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Published Friday, June 26, 2009 in Local

Photo by Elizabeth Richardson

Birds of prey trainer Dale Arrowood interacts with his Red Tail Hawk, Helaman, at the new outdoor nature theater at Historic Banning Mills.

Cowetan shows off feathery friends

By Elizabeth Richardson

The Times-Herald

Dale Arrowood's winged ambassadors are taking flight at Whitesburg's Historic Banning Mills.

Now, the public will have the opportunity to meet and learn about a few of Sharpsburg resident Arrowood's feathery friends in their own backyard. His program features several crowd-pleasers: Boo, the Great Horned Owl; Nadia, the eastern Screech Owl; Chehaw, a Saker Hybrid Falcon; and Helaman, a Red Tail Hawk -- just to name a few.

Cowetans may be familiar with Arrowood and his birds from their visits to the annual Labor Day weekend Powers' Festival in west Coweta.

The Birds of Prey Show at Banning Mills will be showcasing approximately 10 birds of various species. Arrowood will soon be adding a Eurasian Eagle Owl -- the biggest owl in the world -- to his bird family, along with the recognizable Barn Owl.

The partnership between bird enthusiast Arrowood and Banning Mills' coowners Donna and Michael Holder was a match made in heaven. Banning Mills has a unique ecosystem nestled in the hilly region surrounding the Snake Creek Gorge, a tributary of the Chattahoochee River. On any given day, visitors can soar with the birds on Banning's tree canopy tour. The Holders have also had recent visits on the property from a wild bird of prey that is rare to this area -- the Peregrine Falcon. There are also occasional sightings of Osprey -- a diurnal fish-eating bird.

That's why, when Arrowood stopped in Banning Mills to broach the idea of building an outdoor nature theater for his birds, talks quickly escalated to planning and construction.

Construction on the outdoor amphitheater started approximately seven months ago and was substantially complete in time for the birds' first flight at Banning Mills on June 6. The outdoor theater seats up to 100 people and is handicap accessible. It was built on the banks of what was once an ancient Creek Indian village.

Arrowood views the Birds of Prey show as a teaching opportunity.

Through a series of commands, Arrowood prompts the birds to duplicate what they do in the wild. The program lasts anywhere from a half hour to 40 minutes.

"Our emphasis is on what we would miss if we lost these birds," said Arrowood. "They are the top of the food chain -- even above us."

Arrowood wants people to walk away knowing why owls are the perfect predator, that a diving falcon can reach speeds of up to 273 miles per hour, and that you can't hear an owl fly. He plans to lecture on the birds during the program, while interjecting some humorous antics to keep it fun and entertaining.

If you ask Arrowood what species of bird is his favorite, he'll tell you it's all of them. But, when forced to choose, he quickly settles on the Bald Eagle. He says his heart skips a beat at the mere possibility of getting to train these majestic birds again.

He also enjoys working with black vultures because of their trainability. He says they "steal the show" and act like "absolute clowns" with their larger-than-life personalities. He also points out that they keep us healthy by ridding the world of decay.

The Holders and Arrowood are building information centers at the amphitheater with facts about each species of bird and its natural habitat.

Arrowood is also willing to take small groups on charter hunts with falcons. Participants will get to see the birds in action as they hunt squirrels, rabbits and other small animals.

"This is the oldest form of hunting known to man," said Arrowood.

Arrowood hopes to keep expanding the program over time. They want to launch a litter education program for children. Arrowood shares Nadia's story with children to drive home the importance of protecting the environment. Nadia was hit by a car as she was hunting a mouse that was eating from a McDonald's bag that was littered on the side of the road.

The programs are by reservation only. The next flights will be June 27 at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and on July 11 at 10 and 3. For more information, e-mail info@historicbanningmills.com .

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