SIOUX CITY | Tyler Flammang was always intrigued by the large birds of prey he saw when growing up on his family's acreage near Lawton, Iowa.
"Seeing the birds flying overhead represented absolute freedom for me," he said. "There was always something majestic about them"
Flammang didn't know at the time that he would some day become a resource naturalist for the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, 4500 Sioux River Road.
"I get to work with the Nature Center's birds of prey every day," he said, noting that he cares for Skye, an American kestrel; Scarlet, a red-tailed hawk; and Olaf, a barred owl.
All three birds were injured in the wild and rehabilitated through Saving Our Avian Resources (SOAR), an organization that Flammang had worked in the past.
Olaf, an owl that suffered a wing injury after being hit by a car nearly three years ago, will spend the rest of his life as an educational bird.
Indeed, the easy-going owl is something of a celebrity at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center.
"Olaf gets plenty of oohs and ahhs since few people get the opportunity to see an owl up close and personal," Flammang said.Â
Well, we don't know about that.
Summer is a perfect time to see critters (both feathered and furry) at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center.
The center's hours are from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; and 1 - 4:30 p.m. Sundays.
For the month of July, they will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., every Thursday.
Consider this your "caw" of action to see a bird of prey in a very natural environment. and if you see Olaf, chances are Flammang will also be near by.
Throughout the summer, Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center will be the sight of several special days camps. For more information, go to woodburyparks.org/summer-day-camps.
