For the third year the Allan Brooks Nature Centre is partnering up with Pacific Northwest Raptors in Duncan B.C. to bring a variety of birds to the Okanagan.
The centre is offering educational programs to raise awareness for birds of prey and promote conservation.
The public can choose from two experiences which will get them close to the raptors. Flight demonstrations allow the audience to see several different bird species, watch them fly and learn about their importance to the ecosystem.
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Bird lovers looking to get up close and personal with the raptors can reserve a spot for a Hands On Encounter. The experience is limited to eight people and birds will fly right to the participants’ gloved arm.
The birds include Spitfire the Peregrine Falcon, Jury the Turkey Vulture, Elton the Spectacled Owl, a Harris’ Hawk called Tuari, a Golden Eagle named Goldie Hawn and a Kestrel named Twain.
The Allan Brooks Nature Centre is a non-profit registered charity. Events and Communications Coordinator Vicki Proulx says the centre is all about nature, conservation and education.
Proulx adds the community feedback for the raptors experience has been fantastic. “Everyone loves it,” she said. “I watch it pretty much every day and it never gets old hearing the ooohs and aaahs from people and the excitement when the birds get super close to them and you can feel feathers in your hair.”
The birds are on loan from Pacific Northwest Raptors in Duncan B.C. They will be transported back to the island after the Canada Day weekend and will return to the centre in the fall.
For more information on the raptors experience, visit the Allan Brooks Nature Centre website.