Birds of prey draw big crowd at Salisbury library

SALISBURY — Various birds of prey took over the meeting room at Salisbury Public Library on Tuesday as the raptors left children and their families in awe.

“If you’re lucky, one might even go on you,” said Linda Noon, co-founder of Tailwinds Raptor Education and Conservation of Kensington, New Hampshire.

“We’re not open to the public, but we do outreach, we go to libraries, schools, conservation organizations and community events,” she said.

Noon had two assistants, props and three birds as she brought her educational show to the library, which 121 people attended. She said that as part of what they do, all the birds in their care cannot be released into the wild.

“We get birds from rehabbers that have birds that are healthy and could live a long life, a good life but would not survive in the wild on their own,” Noon said.

The show began with the appearance of Lionel, a tiny red screech owl. Next was George, a larger barred owl, followed by the largest of the trio, Greta the turkey vulture.

Brought out one at a time, the birds perched on one of the presenter’s arms as they went around the room, allowing the whole audience to capture a glimpse before taking questions.

While the families made sure to remain quiet to not disturb the birds, calls of “cute” and “so cool” were constant throughout the show.

Often giving children their first experience with raptors, Noon said it is a joy to be able to educate youths about the birds she loves so much.

“It just makes everything we do totally worthwhile to see kids’ expressions and we see many from fear to total delight and fascination,” Noon said.

The lessons included learning about what makes birds so adaptable, how owls fly silently, and how birds can smell their prey from far away.

With the area surrounding the Merrimack River being home to many birds of prey, children’s librarian Nicole Chouinard felt it was perfect to invite Tailwinds Raptor Education and Conservation.

“I think it’s really important for all of the new people moving to the area to understand the fragile habitat we have around here,” Chouinard said.

She said shows like this open the door for further conversation.

“We can talk about some conservation and also just learn about the animals in general and their habitat,” Chouinard said.

Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: [email protected].