(A peregrine falcon wows the crowd at Raptors of the Desert Sky | Photo courtesy of High Desert Museum)
The High Desert Museum’s signature outdoor flight program, Raptors of the Desert Sky, returns beginning Saturday, May 27. The demonstration takes place daily during the summer at 11:30am through Labor Day.
Hawks, owls, falcons and even turkey vultures soar from perch to perch directly over the crowd seated in a natural amphitheater nestled in the Museum’s ponderosa pine forest. A Museum expert narrates the action, sharing the hunting strategies and natural behaviors of these spectacular birds of prey, as well as what we can do to help preserve them in the wild.
“The outdoor flight program is a highlight of the High Desert Museum summer season,” says Museum Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D. “For so many visitors, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the power of these extraordinary birds up close while learning about their incredible adaptations from wildlife staff and volunteers.”
The program takes place weather and air quality permitting. The Museum website will be updated to reflect any time changes, such as an earlier start time to accommodate for high temperatures that might stress the birds.
Tickets are separate from Museum entry ($5 for members, children 3-12 and seniors, $7 for non-members, free for children 2 or younger) and must be purchased at Admissions by 11am. They are not available online. Tickets often sell out before 10am. The Museum strongly recommends that visitors arrive when the Museum opens at 9am to secure tickets from Admissions.
Raptors of the Desert Sky is made possible by Fly Redmond with support from Bigfoot Beverages. Learn more at highdesertmuseum.org/raptors-of-the-desert-sky.
In addition, the Museum’s summer schedule of daily talks begins Saturday. Visitors can meet a mammal in the popular Desert Dwellers talk at 3pm, and they can also learn about wolves, raptors and other High Desert species in other talks. Daily talks are free with admission. Talk details are at highdesertmuseum.org/daily-schedule.
The historic High Desert Ranger Station will be open weekends from 10am-3pm starting Saturday, as well. The U.S. Forest Service ranger station was built east of the Sierra Nevada in 1933 and moved to the Museum in 2008 in partnership with the Pacific Northwest Forest Service Association of Forest Service retirees (known as the Old Smokeys). Old Smokeys staff the station to engage with Museum visitors. The ranger station will be open daily starting July 1. The building’s history is at highdesertmuseum.org/high-desert-ranger-station.
And an immersive art exhibition that evokes the High Desert history of vaqueros and braceros, Vistas del Cielo, Views from the Sky in Spanish, also opens May 27. Artist Justin Favela uses piñata paper to create immense, colorful murals. The exhibition is open through November 26. Learn more at highdesertmuseum.org/vistas-del-cielo. The exhibit is made possible by Gold 107.7 with support from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation.
