California Raptor Center

Today is #NationalBirdDay! Launched in 2002, National Bird Day is a celebration of all things avian, aiming to raise awareness about bird conservation and welfare. Bird enthusiasts are encouraged to learn about birds and partake in bird-related activities such as bird-watching and photography. The timing of this day is excellent: winter is a great time to look for raptors in the Sacramento region. Have you spotted any raptors recently? Feel free to share your photos and stories here! (Pictured: juvenile Red-tailed Hawk shortly after release)

*UPDATE 2: Both designs are sold out now! Thank you, all! *UPDATE: The TUVU shirt is sold out now but still a few Barn Owl shirts left! Thanks for the support all -- Happy 2021! Looks like FLOAT - For Love Of All Things has a few California Raptor Center tank tops left as part of their end-of-year blowout sale for $10 each!... Small ladies' tank (Barn Owl): float.org//floatholid/products/california-raptor-center-1 Small ladies' tank (Turkey Vulture): float.org//floatholiday/products/california-raptor-center

As we come out of a holiday in celebration of gratitude, we want to thank all of our supporters who have stood steadfastly by us throughout this challenging year. Thank you for helping us continue to care for the raptors of Northern California. Today is #GivingTuesday, a day highlighting generosity and giving to support and transform communities. There are many wonderful causes to support today, and if you are thinking about where to give as the year draws to a close, we hope... that you will consider the California Raptor Center. We rely on donations from the public to support everything we do. Your gifts fund our day-to-day operations, from feeding the birds to providing medical care to supporting our talented staff. EXCITING NEWS: Thanks to a generous donor, your gifts will be matched up to $3500! You can learn more and donate at https://give.ucdavis.edu/Donate/YourGift/V160000

Help California Raptor Center every time you shop at 2,305 of the most popular online stores: https://www.iGive.com/CaliforniaRaptorCenter/ #iGiveDoYou

Help California Raptor Center every time you shop at 2,325 of the most popular online stores: https://www.iGive.com/CaliforniaRaptorCenter/ #iGiveDoYou

Happy Holidays from the California Raptor Center! Some good cheer from us: here's a video one of our most recent releases, a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk that recovered from inflammation in both eyes (panuveitis).

Here at the California Raptor Center, we like to celebrate our Turkey Vultures on Thanksgiving! Meet Merry and Pippin. These siblings arrived at the CRC in the spring of 2019. When they were young chicks, they were inappropriately handled and kept in captivity by a member of the public. This caused them to become imprinted on humans instead of their own kind. As a result, they do not have the normal behaviors or social skills needed to survive in the wild. They are now living as education ambassadors at the CRC, teaching people about the importance of their species in nature! In this video you can see our team training Merry and Pippin and providing them enrichment in their enclosure. Take this opportunity to join us in learning about Turkey Vultures this year too! Happy Thanksgiving from the CRC!

WOW! Our friends at Super Owl Brewing have sold out of their limited release Imperial Owliday Stout - it flew off the shelves! Thank you to everyone who shopped local and to all who continue to support our work.

Help California Raptor Center every time you shop online through iGive.com! https://www.igive.com/iqtYR25

We are so grateful to our friends at Super Owl Brewing for brewing an amazing limited release Imperial Stout just in time for the Owl-idays They will be donating a portion of proceeds to us, continuing a long-standing tradition of supporting our work helping injured and orphaned wild raptors. They drop today and will be available for purchase during their business hours today (Friday), Sunday, and next Wednesday between 3-6PM. Thank you all for your support and consider s...hopping local this holiday season (especially if you need a gift idea for a stout-loving friend or family member ). Art by longtime CRC volunteer Diana Muñoz

Sales end tomorrow, then the design is gone for good: www.float.org/crc We also have sweatshirt and hooded sweatshirt options to help you layer up for the colder weather. They also make great holiday gifts for friends and family

