Training at TRC

Mike Billington feeds Maxime the bald eagle.

We love sharing our photos of our winged ambassadors enjoying lunch. We use food as a behavior shaping tool (operant conditioning) as we work with our education birds. Since they see 200,000 people each year, it is important for the birds to feel comfortable with the different situations. We are continually working with the birds to keep them familiar with being on the glove, and in Phoenix the bald eagle's case, he is learning to step inside the travel crates we use for off site programs.

Maxime waits while Mike prepares a tidbit of food.

Education Program Manager Gail Buhl is training
Phoenix the bald eagle to be comfortable
in the travel crates we use for off site programs.

She is placing food inside the crate so he
will step inside at his own pace.

Brave Phoenix did step inside his crate!