While the Toronto Raptors are having difficulties on the basketball court, raptors of the feathered variety owned the floor at the 68th annual Lions Sportsman Show at the McIntyre Arena Conference Room.
A raptor is any animal such as birds of prey that use their talons to capture, subdue and eat their prey.
Five raptors were featured in a show put on by the Canadian Raptor Conservancy in front of a packed house in the room next to the McIntyre Ballroom.
Sammy the Bald Eagle was clearly the star of the show and he was brought out last by his handler.
The bald eagles were almost extinct in Ontario and had stopped nesting in Southern Ontario.
But because of water pollution laws and regulations and the banning lead shot in hunting the bald eagle, the U.S. A.’s symbol and icon made a tremendous comeback and was taken off the list of endangered species in Ontario.
The bald eagle which gets its name because of the white features around the head of the adult is completely brown until its fourth years when it acquires the white plumage that graces its head.
In the Timmins area the bald eagle and other hawks can be seen from late July to the end of September.
The other birds of prey that were on display were the Harris Hawk, which is native to Arizona; the Red-Tailed Hawk which can be frequently seen sitting atop of hydro poles along Ontario’s highways; a barn owl and a tiny four ounce hawk known as an American Kestrel.
All the birds of prey except the bald eagle were allowed to fly from one sitting post arranged in the conference room to the other at the opposite end of the room.
The Canadian Raptor Conservancy was established in 1997 and has a centre near Port Dover, Ontario.
The organization domestically produces, raises and trains birds of prey.
They breed 30 different species of raptors and also operate a rehab centre for injured wild raptors.
Their mission is to educate people about birds of prey and their continuing important role in our natural world.
Education through entertainment!
For more information visit www.canadianraptorconservancy.com.