The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is one of the most common raptor species brought to the CRC. Just this summer we received a quartet of baby barn owls when their nest site (an actual barn!) was disturbed by construction work. They were rescued by UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine equine specialists Drs. Monica Aleman and John Madigan, evaluated at the VMTH, and then brought to the CRC where our staff oversaw their care for the few weeks of growth they had left before fledging. A...fter we assessed their health and flight abilities, all four were successfully released near their former nest site. Funds raised from this week's t-shirt campaign will help keep the lights on as we continue to care for our education ambassadors as well as any unhoused or injured raptors in need of care. Shirts are available only until this Sunday, then they're gone! Get yours at www.float.org/crc

This week's shirt design (available at www.float.org/crc) is inspired by Ember, our education ambassador barn owl! She and her siblings hatched sometime in spring 2018 in Clayton. Everything came crashing down for her, quite literally, when tree trimmers pruned the palm tree they were nesting in. As a result of the fall, Ember sustained a fracture to her left wing's radius and ulna (her two siblings were uninjured). After weeks of rehabilitation and veterinary care, Ember's b...ones mended well, but her wing continued to droop - typically an indication of some underlying issue, perhaps nerve or tendon damage. While she was ultimately deemed non-releasable due to her chronic wing droop, Ember has become a remarkable ambassador for barn owls. Help support our work caring for birds like Ember by getting yourself a limited edition shirt at www.float.org/crc

Shirt sales are now live! $8 from every item sold is donated to the California Raptor Center, so it's great way to support us (as well as the fabulous artist at FLOAT - For Love Of All Things). Only available for 1 week so get yours before they're gone for good: www.float.org/crc

Here's the big design reveal inspired by our education ambassador barn owl Ember! Our limited edition apparel drops on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9 and will be available for purchase at float.org for one week only. Don't worry, we'll remind you when the sales window opens. Happy Friday!

We did it! Thanks to our amazing donors, we swooped past our Crowdfund UC Davis goal and raised a total of $2,690 that will go to purchase equipment for high-quality digital streaming and video production. We're now poised to create and share virtual education content, and with the funds raised above our original goal, we can also offer some of that content for free to Title 1 schools in the region. We couldn't have done it without your generous giving and enthusiasm. Thank you!

Thank you to @traceythompson for this lovely sketch of some of our beloved education ambassador birds! Pictured here are Forrest, the Great Horned Owl, and Ember, the barn owl! We love seeing art from our fellow raptor enthusiasts!

Huge thanks to Adam Saake and Tara Mueller for their generous donations to our Crowdfund campaign! Their contributions round out our campaign and will help us acquire the equipment to create and share new virtual education programs. --- The Raptors Go Digital! campaign is now complete! You can view last month's campaign at https://bit.ly/2I3J23z

Much gratitude to Tara Mueller for generously donating to our Raptors Go Digital! campaign. We are deeply appreciative of our caring supporters like Tara. Thank you, Tara!

We have another limited edition FLOAT shirt coming your way next week (sales start Monday, Nov 9 and end Sunday, Nov 15). Can you guess which raptor we're featuring on this shirt?

OWL-O-WEEN TONIGHT! Last chance to get tickets to our Halloween owl celebration. Owl-o-ween begins at 5:30 PM PT and will feature owl biology 101, guest visits by two of our educational ambassador owls, and stories about owl myth and lore. Whooo's coming? We look forward to seeing you there! Tickets and more information available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/owl-o-ween-tickets-122595984891

A classic whoooodunnit: owls and true crime? There’s more overlap than you might think. Learn more at Owl-o-ween! For tickets and more information about Owl-o-ween, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/owl-o-ween-tickets-122595984891

Hope you and your family can join us next week! Only $15 for a single device so gather the immediate family around for 90 minutes of cool facts about owls!

What do owls, ghosts, and aliens have in common? Find out at Owl-o-ween! Learn about real owls and the roles owls may have played in shaping some of our enduring urban legends. For tickets and more information about Owl-o-ween, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/owl-o-ween-tickets-122595984891

Much gratitude to Hyemi Sevening for generously donating to our Raptors Go Digital! campaign. We are so thankful to have caring supporters like Hyemi Sevening. Thank you, Hyemi! You can learn more about our Crowdfund campaign at https://bit.ly/2I3J23z Pictured: Whistler, the Swainson's Hawk in her juvenile plumage!

