Ratatouille

Over the last few weeks I've gained enough experience with the raptors that I now stand out by the fence of the Raptor Yard with a bird on my gloved fist and and talk to people about the the bird, answer questions, etc. Standing there doing that is called "cruising a bird", and I've cruised a Spectacled Owl, a Barred Owl, and a Gyrfalcon so far. One of my favorite things is the great questions that little kids ask about the birds, they shout out "does his head go in a whole circle" or "how did that bird get here?" and all kinds of things. Some kids are more reserved and raise their hand and wait for you to call on them, and they seem to ask more intellectual questions like "why isn't he flying away?" and "how much does he weigh?" Then there are the really shy kids you can tell are totally transfixed by the bird but don't want to ask a question. Sometimes I try and draw them out by asking them a question, like last week... I was cruising Siren the Barred Owl and this little boy couldn't take his eyes off him. I said, "can you guess what an owl might eat?" and the boy shook his head no. His dad leaned in and whispered "mice..." The boy lost it, tears immediately flowing and he sobbed "like Ratatouille" and then just started bawling.... Wow, and that was before the movie was even released! I'm anticipating some problems mentioning most of our birds eat mice and rats...