The Raptor Center Announces Raptor Academy Online Courses

Learn about Raptor Handling 101.

Learn about Raptor Medical Care and Management.

The Raptor Center announces the launch of our initial online course offerings for Raptor Academy. 

Registration is now open for three instructor-led courses that were designed and led by instructors who have set the standards for raptor medicine and rehabilitation.  These are valuable learning opportunities for wildlife rehabilitators, veterinarians, and government agencies across the nation and around the globe. 

The topics are:
Introduction to Raptor Rehabilitation and Basic Emergency Care (October 31 to December 17, 2017); Raptor Medical Care and Management (January 9 to February 18, 2018); and Pre-release Conditioning and Release (March 6 to April 15, 2018).

We also have self-study online courses that you can complete anytime, anywhere, and at your own pace. It’s the easiest way for you to increase your knowledge of how to successfully care for raptors. 

The first is Raptor Handling 101.  Learn techniques to handle raptors safely and with respect. You’ll also study personal protection equipment and techniques for capture, restraint, recovery, weighing, and hooding.

All of the learning opportunities at Raptor Academy are on our website.  If you want to stay informed as we develop new courses, you can sign up for our e-news here.  Watch an introduction video by Dr. Julia Ponder, TRC’s executive director.

Northern Saw-Whet Owls Patients at TRC

Northern saw-whet owl in indoor flight area. 

Both owl patients in the indoor flight area.

These owls are cavity nesters, so a hutch that
would emulate the cavity was provided for them.

It’s Thursday – who couldn’t use a success story from our clinic as well as some great owl photos?

Earlier this summer, TRC admitted two juvenile Northern saw-whet owls, each from a different location in northern MN.  One was found with no evidence of parents, siblings or nest, according to the finder. The other was found dazed inside a split tree after it was taken down.

The two young owls were given supportive care in TRC’s clinic, and then “enrolled” in TRC’s “live prey training program.”  Since they did not have a parent to demonstrate the fine points of catching live prey, they were housed together and provided multiple opportunities to develop this skill.  They were monitored closely in one of TRC’s outdoor rehabilitation enclosures and as experience has shown us, one young owl was a “little quicker on the uptake” than the other.  This essentially showed the other owl how it should be done and a few days later, both were taking the live prey without much hesitation.  
During this phase, they were also given opportunities to develop and tone flight muscles in our indoor flight hall. 

After a few weeks of pre-release preparations, the little owls were released together in suitable habitat.  When the time is right, they will probably go their separate ways, just like they would have at their original nest locations.