BIRDS, SNAKES PLEASE LIBRARY CROWDS.(LOCAL/WISCONSIN)

Byline: Sandy Cullen Wisconsin State Journal

The snakes and raptors at two Madison libraries Saturday weren't confined to the pages of books.

At Hawthorne Branch Library on the East Side, a black rat snake did tricks for about 60 children and parents as part of herpetologist Tom Kessenich's Snakes Alive! presentation.

And at Lakeview Branch Library on the North Side, about 100 youngsters and adults got to know an Eastern screech owl, a red tail hawk, a peregrine falcon and a barn owl by name.

"Each of these birds has a story," said Dianne Moller, who rehabilitated each of them at her Hoo's Woods Raptor Center in Milton.

Tommy the screech owl was born with one deformed eye, Moller said, adding that his mother was probably exposed to a pesticide. Josie, a red tail hawk, lost her depth perception after contracting West Nile virus and was hit by a car and lost an eye.

Maggie, a peregrine falcon, developed an infection on her feet and lost partial use of a foot, and P.J., a white-faced barn owl, never developed the know-how to live in the wild because people tried to raise him when he was young.

Now, like Moller, they are educators, teaching youngsters and adults about the important the role raptors play in the balance of nature and the need to protect them and their threatened habitats. Peregrine falcons are an endangered species, and barn owls are extinct in Wisconsin.

"They're out and they're among us. We have a responsibility to learn as much as we can about them," said Mary Christison of Madison, who brought her son, Colin, 8, to the program.

"I learned the calls that they make and that sometimes they can't go back to the wild," said Dalton McGowan, 7, of Madison.

Audience members also learned other fun and fascinating facts. A screech owl's eyes make up 5 percent of its body weight, Moller said, adding that at the same ratio, people would have eyes the size of oranges.

Youngsters had to speak softly and keep a safe distance from the birds, which at time flapped their wings majestically. That wasn't the case at Kessenich's Snakes Alive! program, where anyone could touch a Northern pine snake - if they wanted.

"Snakes can't hear, but they can feel the love," Kessenich said, encouraging his audience to enthusiastically voice their desire to see a Northern water snake nestled inside the pillow case he held.

Programs such as these bring families into the library, where children and adults can immerse themselves in any subject, said Kessenich, who turned his lifelong hobby and passion into a business four years ago to foster an understanding and appreciation of reptiles and their diminishing habitats.

Kessenich attempted to dispel people's aversion to touching snakes because they are "slimy" by engaging youngsters and their parents in a round of Simon Says. Then he informed them that snakeskin is made of the same thing as their hair and fingernails, which they had just touched.

"Now who said herpetology isn't fun?" Kessenich asked before getting his black rat snake to do some tricks. First, he tied the snake's body in a knot.

"It looks like a pretzel," Kessenich said, pretending to take a bite as the snake demonstrated its Houdini-like escape.

Next, Kessenich dangled the snake by its tail and asked the audience to call out, "Up, Simba," prompting the snake to raise its head up the length of its body in a demonstration of its climbing capability.

Kessenich said he believes people have a primal curiosity, if not a connection, to snakes and other reptiles. "These things have been around a lot longer than we lived," he said.

When it comes to snakes, they also have a primal fear, said Kessenich, who attributes that to the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, which imbued snakes with a sense of evil and mysteriousness.

"I think that's changing," Kessenich said.

His entertaining program changed the way at least one person feels about snakes.

"My fear is gone," said Jill Stewart of Madison, whose 3-year-old daughter, Christina Timberlake, was among the youngsters eager to touch the nearly 7-foot-long Northern pine snake.

"It tickles," Christina said, laughing as the snake licked her with its tongue.

Joshua Feran of Waunakee said snakes are his favorite. "They're so cool," said Joshua, 7, who is impressed with their capability to camouflage and shed their skin.

Lisa Koenig of Madison said she would rather get her 6-year-old daughter, Daley, a snake than a Barbie doll.

Snakes Alive also offers a novel alternative for birthday gatherings. "Instead of going to Chuck E. Cheese, you can have snakes and things come to your house," Kessenich said. "It's called Snake and Cake."

Contact Sandy Cullen at scullen@madison.com or 252-6137.

CAPTION(S):

John Maniaci - State Journal

Seven-year-old Joshua Feran of Waunakee gets up close and personal with a 6 1/2-foot Northern pine snake held by herpetologist Tom Kessenich after his Snakes Alive! presentation Saturday at the Hawthorne Branch Library in Madison.

