The Greatest Show on Earth

Sure, Barnum and Bailey had monkeys swinging from trapezes, elephants standing on their hind legs, dogs dressed up as clowns. But did they have eagles sitting next to the guests on their benches? Did they have owls landing on the hands of the audience members? Did they have falcons flying so close they wings brushed your face? I don't think so.

The free-flying raptor show at Eagles Flying was like nothing I'd ever seen before, and I've seen my fair share of raptor shows. Each of them have their strong and weak points, and each are clearly designed based on the birds in the program, the location, the country's laws on raptor handling. But I have to say, Eagles Flying's show was a whole lot of fun.

The show opened with falcons, starting off with Nujo, flying to Joe's lure. For an itty bitty bird he sure was fast, and even for me, being around kestrels, it was incredible seeing him. He was rewarded at the end of each show when he hovered, a trick unique to kestrels. It's a rare sight to see this robin-sized bird hovering around like an oversized hummingbird at a feeder.

Next up was Leilah. She, too, flew to a lure and, I have to admit, she always showed up Nujo. As one of the fastest animals on Earth, she zipped between audience members like a small jet, her stiff wings clipping shoulders and heads. And she can turn on a dime. She'd zoom past the lure, catch herself in the air, arch her back, and drop straight down to the ground again. The end was the best part: Lothar would give a sharp whistle and call, then throw the lure high in the air. With a profound whack, Leilah would catch the lure as it fell and take it to the ground. 

The show next detailed the hawks, owls, and vultures. They flew hand to hand between the handlers, and some of the birds--Molly the barn owl and Jerry the Harris' hawk--flew to members of the audience. This practice isn't something we do in the US, so it was exciting to see the audience interact with the birds. A few people were freaked out having the birds fly to them, but even more were squeamish about holding a piece of chick meat. "Don't you eat chicken legs?" Lothar would tease. 

The last part of the show involved the eagles, and it was by far the most exciting bit. There's nothing quite like having an eagle fly so close to you its wings brush your face. Lothar made a habit of holding his glove right in front of people's faces, so the eagles would land within inches of them. It certainly made for some epic photographs. 

Below are photos of Kelly, the tawny eagle, flying over my head during the show.

This is Lynda, the white-tailed sea eagle and the closing flyer of the show. (Click on the photos to make them bigger and better!)

There's nothing quite like it. If you happen to be in Ireland, take a trip to this sleepy little town on the northwestern coast. Meander out in the middle of nowhere, stroll up the pathways into the centre, plop yourself down on a bench, and prepare to be wowed.