More than half a dozen wild eagles could be seen soaring through the sky at FirstLight’s Shepaug Bald Eagle Observatory in Southbury on the morning of Sunday, January 22.

But visitors did not need binoculars to get up close to a couple smaller and more elusive birds of prey as Christine’s Critters visited the observatory for two shows at 10 am and 11:30 am with their ambassador birds.

Many Newtown residents may be familiar with Christine’s Critters because it was the group that helped rehabilitate and release a red-tailed hawk from town in 2021. The hawk had been impaled by an arrow, which was believed to be an intentional act by someone in the Boggs Hill Road area.

Christine’s Critters is run by wildlife rehabilitator and falconer Christine Peyreigne with the help of her mom, Betsy Peyreigne. The nonprofit is based out of Weston and specializes in rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing injured birds of prey.

At the start of the first show, Christine shared her organization’s mission and how rehabilitating birds of prey for them to be released “is very much needed in our state.”

The birds being shown at the event are considered non-releasable due to disabilities that would negatively impact their chance of survival in the wild.

Magma the red-faced eastern screech owl was the first bird to be shown. Betsy explained how Magma had a broken wing that fused upside down and backwards, making him unable to fly.

She pointed to the tufts of feathers on his head and explained that eastern screech owls have them for communication and camouflage, not as ears.

Christine then brought out a gray-faced eastern screech owl named Ash. Ash was hit by a car and suffered injuries that resulted in him becoming blind and deaf on one side.

With that in mind, Christine used Ash’s experience to educate the audience about the importance of being mindful of wildlife when driving. Not only do people need to look for animals approaching the road on the ground, but also from the sky.

Christine added that keeping roadways free of litter, which attracts rodents, will help prevent owls from hunting them on roadways.

Equinox, a peregrine falcon, came out next. She came to Christine’s Critters after being found walking up and down a sidewalk in Fairfield, Conn. It is believed that Equinox was hit by a car and experienced neurological damage.

She is unable to lock her left foot’s talons, making her unable to hold prey successfully. If she was in the wild with this condition, she would likely starve to death.

Betsy shared that Equinox is also unusually friendly, “She’ll stand on my glove all day.”

Newcomer Mystery was brought out after. She is a juvenile red-tailed hawk who was partially raised by female red-tailed hawks Chester and Amelia at Christine’s Critters. Since she is only six months old, Mystery still has her blue eyes and brown tail feathers.

As a falconer, Christine is training Mystery how to hunt for food on her own. This skill will give her the best chance of being able to be released this coming spring or next spring. As a result, Mystery was the only bird during the presentation that had a nonremovable band around her leg to help with tracking.

Christine emphasized that she is “not an imprinted bird” and does have a healthy fear of humans. According to Christine, Mystery only views her as a source of receiving food.

The last bird of prey to make an appearance was Aurora, who is a 9-year-old female bald eagle.

Christine explained that this was Aurora’s first in-person program in about a year, because she had been recovering from a wing injury.

Originally Aurora came to Christine’s Critters after being hit by a truck in Missouri. Her injuries left her completely unable to fly and resulted in a fused wing.

Betsy mentioned that Aurora has a yellow patch of xanthoma on her wing, which is a noncancerous tumor, from her initial injury. She assured the audience that they monitor it with their veterinarian and that if the day comes where they need to remove it, it will also involve amputating part of her wing.

Not only are vehicle strikes harmful to birds of prey, but Betsy said, “The biggest threat to bald eagles right now is lead poisoning.”

When people use lead ammunition for hunting or lead fishing weights, birds of prey inadvertently ingest them. It causes long-term neurological effects as well as death in many cases.

At the end of the show, Christine welcomed people to visit their table and chat with them to learn more about the birds.

For more information about Christine’s Critters, visit christinescritters.org, e-mail christinescrittersinc@gmail.com, or call 203-856-5596 and 203-810-7864.

Upcoming Events

FirstLight Power is the owner and operator of Shepaug Hydroelectric Power Station in Southbury. The business opened the Shepaug Bald Eagle Observatory, at 2225 River Road in Southbury, for the winter on December 28, 2022. It kicked off the season with more than 150 visitors who got to see 15 eagles on opening day.

The observatory is open to the public on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays between 9 am and 1 pm through March 12.

According to a recent press release, “Over the years, the Shepaug Bald Eagle Observatory has hosted more than 150,000 visitors from across the US, providing families, bird enthusiasts, and nature lovers a unique opportunity to see these raptors in their natural habitat. “

Len Greene, FirstLight’s spokesman, shared, “A visit to the Shepaug Bald Eagle Observatory offers visitors an opportunity to view dozens of raptors and waterfowl, including bald eagles, red-tail hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, goshawks, and great blue herons. We’re especially grateful to our volunteers from the Connecticut Audubon Society, who help make this experience possible. We can accommodate up to 200 visitors per day, and we’re looking forward to an exciting winter, so we hope many people will join us this year for unmatched viewing of these remarkable birds in their natural habitat.”

Upcoming Bird of Prey shows at the observatory include:

*Horizon Wings on Sundays, February 12 and March 12, with shows both days at 10 am and 11:30 am;

*Christine’s Critters on Sundays, February 19 and March 5, with shows both days at 10 am and 11:30 am; and

*Connecticut Audubon Society every Saturday at varying times.

Those planning to visit the observatory are encouraged to dress warmly and bring binoculars. There is a limited number of telescopes on-site for the public.

“Specialists and volunteers from the Connecticut Audubon Society are on-site with high-powered telescopes to help visitors see the eagles in action and to answer questions about our national symbol,” the press release detailed.

All are welcome, and admission is free, but advance reservations are required.

To learn more about Shepaug Bald Eagle Observatory, visit facebook.com/baldeagles or e-mail shepaugeagles@gmail.com.

=====

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.