Monday, February 24, 2025

Boyd Hill Nature Preserve Raptor Fest - Part 2

Continuing from the previous post about Raptor Fest at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St Petersburg, Florida, one of the featured birds was this male Aplomado Falcon named Gila who put on a fantastic flying demonstration.

Aplomado Falcon
 
He wore a transmitter in case he decided to fly out of the immediate area. 

Aplomado Falcon

Aplomado Falcons are native to Mexico and South America.

Aplomado Falcon

Aplomado Falcon

Aplomado Falcon

Gila, being a falcon, flew around at breakneck speed, making photos a challenge. He whizzed over my head several times, so I felt lucky to get the shots I did. Although we have falcons in the city, I don't often get to see them show off their top flying speed.

Aplomado Falcon

Aplomado Falcon

Another popular star of the show was this leucistic Red-Tailed Hawk. I first met him last year, and wrote a post about him.

Leucistic Red-Tailed Hawk

Leucistic Red-Tailed Hawk

This hawk was doing fine on his own in the wild until he consumed poisoned prey. Someone found him and took him to a rehabber who found he had a problem with his left eye, and was determined to be unreleasable. 
 
Leucistic Red-Tailed Hawk

Leucistic Red-Tailed Hawk

Leucistic Red-Tailed Hawk

It's interesting to note this hawk's plumage appears whiter than it did last year. I don't know much about leucism, but wonder if it can become more apparent with each molt.

Leucistic Red-Tailed Hawk

One bird I associate with Florida and the Southwest is the Crested Caracara.

Crested Caracara

Crested Caracara
 
I saw my first one in the wild a year ago as it perched on a fence by the side of a road. This event enabled me to get a closer look at its wonderful plumage.
 
Crested Caracara

All the birds shown at Boyd Hill are rescues unable to live on their own in the wild. They provide a great opportunity to learn not only about their species, but also about the dangers they face living in a human-dominated environment.
 
More close-ups to come in the next post.

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