Courtesy Photo Above is Little Red, an eastern screech owl in the Live Birds of Prey program that is coming to Alpena on March 12.

ALPENA — Thunder Bay Audubon Society is hosting an Alpena visit on Thursday, March 12, from Joe and Barb Rogers of Wildlife Recovery Association based near Mt. Pleasant.

The public is welcome to attend the free Live Birds of Prey event at 6:30 p.m. at Lincoln Elementary School, 309 W. Lake St. in Alpena.

Wildlife Recovery Association is a nonprofit program accepting orphaned and injured hawks, owls, eagles, and falcons for care from all parts of Michigan. 

“It has been several years since Thunder Bay Audubon Society has brought Wildlife Recovery to the Alpena area, so we are pleased to once again share this excellent program with students and the public,” said Karen Tetzlaff, president of TBAS.

Joe Rogers received his degree in biology from Central Michigan University, and spent many years of work in the field studying raptors. Joe has received numerous awards for his educational presentations in which the focus is live birds of prey, and the goal is to capture the interest of the audience so that they might become involved in becoming stewards of our environment and protectors of the natural world.

Barb Rogers has worked as an assistant on field studies: research and monitoring of many birds of prey, alongside her husband, Joe.  She also cares for many orphaned and injured raptors that come into the organization each year. She assists with the training and presentation of Wildlife Recovery Association ambassador birds for audiences throughout Michigan. 

In addition to the public event, two afternoon programs will be given to students only, in grades 2-5 at Lincoln Elementary School. This program will introduce live birds of prey, and explain the natural history of these birds — their needs of habitat, space, and protection. One of the live birds that may make the trek to Alpena is Little Red, an eastern screech owl.

For more information, contact Tetzlaff at 989-464-6573.