Carolina Raptor Center.

Today I had a chance to visit Carolina Raptor Center again.



This is Edward, an osprey. He lost most of one wing in accident.

This is Aragon, a Peregrine Falcon, he lost his wing too.

Surrey, the Brit - British Barn Owl.
He lives in Carolina Raptor Center as
a species ambassador.

Florida Swamps and Birds.

Canoeing at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

Blue Heron on the nest

Common Gallinule

Tri-colored Heron

Sora Rail

Olympic National Park.

Ferry.

After Bellevue show we made a short trip to Olympic National Park. We took ferry from Edmonds to Kingston and then drove to Hoh Rain Forest through Port Angeles and Forks. This forest is magical, it reminds me forests from Russian Fairy tales where Baba Yaga lives.  Many of the big trees are over 2 hundred feet tall, their tops are in an upper atmosphere . Unlike tropical rain forest this forest is coniferous: Sitka spruce with sharp needles , Western hemlock with drooping top, Douglas-fir with thick deeply furrowed bark. Lush beards of hanging mosses are attached to boughs but feed only on air and light.

Puget Sound.

Driving on water:)

The temperate rain forest is dominated by Sitka spruce.

High rainfall, fog and ocean moderated temperatures
create optimum growing conditions for these monarchs.
This is one of the largest Sitka spruce in USA:
height over 270 feet, diameter over 12.5 feet, age over 500 years.

Sitka spruce.



Hoh Rain Forest.



Cannonball Tree

 ..and some drawings from the garden.


Cannonball Tree Buds





Jack-in-the-box Tree



Wish Tree aka Cluster Fig

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden.

 Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden.

Meet Kajika.

Kajika was brought to Carolina Raptor Center in 2007 as an orphan. He had fallen from his nest, breaking bones in his right wing. Unfortunately, his injuries did not heal well enough for him to be able to fly. His name comes from the Native American culture and means "walks without sound," referring to owls' ability to fly silently. Kajika is a member of our education team and travels to schools all across the Carolinas.

I adopted Kajika today and you can do that too. Make a great gift to yourself or your friends and family: support this wonderful Raptor Center.

Hermes.



Hermes, the Eastern Screech Owl

 Hermes, my adopted owl.

"Hermes, an eastern screech owl, was brought to Carolina Raptor Center in December of 2004 in his hatching year. She came to us with a fractured right humerus, most likely the result of a window collision. She was named for one of the messenger owls in the Harry Potter series. Hermes is an education bird, participating in on-site presentations, school programs and off-site exhibits". - via Carolina Raptor Center website.