Fools Hollow Campground Bird Program

Hummingbirds are abundant in our campground here at Fools Hollow.

These feeders are Anne's and are here on our site.

But other than Hummingbirds - there are many other birds that we see here. Liberty Wildlife - located in Scottsdale, Az came to our campground to present a 'Raptor' program for the campers.

This volunteer told us all about the American Kestrel - a small falcon. It's one of the most colorful of all raptors.

Sometimes called the 'Sparrow Hawk'. The Kestrel's vision is almost super human he said - it can see a trail left by a mouse.  They feed on insects, small mammals and reptiles.

The Kestrel can fly up to 120mph. and is the only other bird (other than the hummingbird) that can hover.

As you can see this bird - named Elliott -  is about the size of a mourning dove.

Liberty Wildlife rescue, rehabilitate and release the birds that they help back into the wild after the injured heal or the very young are ready to survive on their own.

Some birds are not able to be released back into the wild for various reasons.  This Red Tail Hawk had a broken wing that even though healed, is still not able to fly, so it would be too dangerous to release.

Acoma, the red-tailed hawk doesn't like dogs - not usually to eat - but they spook him so we had to keep Blanche and Lucy quiet during the presentation

The Hawk has such great vision that it can spot it's prey from almost a mile up in the sky.

This red tailed hawk was very animated.

And every time he spotted a dog - he would spread his wings.

A great view of the Red-Tailed Hawk's red tail...

Acoma enjoys, mice, & small animals (keep small dogs or cats indoors at dusk).

While we were all paying attention to the speakers - a woodpecker was paying attention to the birds that Liberty Wildlife brought.

Bailey, the Turkey Vulture, though is not the most attractive bird was certainly full of fascinating facts.

Bailey is not able to be released into the wild because he has been "imprinted" which means that he was adopted by humans as a young and never lived in the wild so doesn't know how to hunt for himself or mate with other vultures.

Hedwig, the Great Horned Owl was a crowd favorite.

We discovered that because the owl does not have a sense of smell - it's favorite food is a skunk.

However the owl hunts at dawn and dusk so cats, small dogs and other domestic animals could be prey. 

Though Hedwig is not one of the birds that we would see in the area -  Great Horned Owls, Red Tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures and American Kestrels are birds that we do see often in this area.