Another picture from the Raptor Center we visited. The injured birds are treated, rehabilitated and hopefully released back into nature.
This Spotted Eagle Owl named Gizmo is not suitable for release as she is human imprinted and would not survive in the wild. She is now used to educate people, as are many of the other raptors at the center that cannot be re-released.
I'm from Tulbagh, Western Cape, South Africa. Tulbagh is a small farming community.
Get Pushed Challenge: I have been doing this challenge on and off...
@ericdibosco Eric it could be that I was below the owl and she was looking towards the sun. Plus you would seldom see an owl so out in the open in the wild at nearly midday!
That practice seems to be universal as I've been to animal parks and other places that do the same if the bird has become dependent on humankind. In a way it's sad because they are not living the way they were intended to live, but on the other hand, it does give us and up-close and personal view of birds we'd probably never see this close otherwise. Beautiful shot.