Shared by Ranger Bill Dyas, as Guest Blogger.

It was a picture perfect October Saturday in the Park, with hundreds of visitors participating in the 2017 Outdoors Exploration Day at Kiptopeke State Park.

Percy the Barn Owl and Ranger Bill Dyas at Kiptopeke State Park (Photo credit: Yury Ignatovsky)

Another fun park day

As a Park Ranger Interpreter, it was one of those days I'll hang on to for years to come, when the park is buzzing with activity, yet peaceful. 

Kids were playing, exploring, and discovering the natural, historical, and cultural wonders of the Eastern Shore and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, while community leaders, parents, and visitors from as far as Russia joined them in meeting raptors, snakes, and other wildlife, making bird houses, tracking wildlife, and identifying native plants and wildlife while hiking the trails and beaches of Kiptopeke.

Kids with their families exploring and discovering nature at a Virginia State Park = priceless

Owl Prowl

Throughout the week leading up to the main event, we'd hosted Birding and Wildlife hikes, evening Owl Prowls with live education owls, and Flight of the Raptor education demonstrations for local public, private, and homeschool students.

Like last year's Flight of the Raptor programs, I had another opportunity this year to work with Percy a three year old Barn owl, Scooby Doo the Great Horned owl, and their handlers Sharon and Ray.

They had joined us Friday night for our Owl Prowl and now, midway through our Saturday activities, were back at their campsite on display while Sharon conducted a program with several of the other hawks, falcons, and eagles.

Out on a limb

Then I got the call. Percy had gotten away from Ray, was perched on a limb about 25 feet above the campsite and wouldn't come down. Sharon was concerned that Ray, who was recovering from a serious illness, would need assistance and asked that I get over there and help him.

When I arrived, Ray was in the process of backing his van up under the tree and planning to put a ladder up on top to retrieve Percy. That seemed like a pretty bad idea, I could see Percy's tether was weaved through the branches, and somebody would have climb the tree to convince Percy to come down.

Halfway up that tree I recalled a story by my Mother's favorite back home comedian Jerry Clower and a treetop run in with an upset lynx. "Bring him down John."

Trapped by the tether

When I reached this wayward raptor her tether was wrapped in the branches and preventing her from flying back down. Once I freed her tether, she fluttered over and on to my shoulder like she was ready to come down and so we did. 

Yet, not before announcing to the dozens of visitors gathered around the tree, that the next Flight of the Raptor demonstration would begin at 2pm and owl prowl at 6pm.

Later that evening she and Scooby Doo came out for a packed Owl Prowl and as always, they stole the show.