Valley Talk – An Intimate Encounter with Birds of Prey Native to the Wissahickon with Courtney Douds of Raptor Jawns 

In person at the Valley Green Inn or online on Zoom Meet two of the beautiful raptors who call Wissahickon Valley home for an up-close view of these incredible predators. Learn about the individual and natural history of Raptor Jawns’ red-tailed hawk and Eastern screech owl and how you might best be able to see or hear each species and more in the park. This talk will include a feeding demonstration of the hawk and information on how these birds are used in falconry as well as each bird’s unique hunting and survival adaptations.  Courtney Douds is a Master Falconer who became obsessed with birds of prey after seeing the Royal Tenenbaums in theaters as a child. She graduated from Columbia University in 2010 with degrees in English and Environmental Biology. She has volunteered at wildlife rehabilitation centers, interned at Hawk Mountain, worked at Ireland’s School of Falconry, traveled to Mongolia to experience their falconry traditions with golden eagles, personally hunted with red-tailed hawks for over a decade, and founded Raptor Jawns in 2020. She works as a psychoanalyst in private practice and an environmental educator throughout the greater Philadelphia area. Register here to attend in-person at the Valley Green Inn. Register here to attend online on Zoom.