working with raptors (1 Viewer)

Hi, one thing I think is a really cool thing to talk about with raptor lovers is what they do with them. Whether they are just interested, if they like watching them, or, what I have encountered many times, work with them. I want to work with raptors when I grow up, and I currently volunteer in two animal centers. Raptors that I have worked with are:

Great-Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Screech Owl
Red-Tailed Hawk
Broad-Winged Hawk
Turkey Vulture
American Kestrel
Golden Eagle (not very much at all)

I've handled all except the eagle, who I've fed and cleaned the enclosure. I do educational stuff with the screech and great horned owls as well.

What do you all do with raptors? Just being interested is fine too.

female goldie. She's kind of imprinted kind of not. Enough to eat out of your hand. I only volunteer in animal centers. Don't have my own birds yet, and I'm not sure if I'll actually do falconry, but it would be really cool. I think what I want to do is keep raptors and give educational programs about them. Are you a falconer? If so, what kind of birds do you have? I don't know how long the apprenticeship is here, sorry.

They are birds with disabilities, whether it be injury, or born in captivity and not knowing how to survive in the wild. Most of them are imprinted, but some are more wild than others. For instance, the broad-wingd that I have worked was born in captivity, but it was very wild by nature, catching chipmunks in its outdoor enclosure, and flying all around it non-stop, all day. Since the bird was in fine condition, my supervisors tried releasing it, and found it a few weeks later perched on the red-tailed hawk enclosure next to its own, and it was very much alive, but not in the best condition. They were able to coax it back with a mouse, and it is back on display. This all happened before I was a volunteer, but it is just an example of the variety of temperments these birds have, but they all have some kind of disability, and and they are used for educational purposes.

Well young Eric, I wish you well as I am very fond of raptors, but I do prefer to see them in their natural habitat, as it seems a shame when they are caged, but I think that if they have been rescued or are imprinted it's as well they can be used for education, and can have a reasonable life within confined situation, to aid the cause of protection for the wild and free.
I have the delight of Buzzards, goshawks, kestrels and sparrowhawks, all free flying, and the joy of watching the Buzzards riding the thermals out over the back garden, the squabbles of the ravens chasing off the raptors, and the occasional sighting of a hobby, chasing after the swallows and housemartins, but I must admit I am loath to see them get our swallows and martins, but accept that nature has it's way so put up I must, Nina.

Eric,
It sounds as if you are doing the right thing in doing some volunteer work with birds if you want to work in the natural history field once your education is finished. I don't know what it is like in the USA but here in the UK, there are many people leaving university and chasing very few jobs such as the type you want so, if someone has some experience AS WELL AS the educational qualifications then that is a big advantage.

You mention that you have 'homeschool'. I am not exactly sure what that is but I assume that it is where a teacher comes to you instead of you going to a school??

Good luck in your pursuits and keep learning.


Colin

Eric, what animal center do you volunteer with?

I'm associated, as a volunteer, with Soarin' Hawk Avian Rescue, in NE Indiana. This is a small organization, very local, where we try to rescue injured or orphaned raptors, rehabitate them, and release them to the wild.

I've been trained as a rescue volunteer, but have VERY little actual experience, and none on my own.

We have had, until very recently, a good number of education birds: an eagle, a couple of red-tails, a broadie, a rough-wing, kestrel, Harris's and prairie falcon, and several exotics, such as an African Pied Crow, and an African Augur Buzzard. We had a wonderful Golden Eagle, Sullivan, who fell to West Nile Virus last summer, much to our horror and grief.

Our current rehabber is moving on, however, and as she is a falconer, the education birds will go with her, to another rehab/education organization in central Indiana. We have a person now in the process of getting his licenses for rehabbing. He has received his state license, and the federal license is in the works.

As he is not a falconer, we will be unable to have education birds, which is most unfortunate, but may be remedied in the somewhat distant future.

I have been fortunate enough to 'fly' red-tailed hawks and great horned owls (one of whom tried to have my left thumb for lunch -- ouch!) prior to their release.

And the greatest birding thrill of my birding life came last Labor Day weekend, when I was allowed to release a gorgeous, healthy male red-tail back to the wild from my own hands.

I admire you for your ambition to work with the birds. I have found that I am better at doing the support stuff: fundraising, paperwork, publicity, etc. And of course, just being around these magnificent creatures.

Colin, 'homeschooled' is just what it sounds like -- students schooled in their homes, generally by a parent acting as the teacher. These students do not attend public or private schools.

I'm not familiar with everything associated with homeschooling, but know that there is quite a movement for homeschooling. There's quite a number of families in my area who do so, to the point they have their own association now.

