Wrapped in raptor lessons

Patrick Hutchins, of the Spokane West Valley Outdoor Learning Center, shows a great horned owl wing to students from Mansfield Elementary during the Balde Eagle Festival last Thursday at the Vets Center in Electric City. He demonstrated to the students how silent the wing is when it flaps,which enables the owl to sneak up on its prey while allowing it to hear its surroundings. Owls, with their asymmetrically placed ears, use triangulation to pinpoint the exact location of their prey. The annual event is organized each year by the National Park Service's Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. - Jacob Wagner photos