Skyhunters

Nancy Conney from Skyhunters came to the Valley Center library and gave a talk to Friends of Hellhole Canyon members and board members. She brought a screech owl, a kestral, and a barn owl that had been wounded and because of various permanent injuries could not be released back into the wild. It was very exciting and informative. Did you know for example that a screech owl doesn't screech? It sounds more like a song bird. The amazing and exotic looking barn owl grows from a tiny baby the size of a thumb to a full grown one pound owl in just thirty days. The kestral has black mustache like markings on the sides of its face to cut down on glare. The same way that a football player puts black under his eyes to help him see the football. Did you know that the large raptors can reach speeds up to 200 miles per hour during a dive? Nancy told us that these raptors need lots of room to hunt and encroachment from development makes it harder and harder for them to thrive.