Education

Raptor Recovery Nebraska (RRN) increases public awareness of raptors' ecological importance and the challenges they face through educational outreach programs, lectures, and tours. Throughout the year, RRN volunteers present educational programs to groups ranging from grade schools to corporations to civic organizations.

Our programs and experienced educators teach respect for raptors, appreciation of their unique beauty, and habitat conservation through the use of several educational birds cared for by RRN. Educational birds are ones which have been injured (e.g. unable to fly) or imprinted and cannot be released.

Is there a fee to have a volunteer conduct an educational program?
Yes. RRN relies solely on donations from its members, educational programs are one of the few opportunities available to raise money for raptor rehabilitation. Your contribution ensures the future of Nebraska's raptors, and is tax deductible. Fees depend on length of the program and distance traveled. Additional donations are always welcome.

To find out more information about educational programs in Nebraska and western Iowa, please contact:  Denise Lewis (402-731-9869) of Betsy Finch (402-994-2009)

Meet Our Ed Birds...................

Halsey
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginiansus)
Date arrived: 1997

Halsey came to RRN with severe head trauma and was unable to maintain his balance. His balance returned, but his "owl self-awareness " did not, which precluded his release back into the wild. In addition to being an Ed. Bird, he's also a terrific foster parent, and has helped raise several dozen orphaned owls. He is an excellent example of how owls can be wonderfully dedicated parents to their own and orphaned chicks!

Skywalker
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
Date arrived: 1977

Skywalker was transferred from the San Francisco Zoo to the Chet Ager Zoo in Lincoln, NE. He had been shot, losing the tip on one wing as well as a toe. Skywalker was an adult (at least 5 years old) when he was admitted to the zoo. He has been with RRN for 34 years!

Remington
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Date arrived: 2001

Remington was found by Branched Oak Lake with a broken wing. X-rays revealed he had been shot. He was also discovered to be suffering from lead poisoning caused by ingestion of lead, which affected his nervous system and eyesight. He gradually learned to feed himself, but never recovered completely. Approximately two years old when admitted to RRN, he now sports the plumage of an adult.

Cinmarron
Red-tail Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Date arrived: 1997

Cinmarron is a light-morph red-tail, formerly called a Krider's hawk. She came from the Wildcare Organization in Kansas. She could not be released due to a gunshot wound to a wing, which left her unable to fly.

Chinook
Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio)
Date arrived: 2005

Chinook, a grey-phase screech owl, was found on the ground in an Omaha neighborhood. He was raised at RRN by a foster-parent adult screech owl, but as he grew older, it quickly became apparent that he lacked "owl self-awareness," showing no fear of owls, people, or anything. He is totally unwary, and would not survive if released into the wild.

Sundance and Squirtsey
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Date arrived: 2003

Both arived at RRN from Pioneers Park Nature Center (PPNC) in Lincoln, Nebraska. Sundance was found between floors of an abandoned building be people investigating scratching sounds in a wall (his parents never came back). Although fostered by adult turkey vultures, he never developed his "vulture self-awareness." Squirtsey had an unfortunate run-in with a turkey who cornered her and plucked many feathers; the resulting follicular damage to her primaries left her unable to fly.

Grasshopper

Grasshopper
Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)
Date arrived: 2003

Grasshopper arrived at RRN with a gunshot wound, which necessitated amputation of part of one wing. This left her unable to fly and return to the wild.

Rusty
Red-tail Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Date arrived: 2005

Found near Ravenna in 2003, this second-year hawk was thin; upon examination the staff found that the tip of one wing was missing. He has a calm personality, and the typical coloration of the normal red-tail hawk.

Oberon
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginiansus)
Date arrived: 2005

A casualty of a winter storm, this tiny chick was found on the ground, cold and wet. He was placed within sight of an adult great horned owl while still tiny, and later fostered to a captive mama horned owl. This procedure usually works to imprint owls correctly; but it did not work for Oberon, who remains fearless of humans, owls, dogs, and cats.

Aero Aero
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Date arrived: 2009

Aero came to RRN from the Frisco Creek Wildlife Center in Del Norte, Co. She has a shoulder injry wich affects her ability to fly, and renders her unable to be released back into the wild.

Luna
Barred Owl (Strix varia)
Date arrived: 2005

Luna arrived at the RRN with a broken wing in 2004 after a severe storm killed a parent and a sibling. The wing healed crooked, preventing his release.

Calypso
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Date arrived: 2001

Calypso transferred as a yearling from The Raptor Center in Minnesota. A wing injury sustained as a fledgling kept her grounded.

Io
Long-eared Owl (Asio otus)
Date arrived: 2003

Io probably fell from the nest when half grown, and sustained fractures to both wings. She cannot fly well enough or quietly enough to survive in the wild.

Gavilan & Miki
Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis)
Date arrived: 2001

These two arrived as youngsters from a Kansas facility, where they had been raised from chicks. Gavilan is the Spanish work for kite, and Miki is the alpha code for Mississippi Kite when banding. These social raptors love insects, especially grasshoppers.

Sandy
Merlin (Falco columbarius)
Date arrived: 2003

Sandy arrived in 2001 with a shoulder fracture which left her with imperfect flight. She came down with West Nile Virus in 2002, but fortunately recovered with supportive care.

Nimbus
European Barn Owl (Tyto alba alba)
Date arrived: 2006

Nimbus was raised at the World Bird Sanctuary in St Louis, MO. He's been an Ed. Bird all of his life. Barn owls are the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds.

Chouette
Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
Date arrived: 2010

Chouette (pronounced "schwet," which is French for owl) was raised in upstate New York at Raptor Project, and has been an education owl all of his life.

Chinkapin
Broadwing Hawk
Date arrived: 2006

Chinkapin is a female broadwing who arrived at RRN from North Carolina when she was approximately two years old.

Willow
Broadwing Hawk (Buteo platypterus)
Date arrived: 2006

Willow, a female broadwing hawk, was found in Omaha and came to RRN with a fractured wing. Although the wing healed properly, she is unable to fly.

Vega
Barred Owl (Strix varia)
Date arrived: 2003

Vega was found along a highway in west Omaha with a broken wing after apparently being hit by a car in the spring of 2010. Although he recovered from his injuries, the vet unfortunately had to amputate part of his right wing, leaving him unable to fly.

Phantom
North American Barn Owl (Tyto alba pratincola)
Date arrived: 2006

Phantom was also acquired from the World Bird Sanctuary, and has been an education bird all of his life.

Minerva
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
Date arrrived: 2009

Minerva came to RRN with both wings broken and some head trauma after apparently being hit by a car. Although she healed up well overall, she didn't regain her full ability to fly, and couldn't be released back inot the wild. She has adapted extremely well to be an Ed. Bird, and her calm demeanor delights all who meet her!

Tiger
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
Date arrived: 2008

Tiger came to RRN from Texas after being found on a golf course with a broken wing, apparently after being hit by a golf ball. His wing didn't heal up well enough to enable him to fly, which precluded releasing him back into the wild.

Ariel
Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio)
Date arrived: 2006

Ariel, a red-phase screech owl, arived atRRN as a youngster. Despite being put with other owls, she showed no fear of humans and would not survive in the wild if released.

Savannah
Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)
Date arrived: 2005

Savannah was found near Keene, NE after falling out of her nest as a youg chick (not flight-ready). She sustained a shoulder injury and cannot fully extend one wing, which prevents her from flying and being released back into the wild.