400 attend Carson Valley Eagles and Agriculture event

It might have been called the Owl Prowl, but a goshawk was the star of the show on Saturday night.

Part of the annual Eagles and Agriculture tour, the goshawk showed up while tour members looking for owls were out of the bus, according to Western Nevada Resource Conservation and Development Coordinator Dan Kaffer.

"It was already snowing and we saw a couple of barn owls, then a goshawk showed up and flew between two rows of 25 people," Kaffer said.

Using a leather glove and a piece of meat, tour participants were able to feed the goshawk.

"One lady was on oxygen and must have been in her late 60s," Kaffer said. "She was standing there with a chunk of meat in her hand when the goshawk landed. You could have knocked her over with a feather.

"It was successful even in the snow," he said. "We were true Nevadans. Everybody got out of the bus."

About two dozen eagles were spotted during each day of the annual Eagles and Agriculture events, which saw about 400 people participate over the course of the weekend.

The photo workshop featuring Steve Noble was overbooked for both days.

"People came in droves for that," Kaffer said.

Only the river rafting trip was delayed on Sunday morning.

"It was a little dicey floating on Sunday, so we're going to do it in stages," Kaffer said.

Kaffer thanked the ranchers who participated in the tour, including the Burr, Mack, Settelmeyer, Byington, Park, Stodieck and the River Fork ranches.

He also thanked Paul Bugsley of the Carson Valley Conservation District, Steve Lewis of the University Cooperative Extension and the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitor's Bureau.