If you think wild birds are cool, you’ll want to visit the Birds of Prey Exhibit in the State Park area of the Fair. That’s where you can see majestic birds up close and find three daily demonstrations and discussions hosted by the Hawk Creek Wildlife Center.

Harbor Creek Wildlife Center Education Director and Curator Tanya Lowe spends countless hours working with everything from falcons to turkey vultures and owls to eagles.

“Some people who work with animals describe them as co-workers, but I describe them as family. I spend more time with some of these birds than I do my family," Lowe said.

Lowe has made the state fair home every year for the last 10 years. She leads three demonstrations every day at the fair as volunteers show off trained raptors to fair crowds during a 20-minute show.

Hawk Creek is a non-profit center that cares for and rehabilitates injured or orphaned animals from around the world. The goal is to educate people about these birds of prey, many of which are endangered species, allowing fairgoers to have fun.

“We don’t want it to be just drumming and throwing facts at people. We also want to make it fun and engaging so for our shows, we really try to do that. We bring in volunteers to try to get people involved and give them unique opportunities. And we try and just have fun with it," Lowe said.

It’s also a chance to let visitors know that conservation efforts and being better to the environment can also make a difference in keeping the birds around.

“By being more conscientious of our decisions, it doesn’t have to be monumental, you don’t have to save a species like Tom Kaid, it’s just doing one simple thing. Choosing to recycle, walk the extra 10 feet to get to the recycle bin, having a reusable water bottle again is one of the simplest things you can do," she said.

“This is something that I’m meant to do, and when you find your calling, it’s really important that you follow it,” she said.

You can see the Birds of Prey Demonstrations every day at the fair at 11 a.m., 2:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. If you’re not able to catch a show, all the birds are on display while experts are on hand to give information about each animal. You can stop by the State Park area of the Fair or visit HawkCreek.org for more information.