California Raptor Center

Looking for something fun to do this Saturday?

Join us at the California Raptor Center for a FREE, family-friendly day of all things raptors! Get an up-close look at our incredible educational ambassador birds, watch live training demonstrations, and explore our interactive museum, complete with hands-on activities like our always-popular owl pellet dissection station.

Whether you're a lifelong bird enthusiast or just looking for a fun way to spend your Saturday, we'd love to see you!

Saturday, October 10 from 9AM-3PM
1340 Equine Lane
Davis, CA

After nearly three months of treatment and rehabilitation, this young Cooper’s Hawk is back in the wild!

The hawk arrived at the California Raptor Center on July 4 showing signs of Horner’s syndrome (first photo), including a drooping eye and asymmetrical feather movement on its head, possibly caused by collision trauma. After evaluation by the Companion Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery (CEAMS) service at UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, the hawk received ongoing rehabilitative care at the CRC as its symptoms gradually resolved.

Once ready, the hawk moved to an aviary to demonstrate its ability to fly and hunt live prey. It also received two replacement tail feathers through a procedure called imping, which will naturally fall out as new feathers grow in.

Today, the hawk was released back to the wild (video in comments)!

Donor support makes success stories like this possible. Help give more raptors a second chance: crc.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/donate

Image descriptions:
1) Juvenile Cooper’s Hawk held in gloved hands showing asymmetrical facial features; 2) Video showing a Cooper’s Hawk flying out of a blue carrier surrounded by three people observing; 3) Smiling man and woman standing beside a blue carrier

Meet Daniel “Dan” Polin, one of the CRC’s past volunteers! 🦅

Favorite Education Ambassador: It’s a three-way tie for Dan between Ember, Forrest, and Sul Wita. Ember was the bird he trained with most, and he loved watching her grow more comfortable on the glove and around people. He enjoyed working with Forrest thanks to his talkative, personable nature. Sul Wita was especially interesting to work with due to bald eagles’ intelligence and the process that goes into building a trusting relationship with them. Dan watched him grow from a nestling into a full adult, and even made a photo collage of his growth that’s now featured on the Bald Eagle Wikipedia page!

Favorite Memory: After five years at the CRC, Dan says it is hard to pick one favorite memory. He witnessed and contributed to birds arriving in critical condition and going on to heal and be released, baby birds raised to independence, and birds mastering new behaviors over time. Watching that long-term progress unfold is his favorite overall.

Shoutout from Staff & Volunteers: Dan Polin built the wonderful eagle bench right in front of our Golden and Bald Eagle enclosures. Visitors love to sit there and watch our eagles. The bench is a great spot for classes to gather to learn about the ambassador eagles.

Image Descriptions:
1. A man holds a Great Horned Owl with yellow eyes on a gloved hand. Green foliage in the background.
2. Two people in blue graduation regalia with caps and tassels stand outdoors under trees. The man on the left holds a Barn Owl on a gloved hand.
3. A man wearing orange gloves holds a small hawk with orange eyes inside a bird-banding tent.

California is home to a unique subspecies of the Red-shouldered Hawk, yet surprisingly little is known about its movements — including whether individuals migrate, how young birds disperse, and how they use different habitats throughout the year.

Explorer Dr. Autumn Iverson and researchers Dr. Breanna Martinico and Dr. Ryan Bourbour—in collaboration with California Raptor Center and partially funded by the National Geographic Society — four Red-shouldered Hawks fitted with lightweight, solar-powered GPS transmitters that use cellular and satellite technology to track their movements. These transmitters allow scientists to follow each bird after release, revealing where it travels, how large its home range is, and which habitats it depends on throughout the year.

Red-shouldered Hawks are associated with sensitive riparian ecosystems — of which 90% have been lost in California. Like many birds of prey, injured or orphaned Red-shouldered Hawks are frequently admitted to wildlife rehabilitation centers. As more rehabilitated raptors are returned to the wild, there is growing interest in understanding how they survive and adapt after release.