Much gratitude to Eric Bollinger for generously donating to our Raptors Go Digital! campaign. We appreciate the love supporters like Eric have given us. Thank you, Eric! You can learn more about our Crowdfund campaign at https://bit.ly/2I3J23z Pictured: Jack, the Red Tailed Hawk

Huge thanks to Eric Bollinger, Tina Greenwood, Michelle Poesy, Melissa Marshall, Hyemi Sevening for their generous contributions to our Crowdfund campaign! Thanks to their donations, we'll be able to acquire some of the accessories to make our virtual programs possible. To learn more and contribute to the Raptors Go Digital! campaign, visit https://bit.ly/2I3J23z Pictured: Sullivan, the Golden Eagle

Owls everywhere: did you know that owls are found on every continent except Antarctica? This map shows the approximate global range of the cosmopolitan Barn Owl, the most broadly distributed type of owl in the world. You can learn more about Barn Owls and other owls of the world at our upcoming Owl-o-ween celebration! For tickets and more information about Owl-o-ween, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/owl-o-ween-tickets-122595984891... (Map courtesy of Wikipedia/Achim Raschka, shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.)

A fun idea for all the songbird enthusiasts among us!

Much gratitude to our 3 anonymous donors for generously donating to our Raptors Go Digital! campaign. We appreciate the love from our caring supporters. Thank you! You can learn more about our Crowdfund campaign at https://bit.ly/2I3J23z

Much gratitude to Gloria Fenner for generously donating to our Raptors Go Digital! campaign. We are so thankful to have caring supporters like Gloria Fenner. Thank you, Gloria! You can learn more about our Crowdfund campaign at https://bit.ly/2I3J23z

Much gratitude to Robert Smith, In Memory of Robert & Anne Smith, for generously donating to our Raptors Go Digital! campaign. We are so appreciative of the love supporters like Robert and Anne have given us. Thank you, Robert and Anne! You can learn more about our Crowdfund campaign at https://bit.ly/2I3J23z

Much gratitude to Liz Williamson, in Honor of Sallie Reynolds, for generously donating to our Raptors Go Digital! campaign. We appreciate the love supporters like Liz and Sallie have given us. Thank you, Liz and Sallie! You can learn more about our Crowdfund campaign at https://bit.ly/2I3J23z

Huge thanks to Liz Williamson (In Honor of Sallie Reynolds), Wendy Bramble (In Honor of Ryane Logsdon), Judith Poxon, Robert Smith (In Memory of Robert & Anne Smith), Gloria Fenner, and 3 anonymous donors for their generous contributions to our Crowdfund campaign! Thanks to their donations, we'll be able to acquire some of the accessories to make our virtual programs possible. To learn more and contribute to the Raptors Go Digital! campaign, visit https://bit.ly/2I3J23z

We are so grateful to the anonymous donors who have generously given to our campaign! You can learn more about our Crowdfund campaign at https://bit.ly/2I3J23z

STRETCH GOAL! Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we have almost hit our #CrowdfundUCDavis funding goal, and we are only halfway through the month! Because we are close to meeting our initial goal, we have set a new stretch goal of $5,000 so we can provide more education programs to the community. All donations above and beyond our equipment costs will go not only to free programs for Title 1 schools in Yolo, Solano, and Sacramento countiesnow we can extend that offer to schools in Butte, Yuba, Placer, and Amador counties as well. Thank you for supporting our education programs! You can learn more about our Crowdfund campaign at https://bit.ly/312NndU

Much gratitude to Jo Ellen and Gene for generously donating to our Raptors Go Digital! campaign. We are so appreciative of the love supporters like Jo Ellen and Gene have given us. Thank you, Jo Ellen and Gene! You can learn more about our Crowdfund campaign at https://bit.ly/2I3J23z

