06/14/2026
Q: What do a broad-winged hawk and an NFL player have in common?
A: Both have a dark stripe under their eyes to protect them from the glare of the sun.
For an hour yesterday afternoon, in the cool respite provided by our wonderful hosts at the -Stead Museum, around 55 adults and children learned this and many other fascinating facts about raptors from Maggie at CT Audubon and June the Kestrel, Ruby the Broad-winged Hawk, and Millie the Barn Owl.
A few fun facts: The word "raptor" comes from the Latin for "grabbing" or "seizing" which refers to how these birds capture their prey. June is a relatively new ambassador and as a Kestrel, belongs to the smallest raptor species in CT. As a broad-winged hawk, Ruby would have lived in the deep forest in the wild; these raptors migrate south at night in massive flocks up up to 300 birds (called kettles). Millie, with her striking white face, reliably drew an audible response from the crowd when she was removed from her enclosure, and when Maggie played the Barn Owl's shrieking call on the Merlin app, it was abundantly clear why these birds have been called "ghost birds."
CT Audubon's ambassador birds can never return to the wild. Millie was raised by a falconer and so is "human imprinted" (she thinks she's a human). June and Ruby, however, suffered car strikes and can no longer fly properly. Ambassador birds come to CT Audubon after they have been rehabbed elsewhere and are included in the organization's educational programming.
Thanks to everyone who came out!