Beverly,
Thanks for the info on homeschooling. Don't think it is done here in the UK. My Dad wanted to do something similar for me in the 1950's but he was not allowed to do so by law then. May have changed now.

Colin

I'm sure it has, Colin. In the us, numbers are constantly increasing, and it mostly started about ten years ago. Last I heard, which was about a year in a half ago, there were over 1 million homeschoolers in the us, and by now, I wouldn't be surprised if that number has doubled, since the number of people switching over is growing every day. There are workshops and conferences all over the place, and I take part in many. I'm sure other places are picking up on it.

Beverly, I work mostly at the Museum of Science Boston Live Animal Center.

I volunteer at the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program and instead of having someone with a license as a falconer we have permits that allow the program to have educational birds. We have 29 educational birds right now and that includes Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, 4 Great-Horned Owls, a Northern Harrier, a Ferruginous Hawk, 3 American Kestrels, 4 Red-Tailed Hawks, a Turkey Vulture (yes not a raptor but we still care for them anyway), 2 Swainson's Hawks, and I may be missing a few. The volunteers at our center do everything and so I have been trained in caring for the rehabilitating birds including wound cleaning, catching, and so on. I also handle the educational birds except for eagles which I am training on right now.

Hey Eric keep up the good work. I am looking to pursue a career as a Wildlife Biologist and I love all birds but especially raptors. From what i know to become a falconer you first must find a sponser. The sponsor is a experienced falconer with at least 5 years a as a "general" falconer I believe. Anyway you must be in apprenticeship for at least 2 years and handling birds everyday. You also must build mews in compliance with code and they must be inspected by a Game Warden and approved by them and also your sponsor. You are expected to fly your hawk 3 or 4 days aweeks at the very least during the hunting season, lots and lots of time training and flying your hawk on the lure etc. The falconers I know fly there birds everyday during the season. A "falconer" who does not fly there birds is called a "pet keeper" as I recall, this is not something you want to be called by another falconer, it is the HIGHEST insult. So you must be able to devote most of your life to this bird. Anyway gotta run. Try this link for more info. http://www.calhawkingclub.org/

BlueTiercel said:

Hey Eric keep up the good work. I am looking to pursue a career as a Wildlife Biologist and I love all birds but especially raptors. From what i know to become a falconer you first must find a sponser. The sponsor is a experienced falconer with at least 5 years a as a "general" falconer I believe. Anyway you must be in apprenticeship for at least 2 years and handling birds everyday. You also must build mews in compliance with code and they must be inspected by a Game Warden and approved by them and also your sponsor. You are expected to fly your hawk 3 or 4 days aweeks at the very least during the hunting season, lots and lots of time training and flying your hawk on the lure etc. The falconers I know fly there birds everyday during the season. A "falconer" who does not fly there birds is called a "pet keeper" as I recall, this is not something you want to be called by another falconer, it is the HIGHEST insult. So you must be able to devote most of your life to this bird. Anyway gotta run. Try this link for more info. http://www.calhawkingclub.org/

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I would say the two biggest factors are time and expenses.

During the manning process (prior to allowing your raptor to fly free off the jesses) you should spend as much time as possible so she can get to know you - know your voice, feeding calls, the glove... generally who you are. Recommendations I have heard range from 3-5 hours per day - of course more is always better... and even walking in the public with your raptor is productive to the manning and glove training. They need a lot of confidence building too - especially imprinted birds. If their confidence is broken or their trust in you as a provider is lost - the raptor will leave you and pursue it's own direction. Espescially during times where they have a strong migratory instinct... like in the spring.

Expenses can range depending on the availability in your area. Ideally you should locate a vet that specializes in birds of prey and their health concerns. Parasites are common, generally non life threatening since medication, or if necessary surgery, can clear the problem (some respiratory and digestive track parasites can severly handicap a wild bird) - as well as infections, like bumble foot. Having a healthy bird is paramount and reflects in general disposition, eating patterns and flight pitch. But as a doc once told me, "you can't protect her from everything unless you raised all her food yourself in a completely, totally sterile environment..."

Also - depending on the ideal flight weight for the raptor, daily feeding can be expensive, but again depending on the availablity of proper food. Frozen quail and pigeon is nutritious and most love egg yolk like a desert. But day old chicks can be purchased in bulk for relatively low cost. The thing is, a raptor learns to hunt for you - and then you give her morsels from the glove. Its an amazing thing to watch - they go up, find some game, kill it and then wait on it with their wings covering it for the falconer to retrieve them and give her a seperate feeding. They insinctively go for the head and the body of the prey remains intact.

They DO NOT ecourage too much discussion here about people working with raptors... but I just put up a new board today... come on over, http://pub84.ezboard.com/bbirdsofprey