All about owls! Come learn about owl fact vs. fiction in this special 1.5 hour, family-friendly Halloween event. This live presentation, led by the CRC’s education specialist, will explore all aspects of the owl, from biology to popular culture. With the help of several of the California Raptor Center’s non-releasable ambassador birds, we’ll learn about what makes owls such unique, specialized nighttime hunters. In the spirit of the season, we’ll also take a dip into the spo...oky side of things, examining the many stories, legends, and myths surrounding owls. Viewers will be treated to an in-depth presentation that combines live conversation, guest visits by the CRC’s educational ambassador owls, and multimedia full of exciting owl information. All you need is an internet connection and a digital device! Registration is on a per-device basis. Note: Some of the stories feature seasonally spooky subjects such as ghosts, aliens, and cryptids. Because these topics may be a bit scary for some of the youngest owl fans, parental discretion is advised.

Much gratitude to Alison Colwell for generously donating to our Raptors Go Digital! campaign. We are so thankful to have caring supporters like Alison Colwell. Thank you, Alison! You can learn more about our Crowdfund campaign at https://bit.ly/2I3J23z

Much gratitude to Luba Schmid for generously donating to our Raptors Go Digital! campaign in honor of Lis Fleming. We appreciate the love from our caring supporters. Thank you, Luba and Lis! You can learn more about our Crowdfund campaign at https://bit.ly/2I3J23z

Much gratitude to Helene Cavior for generously donating to our Raptors Go Digital! campaign. We appreciate the love supporters like Helene Cavior have given us. Thank you, Helene! You can learn more about our Crowdfund campaign at https://bit.ly/2I3J23z

Huge thanks to Maria Manuel, Jo Ellen and Gene, Mel Martinez, Kimberly Gibson, and Michelle Hawkins for their generous contributions to our Crowdfund campaign! Thanks to their donations, we'll be able to acquire some of the accessories to make our virtual programs possible. To learn more and contribute to the Raptors Go Digital! campaign, visit https://bit.ly/2I3J23z

Update on our #CrowdfundUCDavis! Thanks to your generosity, we have raised 15% of our goal!! Our fundraiser ends on October 31st to raise funds for equipment to continue our education program’s virtually. Check out this link to learn more about the fundraiser, or SHARE this post!! https://crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/project/21897

Join us on October 29 for owl fun for everyone!

*SAVE THE DATE* In lieu of our annual Fall Open House, we will be hosting a virtual Halloween celebration called "Owl-O-Ween" on October 29, 2020 ~ details coming soon!

This image of an off site educational program both warms and hurts my heart, as I know it might be a long time before we are back to this type of teaching. In this covid world, digital education is now and will continue to be a core option for teaching. The California Raptor Center has a CrowdFundMe to raise funds to help purchase digital videography equipment to create professional educational content that complements our in-person educational programs. Please help us by don...ating today! Here is the link to the fundraiser and how to donate: crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/project/21897

Have you been missing the opportunity to learn about our birds during education programs? The California Raptor Center is going virtual for you! We are trying to raise money to buy equipment to continue education programs safely during COVID. Our #CrowdfundUCDavis starts TODAY. Here is the link to the fundraiser for more information and how to donate: crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/project/21897

Our Crowdfund UC Davis 2020 Fundraiser begins this Thursday, October 1! Please help us to purchase video equipment so we can digitize our successful in-person programs for use online. Any leftover funds will be used to support our educational programs in Title One schools in Yolo, Solano and Sacramento Counties! https://crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/project/21897 #BLM #californiaraptorcenter #UCDOneHealthInstitute

It’s the first day of fall! To celebrate, here is a video of our educational ambassador juvenile Turkey Vultures enjoying some crunchy leaf enrichment!

SUPER EXCITING TUVU UPDATE! Remember the Turkey Vulture babies at the Raptor Center last summer? One of the chicks was originally brought to the wildlife hospital at Lindsay Wildlife Experience before being transferred to the California Raptor Center: https://www.facebook.com//photos/a.42962/10157175437502184 The chick was fostered by our adult educational ambassador Turkey Vulture, Juliet, and was able to be released in August of last summer! Here is the link to the relea...se video taken near the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory: https://www.facebook.com/calraptorcenter/posts/2418848971494874 On September 14, 2020, only a few days ago, a TUVU with the tag number 470 was spotted in Marin County and reported. After checking with the TUVU’s original release crew at Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, it has been confirmed that this is the same one CRC had released last summer! It is so exciting to see a rehabilitated and released raptor thriving in the wild over a year after its initial release. The Turkey Vulture has cruised southward to Milpitas from the original release site near Sausalito. We are so thankful for everyone who contributed to the rehabilitation and release of this Turkey Vulture! Thank you to Nelson Ha, who reported this sighting: https://www.facebook.com/groups/39584100884/permalink/10157746810175885/

Turkey Vulture (TUVU) vs California Condor (CACO) wingspan!

