The Raptor Center

RehabilitationTo The RescueRaptor Links Download Raptor Center brochure (5.8MB)
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, download here if you don't have it. It's free!)

What Are Raptors?

Raptors, or birds of prey, are predators that catch other animals with their strong feet and talons. They have excellent eyesight and hearing, and sharp curved beaks. Eagles, ospreys, hawks, kites, falcons, and owls are all raptors.

What is the Raptor Center

The Raptor Center began in 1970 as part of Antioch University's Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center. It is part of the Glen Helen Ecology Institute, located in Antioch’s 1000-acre nature preserve. The Raptor Center includes a classroom area for bird study lessons, an intensive care room, outdoor cages for display of permanently handicapped birds, and flight cages for recuperating birds. A permanent staff person directs activities, naturalist interns assist in the care of the birds, and veterinarians donate their services and expertise. Funding is through donations, adoptions, and program fees. Permits are held through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Ohio Division of Wildlife authorizing the activities of the Center.

Special Events and Program Scheduling

An open house at the Raptor Center is usually scheduled in the spring and fall when the public is invited for a look behind the scenes. Public releases of rehabilitated birds and other programs may be scheduled as well. You may also see our birds at special events throughout the Miami Valley. There is no better way to generate excitement and learning than having live birds of prey as part of a program. Usually, two to three birds, falcons, hawks, and owls, travel for programs, but special events will have more. Please call if you wish information on scheduling a program at the Raptor Center for your group, or to have us bring birds to you.

Rehabilitation

Injured and orphaned raptors are brought to the Center by concerned individuals or rescued by our staff. Most of the injuries the raptors receive are human-related, directly or indirectly. Collisions with vehicles and windows are common, raptors are sometimes shot or trapped in buildings, and nest sites and habitat are destroyed. Two hundred or more raptors are admitted for care each year. More than half are returned to the wild. This does not impact wildlife populations, but is certainly important for the individual birds that are helped, and for the people who find them. The Center also works closely with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, assisting with its recovery efforts and raptor management plans for species such as the peregrine falcon, bald eagle, barn owl, and osprey.

What To Do If You Find An Injured Raptor

If you encounter a raptor that appears to be injured or ill, first call the Raptor Center. We can advise you on whether it needs help and on how best to do that. When handling the bird, use gloves to avoid injury from its sharp talons and beak. A towel or blanket temporarily thrown over the bird may allow easier handling. Grasp the bird on the sides, folding the wings down. For transporting, place the raptor in a cardboard box slightly larger than the bird itself.

If you find a young bird you think is abandoned, be certain that it truly needs help before removing it from the area. Young birds are often out of their nests before they can fly, being cared for by parents that are nearby, but possibly not visible. The adult birds can do a much better job of raising their young than can humans. You can help the parents by keeping dogs and cats out of the area.

Do not offer the bird food or water, or attempt to care for any raptor yourself. Not only is it against the law to do so, it may result in injury to you, and is not in the best interests of the bird. If you find other wildlife that needs help, we can give you information on other rehabilitators and facilities in the area.

Big News!
The new rehabilitation flight cage, which had been planned for many years and under construction for several years, is now complete! Birds can fly the 100-foot length of the cage, then turn a corner for another 50 feet since it is an L-shaped design. It is considerably larger than any of our other rehabilitation cages, and will be used for medium-sized birds, such as peregrine falcons, and larger birds, such as red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, vultures, ospreys, and eagles. The cage can also be divided by large sliding doors into two cages, one 20 feet x 80 feet, and one 20 feet x 50 feet.

Funding for the project was secured from individual donors over several years. Volunteers from ODNR’s Ohio Division of Wildlife Spring Valley, Fallsville, and Indian Creek Wildlife Areas, and the Glen Helen Association Stewardship Committee constructed the cage. Special thanks are in order for Jerry Papania who drew up the plans and coordinated all phases of the construction, and to Scott Phillips who organized the Division of Wildlife crews and their equipment to get the framework in place.

It took longer than we expected to get it completed, but is everything and more than we had hoped it would be, so it was worth the wait. The increased size is now a requirement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in order to rehabilitate eagles, ospreys, and peregrine falcons. The birds have a better opportunity to regain their physical strength, and we are better able to evaluate them for release. It is a very important addition to our rehabilitation efforts.
 
Raptor Related Links
Boonshoft Museum
Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife
Dept. of Natural Resources Falcons Links
Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitators Association
Ron Austing Wildlife Photography