MASTER FALCONER CAT KROSSCHELL AND HER GREAT HORNED OWL, SAMMY, ALONG WITH HER PEREGRINE FALCON AND RED-TAILED HAWK, WILL PRESENT “BIRDS OF PREY” AT 7 P.M. ON THURSDAY, APRIL 8, IN WITTENBERG HALL AT THE OAKHURST METHODIST CHURCH ON ROAD 426. Few, if any, birds capture the human imagination more than birds of prey, or raptors. Admired for their grace, strength, speed, independence and hunting prowess, hawks, eagles, falcons and owls have remarkable adaptations and skills for catching and eating other animals.

Oakhurst and Mariposa area residents will have a special opportunity to see some of these charismatic birds at close range, and to learn about their importance as predators atop the food chain, at the Yosemite Area Audubon Society’s monthly program Thursday, April 8, in Oakhurst.

Cat Krosschell, a master falconer and naturalist-educator, will bring three live raptors to demonstrate and describe their adaptations, behavior and flight characteristics in her presentation, “Birds of Prey.” Beginning at 7 p.m., the program will be presented in Wittenberg Hall at the Oakhurst Methodist Church on Road 426.

Krosschell’s special guests at the program will include a peregrine falcon, a great horned owl and a red-tailed hawk, all of them significant indicators of ecosystem health. The peregrine falcon’s particularly notable combination of raptor traits made it a prized captive, beginning centuries ago, for falconry, the so-called “sport of kings.” Diving headlong at speeds of 200 miles per hour or more on another bird in flight, it kills its victim with the force of its impact and snatches the hapless prey in midair with its talons. Widespread use of DDT threatened the peregrine with extinction until the United States banned the pesticide in 1972, enabling its population to recover.

The great horned owl, like most owl species a nocturnal hunter with keen night vision and acute hearing, is a fierce, stealthy predator of mid-sized mammals, the common “hoot owl” of North America. And who doesn’t enjoy watching a red-tailed hawk floating aloft on broad wings and tail, perhaps hovering briefly before plunging earthward to pounce on an unwary small mammal?

The three captive birds Krosschell uses in her presentation are subjects that are not releasable into the wild.

“This program is especially suitable for children,” noted YAAS president Kris Randal. “We encourage parents to bring the kids. Their excitement and wonder in seeing these birds up close are contagious.”

Krosschell’s’s presentation is open and free to the public, although donations to defray program costs and to support Audubon’s local activities are welcome. Refreshments will be available.

Call 742-5579 for additional information about the program.

The Yosemite Area Audubon Society is affiliated with the National Audubon Society. Both the national organization and the local chapter are dedicated to the preservation of natural habitats and native species, and to educating and inspiring others to help protect those resource values.