See Rock City Raptors, now featuring one of America’s rarest birds

Photo contributed by Wings to Soar / Antares, a rare albino barred owl, was rescued from being attacked by crows in the Smoky Mountains. John Stokes says Antares is the only known albino barred owl in the U.S. Photo contributed by Wings to Soar / Antares, a rare albino barred owl, was rescued from being attacked by crows in the Smoky Mountains. John Stokes says Antares is the only known albino barred owl in the U.S.

By Sunny Montgomery June 1, 2023 4 min read

Forty-plus years ago, John Stokes was called to a Memphis school to pick up a red-tailed hawk. A student had managed to trap it in his backyard that morning and brought it in for show-and-tell. When he arrived, Stokes, who was the assistant curator of birds at the Memphis Zoo, saw that the hawk belonged to a falconer.

“She still had on her jesses,” Stokes says, referring to the strip of leather falconers fasten on their birds’ legs. While there, he took the opportunity to teach about the hawk, and he remembers the students’ curiosity and awe.

“I saw a thirst in these kids,” says Stokes. Word spread, and soon he was fielding phone calls from teachers throughout the city. He ended up keeping the hawk after connecting with the falconer and becoming licensed. He named her Charger after the school mascot.

“That year, I did 25 shows by word of mouth. The next year, I did 100,” says Stokes.

Thus began his lifelong passion for raptor education, now taking center stage at Rock City Gardens.