawk and a male American Kestrel. Here is a photo essay of that trip.
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| Bill Clark with the Harris's Hawk. Teresa Shumaker photo. |
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| When Clark catches a bird to band, he measures the bird and takes photos of field markers for future identification. Teresa Shumaker photo. |
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| One field marker - the inside of the wing. Teresa Shumaker photo. |
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| Look at that sharp line on the top of this birds head. Gorgeous. Teresa Shumaker photo. |
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| Another important area of filed markers is the coloring on the tail. Teresa Shumaker photo. |
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| Here is Clark with the American Kestrel, a very small falcon. Teresa Shumaker photo |
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| Such a gorgeous bird. Look at those tell-tale black streaks on its face. All falcons have a variation of this black marking. Teresa Shumaker photo. |
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| Banding the leg. Teresa Shumaker photo. |
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| Afterwards, we went out to eat. And it is important to know, true birders have manners, we all "puddle-stomped" to wash the mud off of our shoes from our day's adventures. Teresa Shumaker photo. |
