The Raptor Center's clinic census

Sharp-shinned hawk

The Raptor Center has received 726 patients so far this year.  (Last year, we had 699 patients for the whole year!)  We currently have 67 patients. 

Eagles
Bald eagle   18

Hawks - buteos
Red-tailed hawk   19
Red-shouldered hawk   2
Broad-winged hawk   1

Hawks - accipiters
Sharp-shinned hawk   4
Cooper's hawk   2

Falcons
Peregrine falcon   3
Merlin   1
American kestrel   1

Owls
Northern saw-whet owl   5
Great horned owl   5
Barred owl   4
Short-eared owl   1

Northern Harrier   1

We update our website page weekly, so you can always check in and see what's happening in our clinic. 

If you do find an injured raptor, here is some helpful information.

With our clinic so busy, we appreciate the support of friends like you.  Give to the Max day is coming soon (Nov 15), and your gifts will be matched up to $52,000. 

$50 provides radiographs (commonly called x-rays) for incoming patients to determine injuries.
$ 500 provides for anesthesia and surgery for a bald eagle with a broken wing.

Dr. Ponder's Pinzón Journal Entry #3



Boat across Itabaca Canal

 I have arrived safely in Galapagos and begun the preparations. My trip was better than uneventful. I was a bit concerned about having to haul all my equipment on the last leg of the trip. After landing on Baltra Island, one picks up baggage, carries it to a bus, rides the bus to the canal, boards a boat to cross the canal and then finds a taxi after getting everything off the boat. No wheels, no porters, no one for hire... With all my equipment, this section of travel was a bit daunting. Luckily, though, my friends and colleagues not only sent a driver for me, but had him cross over to Baltra and meet me at the airport. How wonderful to have an unexpected second set of hands. Strong ones at that!




Airport bus to Itabaca Canal



The weekend was spent shopping for things that we source locally and helping the rest of the team get things ready. In addition to the hawks, there are mitigation plans for lava lizards and land iguanas - spent much of yesterday helping prepare equipment for those animals as our hawk plan and preparation.



Finch visitor to Dr. Ponder's room



It has been wonderful to be immersed back in Puerto Ayora, seeing old friends from the last time I was here in 2010, meeting some new ones, and seeing the wonderful native wildlife. I just love watching the frigate birds and pelicans at the dock. I saw a short-eared owl carrying a rat (lunch!) and most of the other expected bird species. I left the door to my room open this morning and had a small finch visitor who flew in to check things out. It stayed awhile, then left the way he came. Never any doubt he knew how to get out.

We are preparing for boat departure in the next day or two. Keep the good thoughts coming my way.  I will send more news as I am able. - Juli

(Note from The Raptor Center:  You can read a press release on the project from the University's Academic Health Center (AHC) here.  Special thank you to Mike and Miranda from AHC for a video of Dr. Ponder describing the project here.)



Take a Virtual Tour of The Raptor Center

We hope all of you have had a chance to visit us at our St Paul campus of the University of Minnesota location.  If not, here is a chance to see what our center looks like, and take a peek in our clinic, with a virtual tour.

We have public education programs Saturday and Sunday at 1:00pm.  If you are a school, Scout, or other group who would like to schedule a visit, please call us at 612-624-2756.  We'd love to have you!

Tracking Golden Eagles

Audubon Minnesota, the National Eagle Center, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Nongame Program, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Endangered Resources Program are involved in a project to increase our understanding of the biology and management needs of golden eagles wintering along the Mississippi River.

Recent January surveys coordinated by the National Eagle Center and carried out by volunteers have uncovered a regular wintering population of at least 80 golden eagles using the coulees and bluffs along the Mississippi River from Red Wing, MN to LaCrosse, WI.  A winter population of golden eagles along the Upper Mississippi River raises new and important management questions and challenges. Learning the breeding origin (or origins) of these birds is of high importance. The breeding population in northern Ontario is thought to be small and thus vulnerable. If there are birds are moving from western breeding areas they could be severely impacted by wind generator projects proposed for the Great Plains and western Minnesota. 

Golden Eagle 46 (pictured above) has a satellite transmitter that shows the bird's movements.Golden Eagle 46 was trapped on a "goat prairie" on January 17, 2011 just west of Wabasha, Minnesota. The bird was released on a bluff near the area it was trapped later that day.


Mark Martell of Audubon Minnesota supplied the map in this post (see below) that shows the data points of recent movement.  He is in Manitoba very bear the southern end of Hudson Bay.  He has been making his way south since late September. 

Give to the Max FAQ's

Give to the Max Day is fast approaching-Thursday, November 15. GTTM is becoming one our largest fund raisers for the year. Last year, we raised more than $72,000!


What is it?
Give to the Max Day is an event, hosted on the GiveMN.org website, Thursday, November 15. During this 24-hour period, gifts to The Raptor Center will be matched up to $52,000. This match is provided by Rachel and Denny Hollstadt and the Sarah J. Andersen Fund of the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation.

Two barred owl chicks that TRC was able to foster with other barred owl familes.

Why Make a Gift on Give to the Max Day?
Because the day is electronically-based, it is in perfect alignment with TRC’s goal of being good stewards of our environment by eliminating the need to print or mail anything!

There are some extra incentives you should know about. Each hour throughout the day one donor is randomly chosen to have his/her gift upgraded by the folks at Give to the Max by $1,000 (known as a golden ticket)!  At the end of the 24 hour period, one donation is chosen to be “super sized” and that gift has $10,000 added to it. You may remember last year, one of our volunteers, Jim Colten, had his gift super-sized and TRC received an extra $10,000. Each and every gift matters!

How Can I Help?


Give to the Max is about getting our messaging out to as many folks as we can. If you are willing to share this message it will help tremendously. We encourage you to share our GTTM messaging to friends, family and neighbors. We’re calling it the 15-15-15 strategy. On November 15, send GTTM messaging to 15 friends asking them for $15.



TRC educates 150,000 people each year.  Will you help us continue this work?



Wizarding World of Wildlife Classes Graduate!

The Raptor Center's staff of Wizards graduated another class this past weekend.  Magic could be found everywhere in how plants and animals have "transformational" powers in relation to their environment.  Chemistry can be incredibly interesting as potions. 

Professor Arachnos, pictured here with one of her "magical" creatures, taught how many animals are very influential to their environments.  Food chains and other relationships within ecosystems are some of the most fascinating stories to learn.

Duke Lecture Available Online

If you were not able to attend our 2012 Duke Lecture in person, you can now watch it online.  Here is the link.  Dr. Scott Lanyon talked about the Tree of Life Project; what it is, and how it is impacting what we know about species and their relatedness.