BLOG | flightoftheraptor

All Posts
Falconry

Feb 21
5 min

We Put the Prey in Bird of Prey

I often like to pose a question to groups of children about why owls are found on every continent but Antartica? It’s cold. Yes, that’s...

57 views0 comments

Life with Flight of the Raptor-Feb update

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Feb 7
3 min

Life with Flight of the Raptor-Feb update

Hi friends. This is my second update for the year. I’m hoping to provide a monthly update for those interested in what has been going on...

82 views1 comment

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Jan 28
3 min

Feathers and Sacred Journey

Feathers represent spirituality in many different religious beliefs. Even the bible speaks of the holiness and purity of feathers because...

44 views0 comments

Do you want to be a falconer? But SHOULD you become a falconer?

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Jan 18
6 min

Do you want to be a falconer? But SHOULD you become a falconer?

It is inevitable that someone always comes up to one of us after the show asking how they can become a falconer. Unless they have an...

80 views2 comments

Talons, What are they? (And how do I get some?)

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Jan 10
4 min

Talons, What are they? (And how do I get some?)

What makes talons unique to birds of prey? Why are they cool?

100 views1 comment

2020- Farewell to a Foul (not Fowl) Friend

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Jan 3
6 min

2020- Farewell to a Foul (not Fowl) Friend

I thought I would be able to resist a recap to a year that has been so unkind to so many. Yet here I am. I don’t get personal very often...

60 views3 comments

Meet the birds- Pico the American Kestrel

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Dec 22, 2020
3 min

Meet the birds- Pico the American Kestrel

What does "pico" mean? According to the Oxford Languages dictionary it is (used in units of measurement) denoting a factor of 10−12 (10...

43 views0 comments

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Nov 23, 2020
7 min

The Path Back Home

As a former Wildlife Rehabilitator, I am often drawn back to the topic of injured wildlife, especially when a story breaks into the...

188 views0 comments

Meet the birds- Scooby the Great Horned Owl

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Nov 1, 2020
4 min

Meet the birds- Scooby the Great Horned Owl

You undoubtedly remember meeting a great horned owl at some point if you have ever been to a Flight of the Raptor program. For many of...

46 views0 comments

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Oct 17, 2020
3 min

Meet the birds- Percy the Barn Owl

There are few birds out there that capture our imagination like owls. They are known by some cultures as the messenger of death and...

124 views0 comments

Meet the birds -Casper the "un"friendly falcon

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Sep 13, 2020
3 min

Meet the birds -Casper the "un"friendly falcon

When I first met Casper, it was on our trip to New Paltz for the wedding of Ray's second daughter in December. He was a white gyrfalcon...

160 views0 comments

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Sep 8, 2020
2 min

Feels like Autumn but....

We hope you enjoy this beautiful photo taken by one of our Maryland fans, Mark Phillips. Those beautiful bushes behind Ray turn a...

84 views0 comments

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Aug 29, 2020
1 min

New beaded ornaments just in time

We thank you so much for supporting Ray's beading efforts! He is having a hard time keeping up with the demand. We have put something a...

23 views0 comments

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Aug 29, 2020
2 min

Maryland Renaissance Tribute

We hope you enjoy this short video showcasing some of our proudest and most memorable moments from our time at the Maryland Renaissance...

63 views0 comments

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Aug 27, 2020
2 min

Finally, for the Harris Hawk fans!

I am so excited to share with you this beautiful new pin for sale in our store. It is an original design created by the talented artist...

95 views0 comments

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Aug 21, 2020
2 min

Meet the birds- Chula

Support Chula by Sponsoring her here Chances are if you have seen us live, you will remember Chula. She is undoubtedly, the queen of our...

38 views0 comments

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Aug 12, 2020
2 min

New beaded ornaments available from Ray

We have decided to do things a little differently. If you are reading this because you received an email, you are automatically inducted...

62 views0 comments

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Aug 9, 2020
3 min

Sundays at the Renaissance

I was recently inspired for this post when I was trying to come up with something for my weekly reflection on sunday. I was thinking...

45 views0 comments

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Aug 3, 2020
2 min

Flight of the Raptor at Home

We were here at our home here in Northern Florida when the pandemic began to sweep across the United States. We had expected to lose a...

100 views1 comment

Sharron Montgomery Pena

Dec 20, 2019
3 min

An Unforgettable Fire

Today we laid to rest our grand matriarch Harris hawk "Fire." She was the cornerstone of Ray's program for many of his years on the road...

489 views0 comments

{"items":["6032d11d3fee29002d940008","601f25c88fc4e3001742ed07","60122f6b4685b5001716d732","60047a353181ca002d46241b","5ff9e65e3e2b800017493dd6","5ff11f4792115b00175266db","5fdf8689cfd5b1003443ca67","5fb83419de3cdb00175bd6bc","5f9c8692a0938600172da80a","5f88e94736ad4f0017ae574a","5d5c886d4f00790016c6b60b","5f57aa731877d5001700c78f","5f4ad8b19b62f80017757501","5f4987a84d422a001708a6e5","5f4821c04aabbc00177f5ba5","5f3dcdedf70efc001797aa8b","5f347410ca4e54001799a835","5f30658804c43400178d6e65","5f273276239b7f001730e785","5de4819a9b7d8400170b9427"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Columns","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"fill","cubeRatio":1.3333333333333333,"isVertical":true,"gallerySize":30,"collageAmount":0,"collageDensity":0,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":false,"imageMargin":32,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"rotatingScatter":"","chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":true,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":false,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":1,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":50,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCropRatios":"","columnWidths":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":1,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":1,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":true,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":false,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":4,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":"SHOW_ON_THE_RIGHT","galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":false,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":0,"scrollDuration":400,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":23,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":200,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":0,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":50,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":1,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"jsonStyleParams":"","gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":940,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"itemBorderColor":{"themeName":"color_12","value":"rgba(194,194,176,1)"},"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":2,"targetItemSize":940,"selectedLayout":"2|bottom|1|fill|true|0|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":2,"isSlideshowFont":false,"externalInfoHeight":0,"externalInfoWidth":0.5},"container":{"width":940,"galleryWidth":972,"galleryHeight":0,"scrollBase":0,"height":null}}