Jasmine Good watched the king snake as it stretched itself out and began crawling into the corner of its container.

“I like snakes,” the 7-year-old Lawrence girl said, adding that she wouldn’t mind taking the snake home with her. “I like mice, too. If I had mice and a snake then I’d have to feed the mice to the snake.”

There were no mice on display Sunday afternoon during the eighth Eagle Day at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds, but Jasmine and countless other youths and their parents who attended the event had plenty of snakes, turtles, frogs and wild birds to see.

Cris Combs said his 2-year-old daughter, Anya, was fascinated by the birds, reptiles and amphibians. “She’s crazy about animals,” Combs, of Lawrence, said.

One of the more popular exhibits at Eagle Day featured live birds of prey, including a red-tailed hawk, vulture and falcon shown by volunteers with Prairie Park Nature Center, 2730 Harper St. Some of the birds sat on volunteers’ pad-protected arms or on an open perch.

“They’ve been doing this for a while, so they are comfortable with the crowds,” the center’s director, Marty Birrell, said of the birds.

During a special demonstration for the crowd, Birrell brought out a golden eagle and a bald eagle. The eagles were less used to crowds and were kept in their cages most of the day, Birrell said.

Leo Schlife took still photos and video of the birds, some of which his wife, Leanne Schlife, will use in her art classes at Veritas Christian School, he said.

Lizzy, an American Kestrel falcon, rests on the hand of Judi Hurla of the Prairie Park Nature Center during Eagle Day. To the left, Edgar Allen Crow, a common crow, sits on Ken Hurla's hand. The Sunday afternoon event sponsored by the Jayhawk Audubon Society was held at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds.

“I’ll keep some of them stored on my computer or use them as screen savers,” Leo Schlife said.

In addition to the wildlife, there were 25 booths set up by various agencies and businesses where information could be obtained about wildlife and environmental issues. One was staffed by employees of the Astaris chemical plant, 440 N. Ninth St. Some employees there are involved in wildlife projects, said Shane Munsch, the plant’s environmental manager.

No official count was kept of how many people attended Eagle Day, but in the past the Jayhawk Audubon Society, which organizes the event, has estimated crowds of at least 1,000 people. This year there may have been more, said Joyce Wolf, who originally came up with the idea for Eagle Day, which made its return this year after being canceled last year because of an ice storm.

“It’s been a steady stream of people all day,” Wolf said. “Everybody seems to really enjoy it.”

Watch the Eagles on the Kaw webcam Eagle Day offers perch to see nature (01-20-05) Biologist bands bald eagles (03-16-04) Photos: Bald eagles congregate on Kaw (02-04-04) Bald eagles return to area (12-12-03) More about the Eagles on the Kaw