Raptors of the High Desert Museum

~ melaniereynolds

Raptors of the High Desert Museum

By Melanie Reynolds

At the end of August my family drove down to Oregon to visit a very dear friend of ours before school started. We drove through Portland, had lunch in Gresham, wound our way through the beautiful forests in the shadow of Mount Hood and eventually dropped down into the modest canyon lands of the high desert outside Madras. All in all, a six-hour drive for us from our home in Washington state.

Please meet some of my newest friends’ worth fighting for:

Swainson’s Hawk

A huge shout out to the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon for their fantastic raptor show and conservation work! These gorgeous birds are survivors, for one reason or another, they are not able to be fully rehabilitated and released back into the wild. As such, they now live here as ambassadors of their species. https://highdesertmuseum.org/

The two biggest threats to Raptors are:

  • Rodenticides that do more than just poison the rats and mice, it poisons up the food chain.
  • Over-developing large swaths of forests, fields, and prairies.

Swainson’s Hawk

While I loved all the Raptors. I immediately felt bonded with this Swainson’s Hawk who seemed reluctant to leave the perch closest to me. They’re supposed to fly over our heads from perch to perch following the treats their handlers put out, but this one seemed content to hang out with me. They were feeling extra cute today. Is that not a happy raptor look?

Swainson’s Hawk 2
Swainson’s Hawk 3

Harris’s Hawk

This one definitely had their eye own the prize, living up to the American idiom “to watch something like a hawk.” (To watch with shrewdness, ready to strike.)

Harris’s Hawk

Turkey Vulture

The largest raptor we got to meet. While many people may not like their role as nature’s cleanup crew, it is a vital role, nonetheless.

Turkey Vulture

Gyrfalcon

This falcon was not able to fly the circuit above our heads, but it still got the chance to come out and say “Hi” while one of the handlers answered questions. The Gyrfalcon is the largest falcon in the world.

Gyrfalcon

Peregrine Falcon

The most well-known type of falcon, I believe. Every time I hear the name I can’t help thinking of the children’s horror book series: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I liked it! I should give the 2016 movie a try, but I digress. The Peregrine is a beautiful raptor to have the opportunity to see up close.

Peregrine Falcon

Barn Owl

Another striking raptor. This one seems on the small side to me. I remember driving out with my dad late one night when a barn owl the size of a toddler dropped down right in front of the truck’s headlights! Jeepers!

Barn Owl

The best for last? The owl was the only one I was able to catch a picture of “in flight.” I love it!

Barn Owl in flight

Thank you for stopping by! What raptors do you have in your area?

20 thoughts on “Raptors of the High Desert Museum”

  2. As a bird lover you know I LOVED this post Melanie!!!! I like the Swainson Hawk also but my favorite is the Peregrine Falcon. I’d love to see one in person sometime. And yes to the movie, I thought it was very well done. Eva Green as Alma Peregrine did a fine job I thought. You’d enjoy it. But I loved all these birds. I don’t see near enough owls here, like I did in Bucks County.

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  3. Wow! The Barn Owl in flight – what a terrific photo! I love owls. I once felt the air from the grace of an owl’s wing move across my face – a split second moment, but I’ll never forget it.

    Sx

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    1. Yeah, I was so happy when I looked back through my pictures later and saw that I’d got that one! I always try to stay present in the moment and not get lost taking pictures of it. That must of been something Ms Scarlet! I can see why that would be an unforgettable memory! Maybe it was a missed invitation to Hogwarts.

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  6. That is a great photo of the owl in flight! We have lots of hawks, and even eagles from time to time. I’m sure there are also owls besides the famous one that escaped from the Central Park Zoo and was sighted for months around Manhattan until he too ate a poisoned rat. My daughter said she used to hear one outside her bedroom window in one apartment we lived in that was near a park. (K)

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    1. I hope you know how much I appreciate your first-hand reporting of nature in New York, Kerfe! Given enough time some raptors and other species do learn to adapt to city life, as you’ve seen. I just wish there was more balance between the needs of the natural world and the manmade world. Have you seen vertical gardens in your wandering around New York? That would be a good topic to cover. Let me know if you want to/can collaborate on that.

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    1. That’s Dinah! I love that you shared the indigenous names too. The swamp harriers look a lot like our local Cooper’s hawks. Moreporks is a funny name for an owl, like they’re wishing for “more pork” please. LOL

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  8. Well done on getting that photo of the barn owl in flight – amazing!

    I sometimes see barn owls flying along the roadside hedgerows on my early morning drive to work, and there are a couple of peregrine falcons who nest on the church tower near us. However, my most common sighting around here are the buzzards that circle above the house, allotment, and hillside beyond.

    Rarely seen, but heard every evening/morning are the tawny owls in the trees behind the house.

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