Buddy is the Bald Eagle that hatched in the Norfolk Botanical Garden nest in 2008. As a baby eaglet, he had avian pox which damaged the growth plate for his beak, causing his beak to grow crooked. His beak needs to be coped periodically so it doesn't interfere with his ability to eat. For this reason, he is non-releasable and has been receiving training to become a wildlife ambassador. The Wildlife Center of Virginia is where he received treatment for the avian pox and where he has made his home since then. His trainer/handler Raina Krasner appeared with him at Wild Birds Unlimited in Virginia Beach on Jun 2, 2013.
Part 1: Introductions and Raina (Buddy's trainer/handler) talks about the mission of the Wildlife Center of Virginia. (8:41)
Part 2: Raina talks about Buddy. (8:02)
Part 3: Raina takes Buddy from his crate, puts him on his perch and feeds him a mouse. She discusses his training goals and progress. (9:55)
Part 4: Raina continues to discuss Buddy's training goals and progress. (10:05)
Part 5: Raina continues to discuss Buddy's training goals and progress. (9:23)
Part 6: Raina takes questions from the audience. (9:49)
Part 7: Raina puts Buddy back into his crate. (2:24)
Please visit the Wildlife Center of Virginia's website to learn more about the important work that they do: www.wildlifecenter.org. Raina’s permission to post the video of her presentation on YouTube appears at the end of Part 7.
Thanks to Wild Birds Unlimited for hosting this event. Please check out their online store: www.wbu.com.
Buddy didn't waste a second eating that mouse in 'part 3:'. Those are great youtube videos that you made.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Danny
Raina said that Buddy is very food motivated. He ate several mice during the presentation. And he gulped them all down!
DeleteThank you for preparing these videos, Chris. This is truly a treat to see Buddy and Raina. Missed his appearances, because we spent the afternoon fencing rabbits out of the garden boxes.
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome Minnie! I just went 2 weeks without mowing my lawn because I had baby bunnies in my yard. They were so little you couldn't even see them in the grass. But they are bigger now and I was able to mow my lawn yesterday...
DeleteThey are beguiling creatures - and welcome to all the clover they want - but not our veggies. The entire time we were staking up chicken wire four rabbits were cavorting along the bank of the neighborhood pond. How high they leap! We'll have a new crop of babies any time now.
DeleteThey are fun to watch. I think I have so many rabbits in my yard because of all the clover. I've always said that if I didn't have weeds, I'd have mud. But there's really no point in trying for a better lawn when I have three dogs and one small yard. And I love the dogs more than I love grass...
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