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New Facility Provides Bird's-Eye View of Birds of Prey!

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New Facility Provides Bird's-Eye View of Birds of Prey! New Facility Provides Bird’s-Eye View of Birds of Prey! Photograph provided by Dollywood Publicity A cast of fascinating birds of prey has been entertaining Dollywood guests since 1991. With the addition of a new facility next-door to the Wings of America Theatre, guests can get an up-close view of these famous raptors. Thanks to the support and assistance of several generous sponsors, the new facility, built in cooperation with the Dollywood-based not-for-profit American Eagle Foundation, allows guests of all ages to enjoy unique interactions with the birds beyond the popular Wings of America Show, which takes place next door to the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary. At nearly one million cubic feet, the facility showcases America’s largest presentation of non-releasable bald eagles! When the birds of prey aren’t in the Wings of America Show, they’ll be found in their new home, complete with ten viewing stalls, feeding facilities and exercise space. American Eagle Foundation staff members will share personal experiences with birds and interesting information about the various species, making the experience even more informative, educational and fun. For the first time, Dollywood guests have the opportunity to visit at length with these animal experts, ask questions and see a variety of birds of prey in this captivating new setting. Some of the fascinating birds of prey that Dollywood Guests may meet include: Photograph provided by Dollywood Publicity Frankie, the Screech Owl Frankie, the Screech Owl A nocturnal bird, Frankie and other screech owls become active after sunset. Frankie came to Dollywood in 1997 from the woods of Kentucky. The origin of Frankie's injury is unknown but she suffered a severe head injury. She was nursed back to health by caregivers at the American Eagle Foundation, who officially named her "Frankenstein" due to the many stitches required to close the wound. Valentine & Jupiter, the Barn Owls Valentine was hatched in 1994 at the American Eagle Foundation and raised by the staff's caregivers. Barn Owls are cavity nesters, preferring to nest in dark places like tree cavities, caves, and, true to their name, barns. The American Eagle Foundation has hatched, raised and released many Barn Owls in the Smoky Mountains and surrounding areas. Valentine, however, resides here and helps the American Eagle Foundation educate others about this fascinating species. Jupiter was hatched in 2004 at the American Eagle Foundation and raised by the staff's caregivers. Ten years younger than Valentine, Jupiter also resides here at Dollywood and helps the American Eagle Foundation promote education and awareness about the Barn Owl, the only member of its species found in North America. Unfortunately, in the wild, Barn Owls have a very high mortality rate with only an estimated 20 percent of their young reaching maturity. Barry, the Barred Owl Barry & Sampson, the Barred Owls Barry came to the American Eagle Foundation in 1998 after a storm toppled the nest he shared with his brother, Sampson. Nursed back to health by the well-meaning folks who discovered him and his brother, Barry is now a "human imprint," which means he can no longer survive in the wild. Visitors to the South Carolina Aquarium may recognize Barry who spent several years there as part of an exhibit. Like his brother Barry, Sampson is a "human imprint" due to the rehabilitation he received from well-meaning folks who rescued them after a storm toppled their nest from a tree. Unable to survive in the wild, Samson and his brother came to the American Eagle Foundation in 1998. Sampson and other Barred Owls are easily recognized by their distinctive "hooting" or call. Owlice, the Great Horned Owl Horseback riders found Owlice, injured and on his back, in Pennsylvania in 2001. She was taken to Tri-State Bird Rescue where the staff discovered a band indicating that Owlice was previously released in New Jersey. Suffering from starvation, Owlice also began showing signs of head trauma. Her head was tilted and a cataract had formed in one eye. During her rehabilitation, it also was discovered that Owlice had no fear of humans, which meant she could not survive in the wild. That same year, Owlice joined the American Eagle Foundation family at Dollywood. Daisy & Bowlice, American Kestrels Daisy and her species are perhaps the most colorful raptors in the world. After a cat raided her nest, Daisy was found on someone's deck. Due to the concerned homeowner's caregiving, Daisy was rendered a "human imprint," which means she cannot survive in the wild. Instead, Daisy found a new home at the American Eagle Foundation at Dollywood in 