Even though the #LNU Lightning Fire is now 100% contained, the smoke from many other fires here in CA is causing unhealthy to hazardous air quality still in Davis. Phoenix our Peregrine Falcon is enjoying the cleaner air inside the education trailer today. We do everything possible to bring our education birds inside when the air quality is extreme.

Audubon is offering a series of remote (Zoom) bird drawing classes with artist John Muir Laws! Their first class was on September 1: 'How to make bird drawings come alive.' This video will be available on their youtube page for anyone interested! https://www.youtube.com/playlist with recommended equipment and books found here: https://richardsonbay.audubon.org/pro/bird-drawing-classes... The next seminar will be on September 15: 'Rotating Birds and Drawing them at all Angles' The following seminar will be on September 29: 'Drawing Raptors and Other Large Birds in Flight' Here is the link to register for these classes: https://audubon.zoom.us//regist/WN_DEwzA3hoR860ZTAg1U_paw Mark your calendars for this awesome opportunity from the Audubon Society! Here is a link to their facebook page where they will also be hosting a Facebook Live! https://www.facebook.com/audubonca?emci=32320a65-bbeb-ea11-8b03-00155d0394bb&emdi=f0a46b00-cdeb-ea11-8b03-00155d0394bb&ceid=4929

Join our free webinar today at 12pm and discover the places that make California a biodiversity hotspot, with 450 species of birds. Experience a flyover of the ...four main landscapes Audubon works in: deserts, coast, central valley, and urban rivers. We will reveal why we’ve chosen these landscapes as keys to protecting bird biodiversity in the golden state. This webinar is in celebration of California's Biodiversity Week! Register now: https://audubon.zoom.us//register/WN_Se1U99suQqmz_wPxgHpZYw [WEBINAR] HOTSPOT: Flyover of California’s Birds and Biodiversity Tuesday, September 8, 2020 ZOOM WEBINAR 12pm - 1pm PST Free Speakers include Andrea Jones, Tania Romero, Matt Allshouse, Haymar Lim, Sandy DeSimone

An update on the LNU Lightning Complex Fire. According to the CalFire website, this fire is now 91% contained! We are so grateful to those on the front lines fighting these fires and keeping us and our raptors safe. The air quality in Davis remains fluctuating between ‘moderate’ and ‘unhealthy’ throughout each day and we are still prepared to move our birds inside, should the smoke become worse. Pictured is an incredible photo of a Swainson’s Hawk with the glow of the fires in the background. Taken by Ryan Bourbour (former CRC volunteer and Ph.D. researcher in the Hull Laboratory)

At the California Raptor Center, we continue to keep those affected by the fire in our thoughts. People and wildlife alike are experiencing the stress and hazards that accompany fires of this magnitude. As firefighters continue to battle the #LNULightningComplex fires, we are continuing to monitor our birds and prepare our resources. If you’d like to help out wildlife in these trying times, leave out water for animals moving locations to escape the smoke, keep your pets insid...e to allow wildlife to travel more safely, and check around your home if possible for any injured wildlife. Remember to call a wildlife center immediately if you find an injured raptor or other wildlife affected by the fires. Pictured: a local White-tailed Kite with the glow of the fires in the background. Photo by Ryan Bourbour, former CRC volunteer and PhD researcher in the Hull laboratory - @rypedx on Instagram and @talonDNA on twitter

California recently experienced an intense heatwave, lightning storms, and 375 new wildfires. Yolo County is being most heavily impacted by smoke and particulate matter from the LNU Lightning Complex fire, which is currently 131,000 acres and 0% contained. We at the CRC are closely monitoring the local AQI, and are currently preparing to bring our educational ambassador birds indoors and out of the smoke. If you find a fire-injured bird (or other wildlife) take it to your closest wildlife facility for immediate treatment. If you have the time or capacity, check your land for owl boxes for injured chicks to get them help as soon as possible. We are working to ensure the safety of our raptors and thinking of those in the path of nearby fires. We hope everyone is safe wherever you are, and we are thinking of you in this very difficult time.

