Raptors of Central Texas

[This meeting was rescheduled from January due to inclement weather.] Featured speaker Ed Sones will treat us to an engaging presentation featuring live raptors led by dedicated wildlife rehabilitators. This interactive session offers a unique opportunity to learn about the behaviors and habitats of raptors native to Central Texas while witnessing these majestic birds up close. Ed is a very unusual bird watcher who is known for watching birds and other wildlife with them inside his home. He has been a wildlife rehabber for over 30 years, starting with nurturing two infant squirrels brought to him by his dog. Ed has personally rehabbed well over 4,000 birds of more than 120 species. Foster parenting, voracious fledglings, hissing vultures, and heartbreak are a part of his everyday world. He is on the board of Austin Area Wildlife Rehabilitation and a member of Austin Wildlife Rescue.

Other handlers assisting in this presentation include Desiree Lavigne, who has been rehabbing and training raptors for twelve years, and Gerrie McCall, who has been volunteering as a raptor rehabber with Ed for three years.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, April 3, 2025, at the Burnet County Agri-Life Extension, 607 N. Vanderveer, Burnet. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. for social time and light refreshments; the business meeting begins at 10:00 a.m.; and Ed Sones’s presentation follows at about 10:30 a.m. Visitors are always welcome! If the weather permits, there will be a pre-meeting bird walk at Haley Nelson Park, 200 Garden Trail in Burnet, beginning at 8:00 a.m.