RAPTOR, Inc.

Coming live to a radio near you!

2009-08-21T05:48:00.001-07:00

I will be on WMKV FM today for a one-hour interview about RAPTOR, Inc.
If you live in Cincinnati, reception is best North and East of downtown. If you can't get the station on the radio, you can listen to it live, starting at 1 pm, on your computer through the station's website:

Click here to hear my dulcet tones!

And don't call in and prank me. :)

Come meet the birds!

2009-04-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

I'm doing a program at Pine Hill Lake Park for their Earth Day Expo tomorrow from 12:30 to 2:00 pm.
Come on by and meet our birds!

Bye bye, Coop!

2009-03-23T18:57:00.001-07:00

I've said it before, but releases are the BEST!
I don't know the story behind this Cooper's Hawk, like its injury or where it was found.
So let's not dwell on my boring lack of details and focus instead on the happiness of the occasion.

The Coop was released by a new volunteer, and the woman let the bird go with joy and awe, a huge smile on her face. I think the bird was happy, too.

It happened so fast, in half a second it had cleared the barn....

...and sliced in between the mew gate and a parked car (and right by Dee, standing in the barn doorway!).

Another bird who needed help and received it. RAPTOR....it's just what we do.
:)

Newest addition to RAPTOR's Education birds!

2009-03-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Name: Angel (SO 08-23)
Gender: Unknown
Height: 8 inches
Wingspan: 20 inches
Weight: 6 ounces
Date admitted: November 27, 2008
Age at arrival: Adult, unknown
Injury: Right wrist fracture, dislocation
Came from: Lynchburg, Ohio
Story: Found in yard, unable to fly
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Earl kills a paper bag!

2009-02-28T17:54:00.001-08:00

2008-12-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

Releases are the BEST!

2008-09-20T21:06:00.001-07:00

I wasn't present for this one, but I know the feeling of letting a bird of prey free.
A true sense of accomplishment...our rehabbers work unbelievably hard to turn these battered birds back into fierce angels of the sky.

This female peregrine was found in downtown Cincinnati in mid-July, with a wing injury. This was one of the PEFA hatched on the PNC Bank building this year.

After a few months of tender loving care, free meals and rest, she was released back to the wide open sky above Cincinnati.

Is it me, or does that toe crossed over the others make her look nervous?

Off she goes, back where she belongs...

Need something to do this weekend?

2008-08-29T19:23:00.001-07:00

Sure, there are picnics to be had, grills to fire up one last time, fireworks to "ooh and ahh" over.

But if you are looking for something different to do this Labor Day weekend, come and visit some of the lovely Hamilton County Parks.
Every Labor Day weekend, the Parks and RAPTOR, Inc. team up to give three days of birds of prey presentations. The Parks bring some of their birds, we bring some of ours. No repeats!

: )
Saturday: Mitchell Memorial Forest, 12 pm-4 pm (I will be there!)

Sunday: Shawnee Lookout, 12 pm-4 pm (Marc and Cindy will be doing this one)

Monday: Farbach-Werner, 12 pm-4 pm (I will be there, too!)

Come take a walk in a shady forest, meet some of our birds and learn more about these fantastic creatures.

RAPTOR, Inc education birds

2008-07-06T21:46:00.000-07:00

Look for me at RAPTOR programs soon!

2008-06-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

My wing got caught on a gutter and I hurt it real bad. RAPTOR's rehabbers tried so hard to save that wing so I could be released, but it wasn't meant to be.
Now that the hurt part of my wing is gone, I can't fly or take care of myself, but I sure feel better. My new home at RAPTOR took some getting used to, but I am slowly learning that I can trust these weird-looking birds who walk around instead of flying.
I have these really spiffy bracelets on, and those strange human-types want me to stand on their hands! I scream and carry on, but they really don't want to hurt me, so maybe I can trust them.

I'm going to be a "education bird" whatever that means. So look for my pretty face soon!

Now that's something you don't see every day!