Here’s a fun throwback video of Kalli the American Kestrel with a pile of ice! We hope everyone is channeling this Kalli energy and staying cool during California’s heat wave this week!

Today’s moment of zen comes from the CRC grounds! A little peaceful clip amidst the chaos of baby season!

Today, August 4th, is International Owl Awareness Day! This day was created to remind everyone to give a hoot about the conservation of our nocturnal birds of prey! Here is a link to their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/InternationalOwlAwarenessDay/ At the California Raptor Center we have many Owl educational ambassadors for the public to admire and learn more about. We’d also like to include a few tips from the International Owl Center on how to live a more owl friendly l...ife! (https://www.internationalowlcenter.org/owlfriendlylife.html) 1. Don’t use rat/ rodent poison! These toxic chemicals do not kill a rodent instantly, causing them suffering and making them easy prey for a nearby owl. The owl will then injest the chemicals that are in the rodent, subsequently harming or even killing the owl as well. Use safe traps (snap or glue traps indoors only) or simply rely on these birds of prey to get the job done! 2. Don’t cut down (dead or alive) trees! Trees provide essential nesting space for owls, along with many other species! 3. Put up nesting boxes! Do your research on what species of owl live near you to determine what the best nest box would look like. 4. There are so many more tips on International Owl Center’s website! Check them out in honor of these magnificent birds! Pictured: Great-Horned Owl, Western Screech Owl, and Barn Owl @ California Raptor Center

Presenting: Today’s Moment of Zen! Featuring Forrest, the Great Horned Owl!

This week we are highlighting Citrine! Citrine is a Barn Owl who was found in 2011 and brought to the UC Davis Vet School with eye injuries. Due to these injuries, she is not able to see well enough to hunt and survive in the wild. Therefore, she became an educational ambassador bird for the California Raptor Center! She also lays eggs almost every spring! Fun fact: birds of prey, like chickens, will lay eggs that are unfertilized. During the spring and summer times are when birds most frequently lay eggs. This time of year provides the most resources available to feed babies. It is hard-wired for most birds to lay their eggs during this time of year, even when not in the wild! Pictured are two of her eggs from a few years ago. @ California Raptor Center

After a feature of our newest Turkey Vulture educational ambassadors, we can’t forget about Juliet! Juliet came to the CRC in 1993 after being found starving on the ground. A previous wing injury that had healed improperly was then discovered which prevented full range of motion even after rehabilitation. Assumed to be a male and named Romeo at the time, she became an educational ambassador. In 2002, she laid an (unfertilized) egg! And her name was changed to Juliet as she was now confirmed to be female.

Remember those Turkey Vulture babies that arrived at the California Raptor Center last summer? Well here is a mini photo update on Merry and Pippin! When they first arrived they were covered in their white, fluffy baby feathers, called down. They now have all their dark black-brown adult feathers! When Turkey Vultures are juveniles, their heads are black and it takes several years for their head to turn the characteristic bright red color! You can also see in their more recent photos, their heads are starting to have a hint of pink. Here is a series of photos starting with a current photo and going back in time through the last year of their lives at the CRC!

Welcome to a moment of calm featuring our Barn Owl educational ambassador, Ember!

We're in for hot weather in Davis this weekend! Remember to stay cool out there. Pictured: Phoenix, our Peregrine Falcon ambassador, after a shower. Did you know that raptors will bathe in standing water? Songbirds aren't the only birds that use birdbaths! During rainstorms, you may also see raptors perched in the open, exposing themselves to the rain and taking advantage of the natural shower.