What Makes a Raptor, Dissecting Owl Pellets & Indie Bookstore Day
Plus last week for Loon Cove Summer Pre-order Giveaway!
I love raptors! So much so that I included a raptor rehabilitation center in my book coming out May 6th, Loon Cove Summer. I also volunteer with the Audubon Society and assist in education programs with bird ambassadors.
You might be wondering what exactly a raptor is …
🦅 Raptors are birds of prey and have hooked beaks and taloned feet.
🦅 They have keen eyesight and a carnivorous diet.
🦅 Raptors have three eyelids!
🦅 Peregrine falcons are the fastest creatures on earth. They can dive over 200 mph!
🦅 The American kestrel is the smallest raptor in America, about the size and shape of a mourning dove, but one of the most colorful raptors.
🦅 The word “raptor” is based on the Latin word rapere referring to seizing or plundering, which relates to the predatory lifestyle of raptors.
Now … it does get a bit complex because other kinds of birds also have hooked beaks and are predatory. To understand more about raptors, read this article by a birding expert. And here’s more about their nests, eggs, and different raptor types.
Are you interested in birding? Visit Audubon here and learn how to get started!
This month in my Audubon volunteer role we had fun with one raptor: Mortimer the eastern screech owl. Despite the name, screech-owls do not screech. They have lovely whinnies and trills. Listen to them here!
Poor Mortimer lost an eye in a car accident and can’t be released in the wild so is cared for by the Audubon Center where I volunteer. In this program with Mortimer, we educated kids about owl pellets plus we dissected owl pellets collected from all the owls on site to discover what they ate!
Here are fun facts about owl pellets you might not know:
🦉Owls hunt mainly mice, voles, and moles.
🦉They swallow their prey whole and the food passes to a gizzard.
🦉The gizzard digests all but the teeth, claws, bones, and fur.
🦉These indigestible parts became compacted into an owl pellet.
🦉The pellet is stored and regurgitated within a day.
🦉The pellet must be ejected before the owl can eat again.
🦉It's fun to find remnants of their meals in pellets!
I did quite a bit of raptor research in writing Loon Cove Summer. Did I mention it publishes one week from today on May 6th? 😊 I love hearing thoughts from early reviewers on the book. Here is one below.
INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY EVENT
I was so honored to be the guest author with my Unicorn Island series at my local bookstore in Peddlers Village, The Lahaska Bookshop, for Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 26th!
My friend Tiffany the Unicorn was there and it was so fun to meet young readers who get so excited about books. Get out there and support your indie bookstore every chance you can!
IT’S THE LAST WEEK FOR LOON COVE SUMMER PRE-ORDER GIVEAWAY!
Do you love SWAG? It’s the last week to take advantage of pre-ordering my new middle-grade novel, Loon Cove Summer, and get these fun book quote stickers, bookmarks, AND a personalized signed book plate label from me for your book! PLUS, you'll be entered to win my $50 Barnes & Noble gift card giveaway (so you can buy more books of course ). ENDS 5/5/25. U.S. only please. See details below and pre-order here.
Happy reading!
XXOO Donna
Lee, thanks for sharing!