THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 15, 1996 TAG: 9606210732
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: SPECIAL EDITION: A VISITOR'S GUIDE TO THE EXPANDED VIRGINIA MARINE
SCIENCE MUSEUM
SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY
STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 68 lines
MUSEUM Staffers have collected two great blue herons, a turkey vulture, a screech owl and a few ducks.
And they've assembled touch screens, video cameras and other interactive playthings for a new indoor-outdoor exhibit of native Virginia birds, all housed in an aviary and the Owls Creek Marsh Pavilion.
``Most of these birds you would see in Virginia Beach in summer,'' said Judy Urwin, exhibit specialist. ``This gives people an opportunity to learn about birds in their own back yard.''
Inside the Pavilion, a model of a great blue heron stands in a glass case. A lanky, blue-gray bird, the heron patiently stalks its prey, impaling fish, snakes and small mammals with its spearlike beak.
Surrounding the heron, hands-on displays describe the birds of Owls Creek Marsh, ``a mixing zone where saltwater is blended with a little freshwater.''
Two screens under the label ``Vocal Visitors'' allow patrons to imitate and record bird sounds.
Touch an on-screen image of a laughing gull. Then match the black-headed bird's staccato ``ha-ha-ha-ha-haah.'' The gulls frequent the beach and nearby First Landing/Seashore State Park and Natural Area, Urwin said.
On two other screens, visitors can ``create'' a bird using different combinations of feathers, bone structures, beaks and feet.
Another display explains how a bird's feathers press against air to power and direct flight. Birds' bones are hollow, not marrow-filled like land-based animals. Birds are strong but light.
Before moving out to the aviary, stop at a video camera and scan the birds beyond. Spot something? The camera lets you zoom in.
Pass through the double doors and head to the aviary, a half-acre of marshland, trees, plants and two ponds that will be home to about 60 species of birds native to the salt-marsh environment.
The aviary is covered in black netting to protect the birds inside. A wooden walkway snakes through grasses that back up to Owls Creek.
``At times it will be difficult to see the birds,'' Urwin said. ``You'll really have to stop and look.''
The blue herons, ducks, turkey vulture and owl that will be the aviary's first residents have been in quarantine to prevent the spread of parasitic disease or bacterial infections.
As birds are added, they will be quarantined and slowly introduced in cages. Some birds are aggressive and territorial, Urwin said.
``We'll put a barrier between them so no harm is done.'' Later, they'll be free to roam.
The staff plans to train a small falcon - a kestrel - and the owl for short presentations. ``We'll be able to take them out with a gloved hand,'' Urwin said.
And staff members hope to entice osprey, or fish hawks, to nest on high platforms along the marshland walkway that winds to the original museum about one-third of a mile to the north.
The feathered creatures within the aviary are rehabilitated birds, Urwin notes, that would not be able to live in the wild. They may have wing injuries or poor eyesight, for example. Some were found by local residents and nurtured to health at the museum. MEMO: Note: This exhibit will open later in the summer. ILLUSTRATION: LAWRENCE JACKSON
The Virginian-Pilot
Visitors may meet swivel the Screech Owl. by SS