Messenger of the Skies

Taken at The Wilds - Cumberland, OH. The Wilds is a wildlife conservation center that focuses on conservation of animals through scientific research and education and promotes the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle philosophy to conserve our world.

Another closer photo of Cirrus, the red-tailed hawk that was brought for a Bird Show by the Columbus Zoo. As one of the raptors that I see alongside the road every day, this is a very abundant bird in the NE Ohio area. They use anything from trees next to a field to the lamps over a busy highway to roost and keep an eye out for movement that could mean its next meal. It's important to continue education about these birds to the rural areas, as farmers often mistake these birds as the culprits of missing chicken. However the red-tail hawk is a strong ally as they are diurnal and feed on mice, squirrels and other small rodents that may eat away at a farmer's stores and grain.

As always, conservation and preservation of a species begins with education--the more you know about an animal the more you care about what happens to it and can often dispel myths that would lead to its hunting and extinction.

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Other photos from the Bird Show at The Wilds: