BLUE EARTH - Ever see a hawk perched on a road sign? How about a bald eagle circling overhead? Maybe you've heard the distinctive "hoot" of an owl?

During the Twin Valley Council Boy Scout's of America Expo at the Faribault County fairgrounds, more than 700 boy scouts and scout leaders had the opportunity to learn about the predatory birds.

Katie Burns, a handler and trainer, presented four kinds of raptors in two shows Saturday. Burns works for the University of Minnesota Raptor Center in St. Paul.

An average of 800 injured birds come to the Raptor Center a year. Many of them can be rereleased to the wild, Burns said.

"If the bird has a broken wing, even though the bone heals that wing maybe isn't good enough for that bird to fly anymore," she said. "Even though the wound is better, if that bird can't survive on its own out in the wild, we shouldn't try and put it back out there.  
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