Raptor Center

On Tuesday, May 5, the Blue, Purple, Red and Yellow Classes had the privilege of meeting Joanne Peterson, Cinnamon, Samantha and Jamaica from the U of M Raptor Center.  The Raptor Center is a hospital for raptors and the goal is to treat the birds that are brought into the center and release them when they are healthy again.  However, this isn't always possible for various reasons.  The raptors that are permanently kept at the center have become "teachers" of sorts when people like Joanne bring them to schools to teach children and adults about the special characteristics of the raptors.  In our program we first met Cinnamon the Paragon Falcon.  She is small but very fast!  Then we learned about owls.  Cash got dressed up like an owl so we could remember that owls have big eyes to see at night, very sensitive ears to hear their food, and large talons to catch their food.  Samantha the owl came out to meet us once we were knowledgeable about these things!  She was beautiful!  We even learned what an owl pellet is.  When the owl throws up a pellet (the indigestible food it eats) we can examine it and learn about what the owl is eating.  Finally, we met Jamaica, a gorgeous hawk.  Hawks are seen all around us, on light poles, in trees, on fences.  They are busy looking for mice, moles, baby animals, etc. for their dinners.  They have large talons and sharp, hooked beaks to help them catch and eat their food.

Joanne was a wonderful teacher who kept us interested and entertained for the entire program!  The public is welcome to visit the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus to learn more!