Lisa and her feathered friends from Liberty’s Owl, Raptor & Reptile Centre who are based in Crow, near Ringwood, gave us a very interesting talk.
Her friends were, amongst others Franklin, Flymo and Malu – all birds of prey. Franklin was a Spectacled Owl – Flymo, a Kestrel and Malu, a Peregrine Falcon.
It was fascinating to see these wild birds so close at hand and learn fact after amazing fact. Most members, probably like me, had always thought the Cheetah was the fastest animal on Earth but we learnt that their mere 75 miles per hour is somewhat paltry compared with the 240 miles per hour of the Peregrine – albeit in a “stoop” – that’s when they’re dropping to their prey at speed from a high altitude.
We also learned just how sharp the sight of birds of prey is – around six times sharper than that of a human. The birds came with their own newspaper and despite their amazing sight and the spectacles, the paper on the floor was not for reading!
All in all, a fascinating and enjoyable talk that elicited many questions that Lisa was happy to answer.
