I was given a crash-course in their show, including a few cues to remember while scurrying around baiting perches...
As the show started, I released Pierre, the hooded vulture, from behind the audience. Next, I ran over to a perch in the midst of the lunching crowd and waited for the Red-tailed Hawk to fly out from onstage. When it was released, I waved it over and placed a juicy morsel (severed mouse head) on its stoop before quickly squatting down to avoid startling the bird.
Following that, I ran over to "pre-bait" another perch with something resembling severed mouse front-quarter before running toward the rear of the crowd to wait for the Golden Eagle. On cue, it flew first to the stoop I'd baited, then looked around. I waved to it, placed another tasty mouse tidbit on the perch beside me and watched as the eagle glided magnificently toward me.
After it made its way back to the stage, I scurried over to yet another perch, smack dab in the middle of a crowd of people with their picnic lunches spread out in defiance of the pre-show warnings ("please put all food away for the duration of the show, because some of our scavengers have discovered that human food is TASTY...") Clyde, the Turkey Vulture, was next up. I was forewarned to don the falconer's gauntlet in preparation for Clyde, because apparently she will sometimes go for people in a not-so-nice manner and in the event something of that nature were to happen, I was to put my body between said vulture and the paying show-goers... So. I readied myself.
In the lead-up to Clyde's release there was a schpeel about owls and a short demo onstage with another bird. This gave me time to second-guess myself and I noticed the stoop was labeled #4. I knew my card said go to stoop #3 at this time, so I made my way quickly over to the next stoop (excuse me, pardon me, pardon me, excuse me...) only to get there as Clyde was released -- but Clyde flew over to the stoop I'd gone to first! Swearing internally, I ran back over to the original (mislabeled) stoop, where Clyde was waiting, and I offered up the chunk of fish she was used to getting at this point. (I was later told that I'd been "very brave" to offer that up bare-handed to Clyde) Ahhh....anyway, we kept the show on track.
When Clyde had flown back to the stage, I ran to the remote release site for the Bald Eagle (way back up behind the elephant pavilion). The stage folks radioed me and I pushed the button to release the bird. The case opened and a gorgeous Bald Eagle shook its wings, peered down toward stage, and lifted off. It was AWESOME.
Following the show, I watched as Pierre took people's money and put it in the donation box.
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