Falconer James Eyring from Pace University
was a popular attraction
BREWSTER – Thousands of men, women and children of all ages enjoyed nature at Green Chimneys in Brewster this weekend.
Green Chimneys’ 26th annual Birds of Prey Day attracted a huge crowd to the event on the school’s sprawling grounds.
Paul Kupchok, the organization’s wildlife specialist, attributed the enormous turnout to the fact that “people are truly interested in nature and in endangered species.”
Green Chimneys celebrated its first Birds of Prey Day in 1992. “It was 20 years ago when the Peregrine Falcon and Bald Eagle were on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species list. Today both species of birds are no longer on that list,” Kupchok said.
Mutual of Omaha’s Jim Fowler praised Green Chimneys’ late founder, Sam Ross, and its current staff for assisting children with special needs while at the same time protecting nature.
Fowler said as a child he wrote a paper on Birds of Prey and falconry. “Recently I discovered that my name ‘Fowler’ is an English translation of someone who trains birds of prey.”
Fowler said Birds of Prey Day was a “great way for those people who have been fascinated by raptors to get together and do something positive. It’s no wonder that many young people are becoming confused because we are the only species that can program ourselves with fantasy. We are doing a good job through Hollywood, the Internet and the media. Birds of Prey Day is the real deal. It is reality!”
Kupchok said Birds of Prey Day teaches children an important life lesson. “The boys and girls heal the animals and through that process the animals heal our children. When we have done a satisfactory job, not only do the children go home but the animals fly away as well.”
