Raptor specialist Jeremy Stoppa of See-North shows off Koda, a golden eagle, during a bird of prey presentation at the Mackinaw Area Public Library Monday, May 10. Koda can exert 4,500 pounds of pressure per square inch with her claws, and can crush Mr. Stoppa's arm if he is not careful. Raptor specialist Jeremy Stoppa of the See-North organization ducked into a large wooden box with a gauntlet protecting his hand and arm, an audible thumping sound echoing within as he attempted to wrangle with the container's inhabitant. He emerged moments later with a golden eagle weighing 13 pounds and with a wingspan of seven feet, drawing a collective gasp from the audience. The bird of prey, also known as a raptor, is capable of exerting 4,500 pounds of pressure per square inch with its claws, he told the crowd gathered at the Mackinaw Area Public Library Monday, May 10.

Mr. Stoppa's presentation is part of the organization's North- Wings program to teach people about birds of prey, nature, and conservation. Joining him at the library were Chilli the eastern screech owl, Marley the red-tailed hawk, Koda the golden eagle, and Luna the barred owl. All have been permanently injured. Marley's wing was damaged in a car collision, for example, and the bird is unable to hunt well.

At right: Sara Tisdel, board member and volunteer of the See-North organization, holds Chilli the eastern screech owl during a raptor presentation at the Mackinaw Area Public Library Monday, May 10. Chilli was injured by a car and lost her left eye, prompting the organization to care for her. At See-North, the birds are fed every day.

“All of our birds are very spoiled,” Mr. Stoppa said.

In the wild, however, they may not be so lucky.

“There have been times I have seen the same red-tail perched in the same place for three days in a row,” Mr. Stoppa said.

Several traits separate birds of prey from other birds, he said. Raptors kill with their talons rather than their beaks, they have keen binocular vision, and they possess hooked, curved beaks.

Introducing Marley to the crowd, Mr. Stoppa explained redtailed hawks are common in the area. They often hunt in open fields and farmlands and usually eat chipmunks, squirrels, mice, and snakes. Some migrate to other areas in the winter, he said, while others will remain here.

“If you see a red-tailed hawk in the winter, that's a die-hard hawk,” Mr. Stoppa said.

As Marley shot sharp glances at her surroundings, Mr. Stoppa said some cultures view red-tailed hawks as evil spirits and kill them. The hawks are also in danger around farms, as some farmers believe they kill livestock.

Some audience members shifted uncomfortably as Mr. Stoppa made his presentation. As he balanced the raptors on his gloved arm, the birds periodically came close to his face. One person asked if he had ever been hurt while handling the wild animals.

“I like to think I have a rapport with them,” he said. He had been scratched by the birds or smacked by their wings, but has never suffered a serious injury.

Placing Marley safely into her enclosure, See-North board member and volunteer Sara Tisdel produced a grey, palm-sized eastern screech owl named Chilli. The name is a take on the Spanish noun chillido, which means “a screech.”

Like Marley, Chilli was injured by a car and lost her left eye. The driver of the car contacted the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to have her treated. Her damaged eye was cut out and the wound cauterized, Mr. Stoppa said, and she was then sent to See-North. The eightyear old owl has been cared for by the organization for six years.

Eastern screech owls typically eat larger insects such as grasshoppers and moths, but also eat small mammals like mice.

Unlike hawks, whose eyes are on the sides of their heads, the eyes of owls are on the front of their face. They must also turn their heads around to see, but are capable to running 270 degrees. To illustrate, beginning at the 12 on a clock face, an owl could turn its head around clockwise to the 9 or 10.

Removing Luna the barred owl from her cage, Mr. Stoppa explained she lost an eye when someone cut down a tree. When the tree fell, a stick impaled her eye.

Barred owls typically live in forested areas and eat small rodents and birds such as doves.

While Luna patiently rested on his arm, Mr. Stoppa instructed the audience about the position of an owl's ears. Unlike a human's symmetrical ears, one of an owl's ears is placed higher on its skull than the other. They are unable to funnel sound like a human can, so, instead, their “faceplate” helps them to do so.

An audience member related a story about when he was hunting in a swamp and an owl had swooped down and knocked his hat off on two occasions.

Owls are extremely territorial, Mr. Stoppa said, and that was likely the reason an owl would have swooped at him.

“They look at us as predators, as well. They're going to defend their territory,” he said.

Hawks typically kill their prey 92% of the time, Mr. Stoppa said. Owls, on the other hand, are successful 98% of the time.

“These guys are probably the most efficient hunters in the world,” he said.

The audience became tense as Mr. Stoppa removed Koda, the golden eagle, from her box. With the eagle's impressive grip, Mr. Stoppa's arm could easily be broken.

Koda constantly plucks her own feathers, he said, and this is why the organization has cared for her. At first it was believed to be a nutritional problem and they tried to correct it by altering her diet. Even though she ate more nutrient rich morsels, Koda continued to pluck her feathers.

“I like to think she has a little anxiety problem,” Mr. Stoppa said.

The largest of the raptors shown during the presentation, golden eagles normally reside in mountainous areas and eat larger animals such as fox, coyote, and white-tailed deer. They are also intelligent hunters and will knock mountain goats off ledges to more easily kill and eat them.

As meat-eaters, golden eagles are very muscular, more so than bald eagles, which typically eat fish, he said.

The Mackinaw Area Historical Society schedules speakers each month at the library.