At the Heath (7km out of Plett and 25km to Kysna) is the Radical Raptors, which describes itself as being "a rehabilitation centre that aims at community awareness, and the rescue, rehabilitation and release of birds of prey. As a non-profit organisation your support funds our project." It was one of the great highlights of this trip, even my life (no jokes). Ever since I was a boy I had a love for birds of prey, so this was not an opportunity I was going to miss -- not when they do daily displays at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm.
They have a few stunning birds of prey that you can look at, but which are being rehabilitated; so no touching. Though when a bird may not be able to survive on its own in the wild, they are subsequently used to help educate people. These are their trained non-releasable birds of prey which they free-fly for the audience.
The first bird they took out was a Hawk (no its name was not Ethan). These birds are very secretive. They like to stay hidden in the bush where they live and hunt. With short wings and a long tail for manoeuvrability, they can catch birds that have a greater body weight to them. Their extremely long legs add to their advantage. They are surprisingly little, but your heart still goes a flutter when you have one sit on your hand; and you thank the heavens that you have a heavy-duty glove on, for their talons are very sharp.
Barny the Barn Owl was not in the mood to fly around so instead we got the privilege of seeing the Spotted Eagle Own being flown. Owls, as you may well know, hunt at night. They employ Ninja Killing Style. With a massive wing span made from soft, sound-absorbing feathers, an owl can swoop a few centimeters over your head without making a sound. Their incomparable eyesight and hearing enables them to target their prey from a great distance away. The problem is that during the day they can be hunted down by faster, more agile birds of prey; so they stay hidden while the sun is up. One of the biggest killers of owls is rat poison. If you make use of rat poison ... you have killed your fair share of owls. There is no justifiably good reason to use rat poison, and if you do use it, then you are actively endangering our fragile eco-system. Shame on you. And if you own a pet store, then stop selling it. Owls are great to have around. So if you want owls to come and visit, set up perches or go to you nearest pet shop and get yourself an owl box.
The next bird they took out was a Jackal Buzzard, named such because its cry sounds like a jackal. It's the closest you can come to an eagle, without being an eagle. Its large wingspan its perfect for long glides, gaining lift from thermals, which uses little energy as it covers large areas in search of prey.
The last bird they flew was a Falcon. I learnt the hard way that calling a falconer's falcon a pet results in the kind of stare that could turn testicles into ovaries. They are amazing birds and the fastest animal on earth, but can only reach their record speeds during a drive. When it takes a corner its body can experience up to twenty-five G's of pressure. That's just under five times what a fighter pilot normally handles. The next time you meet a pilot, ask him if he would be interested in experiencing 25G's, and see if his stare leaves your testicles intact. Despite that, a hawk's speed and agility make them impressive hunters. Having one swoop between the crowd and over your head is breathtaking to say the least
For me it was an amazing experience, and a cause worthy of support. If you are in the area I would definitely suggest it. If you have kids, it will be a memory they will cherish for a lifetime, I guarantee it.
I took many pictures, but getting them form my camera to my tablet may take a while, so I will add them to the post later.
For more information check out the Radical Raptors Website.
GO FOR IT KID - WE ARE PROUD OF YOU AND TRUST YOU IN THIS VENTURE
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PA AND MA\
Thank you so much for all your love and support. I am glad to hear your barn owl has MIA for a few days, that means its unlikly to have imprinted, and can be fully, in not already, rehabilitated. Good on you. Its rare that a bird that did not grow up around other birds, let alone its own type, to intergrate into the wild that well. If all its doing is hacking, then okay. As you said they are opertunistic.
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