NYPL Is For the Birds! The New Canaan Nature Center Visits the Tottenville Branch
Hedwig is a Barred Owl. Owls can hear a mouse's heart beating!Some fine feathered friends named Putter, Topper, Hedwig and Evie dropped by the Tottenville Library this week and they didn't look like our typical library visitor. Their beautiful feathers and razor sharp talons wowed Staten Islanders of all ages as Environmental Educator Bill Flynn and his assistant Henry brought a little bit of their Connecticut nature center to NYC. During their program "Birds of Prey," Bill introduced us to four interesting birds and shared a few of his incredible bird facts with us. Did you know that a hawk can see the print on a newspaper from over 100 yards away? Or that owls are considered the "ninjas" of the bird world because of their amazing flying ability?
Harris Hawks like Evie weigh only about two pounds!
Meet Putter! He is a screech owl that was rescued from a golf course.
Topper is a falcon who lives at the nature center because he has a broken wing that will not heal.
If you'd like to learn more about these fascinating creatures, NYPL has some great books and videos available. Here are a few that you should check out:
Birds of Prey by Amy Donovan
Owls by Gail Gibbons
City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male by Meghan McCarthy
Eagle & Birds of Prey (Eyewitness series) by Jemima Parry-Jones
The Life of Birds (DVD)
Winged Migration (DVD)
Look for the call number 598 in the non-fiction section of your library or just ask your librarian to point you in the right direction!
Bill and Henry are scheduled to bring "Birds of Prey" to other branches of NYPL, so if you missed this great program, it's not too late to check it out! Click here for a list of their upcoming appearances or visit them anytime at the New Canaan Nature Center.
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