This project highlights the positive impacts that wildlife rehabilitation can have on raptor populations while providing new insights into the movement ecology and habitat use of California’s Red-shouldered Hawks.

Image Descriptions:
1. A Red-shouldered Hawk looks to the side as it wears a small device on its back.
2. Three researchers stand and hold two of the Red-shouldered Hawks from the study.
3. A Red-shouldered Hawk is held by a hand with its back turned to the camera and a small device on its back.
4. A Red-Shouldered Hawk perches on a branch on a tree in the distance.

Our Fall Open House is coming up soon! 🤩

Experience raptor demos, close-up bird encounters, limited edition merch, and a b**r & w**e reception for our 21+ friends (registration is available here: https://ucdavis.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bNrqoeO8j5zIQsu).

🦉 Mark your calendars for October 10th, and we’ll see you there!

📍 1340 Equine Lane, Davis, CA | 9 am–3 pm | October 10th

Image Description: Flyer for the UC Davis California Raptor Center Fall Open House. On the left, a close-up photo of a Great Horned Owl. On the right, text on a navy blue background reads: Saturday, October 10, 2026, Fall Open House, 9:00AM–3:00PM, 1340 Equine Lane, Davis, CA. Activities include a Close-up Raptor Experience, Educational Presentations, Raptor Training & Enrichment Demos, Interactive Museum, Limited Edition Merch, and a B**r & W**e Tasting Reception (21+). Visit californiaraptor.org for more info. UC Davis California Raptor Center, School of Veterinary Medicine logo at the bottom.

This juvenile Northern Spotted Owl was found under a tree in Trinity National Forest and brought to the California Raptor Center at UC Davis for treatment. It presented with severe neurological issues: when it first arrived, its head was tilted 180 degrees—practically upside-down—and it struggled to turn its head and feed itself. With medical care administered through the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine and consistent, twice-a-day physical therapy sessions at the California Raptor Center, it regained a healthy posture and normal range of motion in its neck.

Northern Spotted Owls are birds of old-growth forests, which are forests that develop over centuries and do not have significant human disturbance. The Spotted Owl requires the dense, closed canopy and layered mix of hardwood and coniferous species — which comprise the mature forests of the Northwestern U.S. Habitat loss and encroachment by their larger, more-aggressive Barred Owl relatives has led to the Spotted Owl’s population decline throughout their range. Due to this decline, the charismatic Northern Spotted Owl is listed as a federally threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

Photo ©Joel Sartore/ National Geographic Photo Ark

Image Descriptions:
1. A Spotted Owl looks toward the camera with its full body shown against a black background. A watermark reading “National Geographic PhotoArk Joel Sartore” is in the bottom left corner.
2. A close-up of the Spotted Owl’s face and head against a black background. A watermark reading “National Geographic PhotoArk Joel Sartore” is in the top left corner.
3. A close-up of the Spotted Owl in rehabilitation at CRC with a 180-degree rotated neck.
4. A close-up off the Spotted Owl in rehabilitation at CRC looking toward the camera with its head up.

Learn more about the American Kestrel. 🌤️

They are cavity nesters and seek tree hollows, nest boxes, and other cavities in the environment as their nests. 🌳

They stay nearly motionless in the air — a hunting technique called wind-hovering. 🌬️

They also have eyes that are 8 to 12 times sharper than human eyes! 👀

Image Description: Infographic titled ‘The American Kestrel’ featuring a close-up photo of an American Kestrel perched on a branch, set against a blurred grassland and tree-lined hillside background. Three text sections in white and yellow read: ‘Are cavity nesters and seek natural tree hollows, nest boxes, and other cavities in the environment as their nests.’ ‘Stay nearly motionless in the air — a hunting technique called wind-hovering.’ ‘Have eyes 8 to 12 times sharper than human eyes.’