BIRDS, SNAKES PLEASE LIBRARY CROWDS.(LOCAL/WISCONSIN)

Byline: Sandy Cullen Wisconsin State Journal

The snakes and raptors at two Madison libraries Saturday weren't confined to the pages of books.

At Hawthorne Branch Library on the East Side, a black rat snake did tricks for about 60 children and parents as part of herpetologist Tom Kessenich's Snakes Alive! presentation.

And at Lakeview Branch Library on the North Side, about 100 youngsters and adults got to know an Eastern screech owl, a red tail hawk, a peregrine falcon and a barn owl by name.

"Each of these birds has a story," said Dianne Moller, who rehabilitated each of them at her Hoo's Woods Raptor Center in Milton.

Tommy the screech owl was born with one deformed eye, Moller said, adding that his mother was probably exposed to a pesticide. Josie, a red tail hawk, lost her depth perception after contracting West Nile virus and was hit by a car and lost an eye.

Maggie, a peregrine falcon, developed an infection on her feet and lost partial use of a foot, and P.J., a white-faced barn owl, never developed the know-how to live in the wild because people tried to raise him when he was young.

Now, like Moller, they are educators, teaching youngsters and adults about the important the role raptors play in the balance of nature and the need to protect them and their threatened habitats. Peregrine falcons are an endangered species, and barn owls are extinct in Wisconsin.

"They're out and they're among us. We have a responsibility to learn as much as we can about them," said Mary Christison of Madison, who brought her son, Colin, 8, to the program.

"I learned the calls that they make and that sometimes they can't go back to the wild," said Dalton McGowan, 7, of Madison.

Audience members also learned other fun and fascinating facts. A screech owl's eyes make up 5 percent of its body weight, Moller said, adding that at the same ratio, people would have eyes the size of oranges.

Youngsters had to speak softly and keep a safe distance from the birds, which at time flapped their wings majestically. That wasn't the case at Kessenich's Snakes Alive! program, where anyone could touch a Northern pine snake - if they wanted.

"Snakes can't hear, but they can feel the love," Kessenich said, encouraging his audience to enthusiastically voice their desire to see a Northern water snake nestled inside the pillow case he held.

Programs such as these bring families into the library, where children and adults can immerse themselves in any subject, said Kessenich, who turned his lifelong hobby and passion into a business four years ago to foster an understanding and appreciation of reptiles and their diminishing habitats.

Kessenich attempted to dispel people's aversion to touching snakes because they are "slimy" by engaging youngsters and their parents in a round of Simon Says. Then he informed them that snakeskin is made of the same thing as their hair and fingernails, which they had just touched.

"Now who said herpetology isn't fun?" Kessenich asked before getting his black rat snake to do some tricks. First, he tied the snake's body in a knot.

"It looks like a pretzel," Kessenich said, pretending to take a bite as the snake demonstrated its Houdini-like escape.

Next, Kessenich dangled the snake by its tail and asked the audience to call out, "Up, Simba," prompting the snake to raise its head up the length of its body in a demonstration of its climbing capability.

Kessenich said he believes people have a primal curiosity, if not a connection, to snakes and other reptiles. "These things have been around a lot longer than we lived," he said.

When it comes to snakes, they also have a primal fear, said Kessenich, who attributes that to the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, which imbued snakes with a sense of evil and mysteriousness.

"I think that's changing," Kessenich said.

His entertaining program changed the way at least one person feels about snakes.

"My fear is gone," said Jill Stewart of Madison, whose 3-year-old daughter, Christina Timberlake, was among the youngsters eager to touch the nearly 7-foot-long Northern pine snake.

"It tickles," Christina said, laughing as the snake licked her with its tongue.

Joshua Feran of Waunakee said snakes are his favorite. "They're so cool," said Joshua, 7, who is impressed with their capability to camouflage and shed their skin.

Lisa Koenig of Madison said she would rather get her 6-year-old daughter, Daley, a snake than a Barbie doll.

Snakes Alive also offers a novel alternative for birthday gatherings. "Instead of going to Chuck E. Cheese, you can have snakes and things come to your house," Kessenich said. "It's called Snake and Cake."

Contact Sandy Cullen at scullen@madison.com or 252-6137.

CAPTION(S):

John Maniaci - State Journal

Seven-year-old Joshua Feran of Waunakee gets up close and personal with a 6 1/2-foot Northern pine snake held by herpetologist Tom Kessenich after his Snakes Alive! presentation Saturday at the Hawthorne Branch Library in Madison.