Mary Ann Duda of Lombard and her son Cash, 6, look through a raptor tube on Saturday at the Willowbrook Wildlife Center. The tube simulates silhouettes of various raptors and how they appear while flying in the sky.
Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
Visitors got a chance to learn a lot about raptors and to celebrate our national symbol Saturday during Bald Eagle Appreciation Day at Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn.
For four hours, participants could hop in a model eagle nest, meet the center's resident eagle on a guided walk and learn about how eagles have adapted to their environment.
Operated by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Willowbrook is a native wildlife rehabilitation facility that provides care and medical treatment to injured and orphaned wild animals.
It also serves as a resource to teach residents about living in harmony with local wildlife.
The visitor center features windows that allow peeks in the kitchen and nursery, where staff and volunteers prepare specialized diets and care for baby animals.
The classroom and indoor discovery area have games, puzzles and other activities that give children a different way to explore.
Native wildlife with permanent disabilities, meanwhile live along Willowbrook's outdoor exhibit trail.
Residents include bald and golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, turkey vultures, owls, red foxes, groundhogs, raccoons and opossums.
A great horned owl is displayed at the Willowbrook Wildlife Center, which celebrates Bald Eagle Appreciation Day. The raptor is primarily fed rats and mice at the facility.
Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
Anne Marie Smith has a tight grip on a great horned owl at the Willowbrook Wildlife Center on Saturday during the Bald Eagle Appreciation Day Program. She talked about how the great horned owl doesn't have a good sense of smell and preys upon skunks in the wild. Visitors got a chance to learn a lot about raptors - and to celebrate America's national symbol.
Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
A bald eagle named River has been at the Willowbrook Wildlife Center since 2011. He was rescued from Maine and is 21 years old, but he can't be released back into the wild because of his injuries.
Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
Willowbrook Wildlife Center volunteer Hans Kim talks about raptors during Bald Eagle Appreciation Day Saturday. "Eagles don't get their white head and tail feathers until they are 5 years old," Kim said.
Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com