2008-04-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what a great horned owl's nest looks like on the inside?
During the banding of the GHOW chicks at Embshoff Park last week, this was found:

On the left, the remains of a mallard.
On the right, a whole male cardinal.
In the front, the remains of a banded red-shouldered hawk....a hawk that had been banded in 2005 near Winton Woods.

Probably the wildest band recovery ever.

Recent arrival at RAPTOR...a bird who hasn't figured out buildings yet

2008-02-11T18:32:00.000-08:00

Jeff Hays recently brought in a Cooper's Hawk. He had to go trap and remove this bird from a warehouse nearby. He saw that it was banded, and when he checked the number, he found out that he had trapped and removed this same bird, from the same building, in the same corner of the building last year.

She had dirty feet and tail...sooty-looking.
After a bath and a few free meals, she will be released. Again.

This is a hawk that was hatched in the Spring of 2006.
The clues lie in the eyes...

In one more year, her eyes will be totally orange. She just has a tiny bit of yellow left.
Hopefully, by the time those eyes are 100% orange, she will have learned NOT to go into buildings.

Our Field of Dreams

2008-01-28T20:22:00.001-08:00

Part of the new RAPTOR, Inc. property, on a crisp Winter morning.
This is the setting for our dreams...if you build it, they will come...

American Kestrel release at the new RAPTOR facility

2007-11-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

This male kestrel was ready to go as one of our volunteers released him during our annual picnic, September 29. You can see the "Red Barn" in the background.

Red-tailed hawk release in New Richmond

2007-09-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

This red-tailed hawk was found tangled in a fence, and after some R&R at RAPTOR, he was ready to go home:

One......

Two....

Three!!!!!

Upcoming Educational Programs Open to Public

2007-08-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

Sept. 1, 2007: Mitchell Memorial Forest 12 pm - 4 pm
Sept. 2, 2007: Shawnee Lookout 12 pm - 4 pm
Sept. 3, 2007: Farbach-Warner Park 12 pm - 4 pm
Sept. 7, 2007: Cincinnati Nature Center 9:30 - 10:30 pm
Sept. 29, 2007: Cincinnati Nature Center 12 pm - 4 pm

Come meet some of our wonderful birds!

The passing of a founding member of RAPTOR, Inc.

2007-08-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

WITTE, Virginia

WITTE Virginia "Jinny" K. Wiseman (nee Kempf), beloved wife of Russell B. Witte Jr., and the late Arthur J. Wiseman, dear step-mother of Alice Williamson (Bruce), Ray Witte (Debra), Nancy Witte-Meredith (Mike) and Jim Witte (Marylinne), loving step-grandmother of six, dear sister-in-law of Ralph C. Wiseman. Sunday, August 19, 2007.

Age 81 years.
Jinny was a member of the Ohio conservation Hall of Fame, Oxbow Inc., Cincinnati Nature Center, Cincinnati Zoo, Raptor Inc., and the Cincinnati Bird Club.

A Memorial Service will be held Saturday September 1, 2007 at 2 P.M. at the the Chapel of Twin Towers. A reception will follow the service in the Art Gallery. Memorials may be directed to the Hospice of Cincinnati or to the Twin Towers Benevolent Care Fund. Bolton & Lunsford Funeral Home serving the family.

2007-07-19T21:44:00.000-07:00

Upcoming Educational Programs:

(* denotes a program that is open to the public)

DATE	Location/Organization	Presenter
07-19-07	Compass School, Loveland 10:00 am	SKW
07-19-07	Fort Thomas Rec. Dept. 1:00 pm	SKW
07-20-07	Newport Branch Library 7:00 pm *	SKW
07-20-07	Miamisburg Library 9:00 pm *	SKW
07-20-07	Madeira Branch Library 10:30 pm *	SKW
07-21-07	Anderson Township Branch Library 2:00 pm *	SKW
07-23-07	Girl Scouts, Batesville, IN 1:00 pm	SKW
07-24-07	Imago 10:00 am	SKW
07-25-07	Fayetteville-Perry Library 6:30 pm *	SKW
07-30-07	Blue Ash Education Center 9:30 am	SKW
08-01-07	Goddard School, Mason 10:00 am	SKW

Ways to help raptors (or any birds, mammals, etc. in your yard)

2007-07-14T20:56:00.001-07:00

I get asked frequently, "What can I do to get birds of prey to come to my yard?"
My short answer is this: Nothing. There's not one single thing that will make raptors come hang out in your yard. If the food is there, they will be there, too.

