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Educational Programs

September 6, 2005  
Filed under About

 

The Birds of Prey Foundation cares for about 400 birds each year. They arrive orphaned, injured, hungry and in pain. Each one will be cared for on a special, personal basis. Each receives the best possible treatment. Babies are raised by our resident foster-parents, or you may call them “aunts” and “uncles”. The orphans instantly feel comfortable in the presence of an adult of their own kind. An average of 100 birds stays at our facility at one time. Two thirds of all birds admitted regain their freedom to soar again on mended wings.

Injured birds receive medical treatment in our Intensive Care Unit, just as humans would in a hospital. When they recover, they will be placed in large outdoor aviaries, so they will regain their strength and hunting skills. Our outdoor facility houses large eagles, hawks, falcons and owls. It ranks among the five best facilities in the United States.

  • Our volunteers present a program that takes between 50 and 60 minutes, however we are flexible.
  • A slide show introduces various species of raptors to the class or group.
  • For the remainder of the time a live raptor will be presented and questions will be answered.
  • We have stories to tell – some are funny, some are sad.
  • We talk about real birds, and how over 90% of them arrive at the Foundation because of human interference.
  • We tell stories about their recovery, their behavior, and weave in the natural history of species that occur in Colorado.
  • We do talk about the senseless shooting of raptors and all migratory birds and the legal consequences.
  • We do not dwell on the negative aspects of human interference. We do instill hope in the children for a better future for our planet. The program is flexible and will always be tailored to the age and attention span of the students.
  • We teach about ecology, habitat, environmental issues, wildlife medicine, rehabilitation, endangered species, and ethics.
  • We encourage teachers to study raptors with the classes previous to the presentation.
  • We like to reach the students or group on a personal basis, which should include eye contact.
  • Because of time limitations we encourage children/adults not to tell us stories of their own.

    • Our Owl Program introduces all 18 species of North American Owls with beautiful, professional slides. The lectures draw from a reservoir of knowledge of each species that will be passed on to the students/group. We prefer to present this program to classrooms, combined classrooms, or groups no larger than 100.

    We also provide owl pellets to teachers/groups at the cost of $1.00 per pellet. The “recycled” mice help us feed our birds.

    The cost of the program helps us care for our birds: it buys food, medical supplies, transportation, gas and electricity to keep them warm in the cold winter months.

    Our goal is to present a program that inspires the respect and admiration we have for these magnificent birds.

    We hope it will make a lasting impression.

    If you are interested in a program, contact our director, Sigrid Ueblacker, at (303)460-0674 or via email at: raptor@birds-of-prey.org

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