2005. Bo was in the same nest as Daisy that was raided by a cat. Discovered both weak and dehydrated underneath someone's deck, Bo, too, was rendered a "human imprint" due to the care he received from the concerned homeowner. Bo cannot survive in the wild, but he found a new home in 2005 at the American Eagle Foundation at Dollywood. Bonita, the Crested Caracara Bonita, the Crested Caracara Bonita came to the American Eagle Foundation in 1997 from the Florida Audobun in Maitland, Florida, where she recovered from a gunshot wound to her wing. The caracara is the most terrestrial bird in the falcon group, spending a great deal of time on the ground. Bonita is no exception. Affectionately known as “the class clown” here at Dollywood, Bonita delights guests with her comical stage antics. George, the Turkey Vulture George, the Turkey Vulture Discovered in 1985 after his parents were killed, George's human caregivers rendered him a "human imprint," which means he cannot survive in the wild. Having spent his entire life in the care of humans, George presents himself with great dignity, contradicting many common characteristics of the vulture. The Cherokee, for example, refer to the vulture as the "peace eagle." The vulture can often b e seen soaring in the sky, relying on upcurrents of air to stay aloft, allowing them to save energy. Photograph provided by Dollywood Publicity Buzz, the Black Vulture Buzz, Albert & Cujo, the Black Vultures In 1987, Buzz was found wandering on a horse trail by some well-meaning folks who thought he had been abandoned. They took him home and raised him, leaving him a "human imprint," meaning he cannot survive in the wild. Buzz joined the American Eagle Foundation family at Dollywood in 1989, making him one of its longest residents. Most people don't know that the vulture is the most intelligent of all birds of prey. Buzz is credited with improving the vulture's image through his interaction with Dollywood audiences. Albert was just a baby when he was discovered by his well-meaning rescuers in 2006. As is often the case, Albert was thought to have been abandoned. By the time Albert made it to the American Eagle Foundation, he was already a "human imprint," which means that he cannot survive in the wild. Instead, he resides here at Dollywood. Often seen soaring through area skies, vultures like Albert often sport a wingspan of six feet. As a youngster, Cujo wandered into a local resident's backyard in 2004. Cujo immediately joined the children who were playing there. Later that night, the children went indoors, and Cujo tried to follow them inside. Left to spend the night on the porch, Cujo tried repeatedly to get inside each time the door was opened. The next day, Cujo was welcomed into the American Eagle Foundation family where staffers soon learned that he had no fear of humans, most likely the result of human imprinting. It is believed that Cujo was likely raised and later released by humans. Satch, the Red-tailed Hawk Photograph provided by Dollywood Publicity Satch & Jesse, the Red-tailed Hawks Satch was removed from his nest as a baby by a man who unfortunately was illegally selling birds of prey. Satch was sold to an undercover agent working on behalf of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service who released Satch to the American Eagle Foundation in 1981. Captured soaring above the audience, Satch appears in a widely used photograph often featured in Dollywood's brochure. Satch is one of the most well- known birds in the Wings of America Birds of Prey show. Jesse was hatched and raised as part of a research project. Upon completion of the project, Jesse joined the American Eagle Foundation family in 1997. Due to extreme variability, the red-tailed hawk can be difficult to identify. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the red-tailed hawk's raspy cry is used in movies to represents any eagle or hawk anywhere in the world. Mikie, the Harris Hawk Maverick, Mikie & Sundance, the Harris’ Hawks Harris’ Hawks are often referred to as “wolves of the sky” because they are one of the few hawks that actually hunt in a pack, a technique that allows them to catch prey much larger than themselves. Harris’ Hawks are often used in the sport of falconry because of their group hunting style. Maverick was trained for this very purpose. However, Maverick is a very small Harris’ Hawk, and the falconer decided not to use him for hunting, afraid that Maverick would get hurt. Instead, Maverick was transferred to the American Eagle Foundation in 2007, where he is used to educate others about his species, which is typically found in the Southwest regions of the U.S. Mikie was hatched at the American Eagle Foundation in 1991 as part of an experiment. Staffers were testing the parenting abilities of one of the foundations pairs of golden eagles.
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