Friday, July 24, 2009

Well, it’s been quite a while, but I’m still here. My newest handler is working out pretty well, although she doesn’t spend enough time on my blog 
We’ve been doing quite a few programs since January. We went to Homer for the Shorebird Festival in May and it was lovely. The bed and breakfast we stayed at was just right: there was a nice area for me to walk around in the grass and to stretch my wings; I could see the spit and all the other birds flying around. The programs were very nice and were with fellow Ed birds, Ghost (SNOW) and Atremis (GHOW): the two at the high school were so relaxing I tucked up my foot and preened. The program at the Islands and Oceans started off rough because there were these shiny things hanging from the ceiling that kept moving around and flashing, but my handler put me back in the kennel and asked another human to fix them and when I came back out they were gone! This new handler is OK.
She put aylmeris on me this spring! Yeah! I can move around more freely now without the traditional jesses trailing behind. I have been practicing flying short distances and my new handler has been helping out too. I can now go about 5-8 feet, and it feels so nice that I have to stretch my wings out once I land. Bathing is a lot nicer now too, no more stiff leather jesses.
I put on some weight this spring – I could tell my handler was having a difficult time the way she exhaled when I bated. My new mew is so big! My other handler put up some fantastic perches before he flew away, and the new one put covering on the perches to protect my feet, I have a nice water bath, a place to sun bathe, and several times a week I get put out in the Bird TLC yard on the creance. It’s lovely to walk around in the grass and flowers, flex my toes in the soil, and sometime I like to pull up the grass. So, everything is great, lots of food, nice views, regular exercise . . . around the end of May I started a nest scrape just under my long perch. I slowly started guarding it, trying to tell my new handler that I didn’t want her near my nest. She finally figured it out last week, but only after I got down into the nest to clean it – lost of dry clumps of grass, insects, and waste. I know she noticed the indention in the ground in May, but obviously she thought it was just a characteristic of the ground since the mew floor is exactly level everywhere. I’ve been trying to let other humans know about my nest too, especially when they get too close to that side of the mew. I think they all know now and they’ve been doing a pretty good job of respecting my territory.
My handler is signed up for more programs in August, a couple of them are outside which I like. Once school starts there will probably be programs too. I will encourage my new handler to keep updating my blog; she’s pretty nice, but I still miss the one that flew away 

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Hi everyone,
It's me, Todd. Thanks for stopping by. I think Ms. Petra told you that I am getting ready to leave Alaska and head off the England. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone at the center and everyone who has stopped by the site to check out what Petra has had me out and about doing. It has been a great honor and privilege to work with such an incredible creature. thank you Petra for putting up with me and teaching me the way of the Eagle.
Lisa Pajot will be Petra's new human and Petra will be taking her out and about so check the bird tlc site and the blog for upcoming events. Lisa is checked off with Petra and doing great. Petra gets along great with Lisa as well. I just wanted to stop by and make a quick note to say thanks and I will miss the center, people and Ms. Petra.
clear skies, good updrafts and lots of prey to all.
Todd.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Raptor Rap at the zoo

Hi everyone, wow I had a great time at the zoo on the 8th of June. I took my human there for the Raptor Rap where we got to see lots of people and my human told them all about me. My friend Denali the Golden Eagle was there too with his human, Marybethe. The people had lots of really good questions about us eagles. My human told me he is waiting for some pictures from a friend and will post them as soon as he get them.

If you didn't get to see us at the zoo, come on out to Potter Marsh on the 26th for the grand opening of the new boardwalk. I will be there with my human. This is one of my campaign topics for the bird of the year campaign from last year so I am really excited. Hope to see you there. Gotta go for now, thanks for stopping by.

Petra

Friday, May 16, 2008

more photos from Tatitlek






Hi again,

Just wanted to post some more pics from the Tatitlek trip. I have way too many to put all of them up but I will try to get a good mix. Thanks again for stopping by.

Todd

My humans trip to Tatitlek






Hi everyone,

I am Todd, Petra's human. Sorry it has been a while since I got back from Tatitlek, Ms. Petra has been keeping me busy...training me and all. I went to Tatitlek to release an Eagle. This was during the Cultural Heritage Week. It was a real fun trip and I definitely want to say thanks to David and Lisa Totemoff for letting me stay with them. I really felt welcome and at home during the trip. There were a lot of people there, from Tatitlek and from other places; Nanwalek, Tri-Valley, Port Graham, Whittier, Valdez, Cordova, Chenega Bay, Anchorage, Elamar, Spokane.

The school kids, from all grades were doing projects like soapstone carving, scrimshaw, beading, sewing, learning to paddle a Bidarka (Kyak). It was absolutely beautiful there, so quiet and just wow!! Oh, don't want to forget the people who flew the Eagle and I out there, thanks to the nice people at Alaska Air Transit at Merrill Field. The flight to and from the village was great. When it came time to do the release, which we did on the beach and I surprised Mr. Palmer, the principal of the school. I told everyone about the Bird TLC and the Eagle that I brought to release then I asked Mr. Palmer to come down and be the one to open the carrier.

The Eagle didn't waste any time, she jumped out of the carrier saw the people and took off!! I hope you like the pictures. Thanks for stopping by the blog and thanks again to everyone in Tatitlek Village for having us out. I will post again with more pictures.

Todd

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Goodbye One Wing

Hi everyone, I have some sad news. My cousin One-Wing died today. He came to live with the nice people at the Bird TLC after he got mixed up in the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Here is a little bit about him if you don't know his story. He evaded the humans who were trying to catch him for three days. In the process he banged up one of his wings really bad and it had to be what the humans call amputated. He wasn't doing real well after that and he was a blood donor for 10 other eagles from that oil spill...he really is a hero. After all he went through, he pulled through and recovered. Doctor Scott and One-Wing were really close after all they went through trying to get One-Wing healthy. One-Wing lived out his life at the Bird TLC where he got lots of visitors and love and care. You will be missed One-Wing or as my human calls him sometimes, wingnut. Now you can fly free again with the Witch. Love you, Petra.

Hi all,

It's Todd. I don't usually interrupt Ms. Petra while she is blogging but I had to share my thoughts about One-Wing. He was such a nut, that is why I call him Wingnut!! He would give whoever went out in the yard a good eagle yelling at. When we went out to catch him for his Sunday check ups he would do laps around his mew and when we got him cornered, he would flip on his back and look at us like ooooohhhhh I'm gonna get you!!! He will truly be missed. Dr. Scott, and all those who knew him will have a hole in our hearts. Fly with the Witch buddy.

Monday, April 21, 2008

sportsmans show

Hi again, boy if you don't keep up with what you are doing you get way behind the eagle curve. My human and I went to the sportsmans show. I talked him in to taking me twice!! He thinks he is training me... boy do I have him wrapped around my halux!! The sportsmans show was really neat, I got to see a whole bunch of people and they asked about me. They didn't seem to mind my silly human talking so much since I haven't learned to speak human yet!

Our friends from the State Troopers and Fish and Game were there with us too. It was so fun to see the look on peoples faces when I flapped my wings. Sorry this is short, I am running late and have to go now. Thanks for stopping in and check back often. Petra