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SCARSDALE, N.Y. Mother Nature smiled on Sunday's Weinberg Nature Center's Spring Eco-Fest in Scarsdale. There were smiles all around at the Mamaroneck Road site as the bright sunshine brought temperatures in the mid-70s to go with low humidity and a gentle breeze.
"Last year it was drizzly and cool," said Weinberg's Cindy Polera as the crowd began to build. "This is good."
As she spoke, Timbre Webb and Jess Rangel of Pied Piper Pony Rides were setting up the live animal exhibits and coaxing the pony from its trailer, much to the delight of the children.
The animals were the early favorites as the youngest children flocked to the baby sheep, the ducks and chickens and the pony rides. The older children, along with their parents, were drawn to the raptors.
Lorrie Schumacher of Talons! A Birds of Prey Experience, with daughter Talon Skyre, introduced visitors to her collection of birds of prey, including Bella Luna, a golden eagle owl and Jewel, a charismatic year-old raven and part-time actress. Schumacher said Jewel has already been seen in two movies "The Fields" with Cloris Leachman and "Dead Souls" with Jesse James and a photo shoot for "The Seven Ravens of Grimm."
The golden eagle owl, Schumacher said, is smaller than a golden eagle but has talons just as strong. She said the bird is the perfect hunter because of its silent flight and ability dive to the ground undetected, snatch prey and take off without missing a beat. The owl includes wolves among its prey.
Another raptor she introduced was a Harris hawk, known as "wolves of the air," she said. "They're the only raptors that live and hunt in packs, adding, They're very social."
Polera said the event usually draws about 150 people and this year the center added an art contest and ice cream to the attractions that in addition to the animals, included scavenger hunts, face painting, drawing demonstrations with Mike Teator and nature walks.
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