Sea and Sage Audubon is honored to host this event. Pete has been studying California Raptors and working to conserve their habitats for more than 50 years and is now a renowned Raptor Specialist. He will be showing us how he has spent his life, banding hawks and owls in the wild. Raptors (we hope both hawks and owls) will be trapped in “mist nets” and other small cage traps by Pete, Scott and his crew and then be brought to a picnic table, where Pete and Scott will show us characteristic features of the birds. He will band them, record some important data, such as the bird’s weight and molt. Then the birds will be taken back to where they were captured and released.
Bring your dinner and/or snacks as this event spans the dinner hour. You will need to bring a chair and maybe a lap blanket. It may get cool as the hours go by so bring a jacket and wear sturdy shoes. A flashlight will be very useful to get to the restroom and move around.
We expect you will be hanging out in the day-use (evening) area with us to join the banding work and planning to leave around 10:00-11:00 PM (at the earliest) on Saturday night. Scott and Pete may continue banding until 1:00 or 2:00 AM. You can stay as late they work and as late you like in the day-use area, but if you prefer to stay all night and camp or RV, which would be fun, you must make your own reservations for your own campsite. Pete may band again on early Sunday morning, so if you want to return you may arrange that with Pete or Scott.
Questions: Scott Thomas, 949-293-2915 or Redtail1@cox.net
Note: There is a parking fee or you can use an OCParks pass