And here's the long answer:
There are many things that you can avoid doing, to help the local wildlife.

*Pesticides: Don't use them. Introducing poison to the environment makes the whole food chain fall apart. If you poison the insects, smaller birds and animals (bats, for example) who need them for food will go without. Moving up the food chain, the larger birds and animals who need the smaller ones for food will go without.
Using pesticides can also destroy the populations of beneficial insects, the ones who control the populations of the damaging insects. Then, there is a boom in damaging insects, and then you need more pesticides. See how it works?

*Fertilizers: Don't use them. Why encourage your grass to grow faster and thicker, only to have to mow it more frequently? And fertilizers have a bad habit of not staying right where they are placed. After a heavy rain, fertilizers will run down into nearby streams and ponds, causing an algae bloom, killing off fish by cutting off the oxygen supply, which cuts off the food supply for animals and birds who eat fish (Bald eagles, osprey,etc.) BALANCE.

*Dead or dying trees: Don't cut them down if they aren't endangering your house.
Here's a short list of birds who use cavities to nest in:
Woodpeckers
Chickadees
Tufted titmice
Barred owls
Screech owls
Saw-whet owls
Barn owls
American kestrels
Wood ducks
Bluebirds
Swallows
Wrens
Nuthatches
In fact, there are 85 species of birds in North America who use cavities, not to mention all the mammals. And since the majority of cavity nesters are insectivorous, they play an important role in controlling the populations of tree bark-eating pests. Once again, it's all about the balance.

Your lawn: Don't trim it completely. Leaving areas overgrown, even in small portions, can help the populations of prey animals, i.e. mice, rats, snakes, insects etc. A tidy, perfect lawn will not attract anything. Prey animals need the cover of tall grasses and brush piles, and if the prey animals are not there, the larger predators (Raptors!) will not be there either. And perfect, pristine lawns are boring and no fun to look at. If you shudder to think about prey animals, such as mice, being near your house, plan an area away from buildings and fill it with native plants. Create a brush pile when you trim your bushes and trees.
Example: On our property, which is in a subdivision, we have allowed a large area to grow tall, and have added native plants and we also have numerous brush piles. (we call it the "prairie experiment). And we have been rewarded with 6 raptor species...barred owl, great horned owl, red-tailed hawk, red-shouldered hawk, sharp-shinned hawk and Cooper's hawk.

Humans as a species have really messed things up. We alter the environment to suit our needs, with very little thought to the needs of wildlife. Think about what you are doing, before you do it. Local changes don't stay local. Do some good for nature.
Start today.

Things are shaping up at the Red Barn

2007-05-18T20:46:00.000-07:00

Construction has begun at the Red Barn, our new facility adjacent to the Cincinnati Nature Center.

Before:

And now:

Along with the new siding, new windows and doors have been put up.
The plan is to have the program birds moved over to the Red Barn by this Thanksgiving.
Lots of work still needs to be done before that happens, but things are getting spruced up!
If you would like to help us in our endeavors, consider becoming a RAPTOR volunteer!
We will use your skills, whatever they may be.
Carpentry, envelope-stuffing, bird care, we need help in all areas!
Call (513) 825-3325 to leave a message for our volunteer coordinator (You can also schedule a program or ask for help with an injured bird at this number).

Some pics of our education birds Mosaic

2007-03-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the RAPTOR blog!

2007-03-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

As the education director here at RAPTOR, Inc., I would like to welcome everyone to our new blog. Here we will post current events: Upcoming education programs, fund raisers, membership information and some of our success stories, such as pictures of bird releases. We will also share news about birds of prey and things that you may find interesting about the environment in general.