Descent

Species:  Great Horned Owl, in captivity
Location:  Medina Raptor Center

This is Juniper, the Great Horned Owl at the MRC and she's an educational bird at the center.  All educational birds have a disability that prevents them from being released back to the wild, in Juniper's case, she was a first-year bird that was on the ground in a field when a farmer sprayed her with herbicide by accident.  This compromised her immune system, damaged her eyesight, and for the first few weeks that she was with MRC, plaque built up in her throat that needed to be cleaned away daily.  The volunteers worked tirelessly and she became a permanent resident of the center.  

This is a case where what happened to one of the birds makes for a good conservation message where we can encourage people to find and use natural weed killers, and of course to never use rat poisons to deal with rodent issues, as it can actually poison the bird that is eating that rodent.  Nature takes care of its own and finds a balance, and these predators know where the food is, so let it all happen as it should.  

In this photo, Juniper wasn't really as angry as she looks!  The handler was adjusting her hand when Juniper brought her wings up to help keep her own balance in the process and I happened to have the camera up and at the ready!  I really wish I had not clipped off that small bit of her right wing in the frame, but the rest of it was too good that I (sometimes) overlook that.  

Cool facts about Great Horned Owls:  They are one of the few natural predators of skunks because they don't have a very developed sense of smell and can protect their eyes with their third eyelid.  They kill their prey by landing on their back and exerting extreme pressure (up to 750 psi per foot) with their talons until their prey's back breaks.  Very cool.