Powder Valley Nature Center’s Evening with Raptors goes virtual Jan. 29

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News from the region
Saint Louis
Published Date
01/15/2021
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KIRKWOOD, Mo—Bird buffs, falcon fanciers, and anyone enraptured by raptors are invited to meet the objects of their admiration online during this year’s An Evening with Raptors virtual event.

An Evening with Raptors is an annual event hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center in Kirkwood. Due to Covid-19, this year the nature center is holding the event virtually Friday, Jan. 29 from 7-9 p.m., which is free and is open to all ages.

It’s the ultimate partnership between man and bird. The sport of falconry goes back thousands of years and you can learn about it at An Evening with Raptors virtual event. “Several area falconers will gather virtually to offer the rare chance to observe and learn about these fascinating feathered hunters,” said MDC Assistant Nature Center Manager Robyn Parker. “Master Falconer Meagan Duffee-Yates will explain how viewers get started in this age-old sport themselves,” she added.

The falconers will display their falconry tools, hoods, and other equipment, as well as live birds – the same birds that they use in their sport. Participants will also have the chance to ask the falconry team questions through the WebEx online chat feature.

Falconry is the art of training raptors—or birds of prey like hawks and falcons—to capture wild game, so that bird and trainer essentially become hunting partners. The use of falconry can be traced back to 700 B.C.E., and by some accounts even farther back in time.

An Evening with Raptors is free WebEx event, but advanced registration is required for each person attending. To sign up, participants should go to https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZEt. Attendees will receive an invitation by email from the MDC Event Management System with a WebEx program link 24 hours before the program. It’s recommended to check junk mail folders if no email is received.

MDC offers many free educational programs in the St. Louis region to help people discover nature, fishing, hunting, and the outdoors. Stay informed by going to the MDC St. Louis regional events page at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZP6.