Birds of Prey Visit ESC Prior to Students' Seasonal Flight From Campus

Cheri Heimbach, master falconer and owner of Baywings Falconry in Lewisburg, recently provided an educational discussion and live demonstration of falconry to the Wildlife Management class within the School of Transportation & Natural Resources Management at Penn College. Many birds of prey – including Peregrine Falcon, American Kestrel, Screech Owl, Gyrfalcon, Harris's Hawk and European Eagle Owl – were on display and discussed in terms of diet, habitat and potential long-term impacts of thoughtful forest management on their populations. Students were actively engaged in demonstrations involving the Harris's Hawk, which displayed a high level of accuracy and precision while in flight. Students were given ample opportunities to interact with the birds and ask questions during the presentation, held at the Schneebeli Earth Science Center near Allenwood. Baywings Falconry provides an educational program for a wide range of audiences from small children to adults. Heimbach also uses the birds for hunting and invites volunteers to accompany her during October and November to experience their amazing skills firsthand.
Photos by Pamela A. Mix, secretary to the ESC executive director and assistant dean of transportation and natural resources technologies