Afternoon excursion

Paula has stayed behind with a few of the other Usual Suspects to find a betting parlor and a pub at which to watch the British Grand National horse race.  The rest of us take an excursion to a Birds of Prey center, which features a variety of hawks, eagles, owls, vultures and an interactive presentation.  This not only brings out the birds, but allows some members of the audence to assume the glove and lure and feed the bird on their arms.  The presentation is in an open air area and is delayed by rain.  Birds don’t care to fly in the rain, so we take shelter in a petting zoo building, but the skies clear and the presentation moves forward.  The presenter rewards the birds with recognizeable dead chicks, explaining that he gets them frozen from egg producers, where half of the incubated eggs turn out to be male and therefore of no use for producing our breakfast food. 

In general, the presentation is the most interesting raptor demonstration I have seen.  Sorry that Paula missed it. One the other hand, she has had some luck in the little betting syndicate, and the payout for the group is over 700 euros on a total investment of 120.  She reports that the race is a jumping race, and that typically of about 70 starting horses and jockeys, only about 18 to 20 actually finish, due to stumbles, balks, separations, and other disqualifications.  It’s an exciting race, and horse racing is a big deal in Ireland, so the pub is packed for the race. When we return from the raptor center, she reports that her net profit is 113 euros, which buys her an Aran sweater the next day.  

I was far too busy enjoying the presentation to take any pictures.