Hawks, kestrels and owls were showcased by the California Raptor Center last Sunday and Thursday in the first of four showings at the California State Fair in Sacramento.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — which invited the group for a brief stint in 2011 — brought the volunteer team and the education birds to back for an extended stay this year.

Like the majority of CRC’s education programs, this is an all-volunteer effort. Christine Adams, who is responsible for the majority of CRC’s offsite programs, and another longtime volunteer, Sallie Reynolds, took four birds and lots of raptor-info goodies to the Expo Center island area.

They rotated the birds, two at a time, to give them rest periods, and the booth was jammed with people from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Many who came to look and listen were so charmed by the two birds being shown that they came back later to meet the other two, a news release said.

All the visitors, children and adults alike, enjoyed the feathers, talons, skulls and photographs on display. But as always, the birds were the stars of the show.

Grasshopper, the Swainson’s hawk, and Spar, the American kestrel, are old hands at this, and showed off with poise, the news release said. Athena, the barn owl, made her fair debut and took it quite well. She was extremely popular with the crowds, especially when Adams asked her to give the barn owl shriek.

Sophie, the little northern saw-whet, was greeted with awe and “awwws.”

CRC volunteers will return to the fair on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The California State Fair continues through Sunday, July 29, at the fairgrounds on Exposition Boulevard in Sacramento.

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Raptor Center owl — California Raptor Center volunteer Christine Adams shows off Buddy, a great horned owl, in 2011. All the birds the center presents to the public are non-releasable, meaning they have been injured or compromised and cannot sustain themselves in the wild, so they have been tamed and trained to work with the center’s education team. Courtesy photo

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Raptor Center state fair — California Raptor Center volunteers Christine Adams, left, with Sophie, a Saw-whet Owl, and Racine Barton, right, with Grasshopper, a Swainson’s hawk, at Discovery Island, at Cal Expo, during the California State Fair this year. Courtesy photo

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