The Raptor Center

09/23/2026

It is with heavy hearts that we share this unexpected news with you all. As some may have already heard, our Northern hawk owl ambassador, Aurora Frost, passed away on August 30, 2026, while in the medical comfort of TRC’s hospital. Aurora Frost was a striking and unique ambassador who quickly found a special place in the hearts of staff, volunteers, and adoring members of the community.

Aurora's passing was sudden, and the recent results of diagnostic testing have confirmed the team's initial suspicions.

Aurora was a healthy and comfortable bird, filled with energy and curiosity. Staff noticed a shift in her demeanor during her Friday morning feeding on August 28, 2026. That afternoon, after vigilant observation, Aurora was admitted to the hospital, given a complete exam, and began comprehensive care. On that Sunday morning, our vets checked in on Aurora first thing and found she had passed overnight.

The diagnostic samples taken were sent to an outside lab, and the results came back positive for West Nile Virus (WNV) infection, despite being up to date on her WNV vaccinations. Based on the fact that Aurora Frost was shedding West Nile virus particles at the time she was sick, paired with her clinical signs, this suggests that WNV infection was the primary cause of her death.

This is the first time TRC has experienced a WNV vaccination failure in one of our educational raptor ambassadors. The primary goal of vaccination is to greatly lower the chance of getting sick or having severe symptoms. In wild birds, we generally see a trend that the northern raptor species like Northern Hawk Owls, Great Grey Owls, and Snowy Owls tend to be at higher risk of becoming clinically sick and dying from WNV infection, and that may have contributed to the vaccination failure in this case.

While there is no urgent need for alarm, we are monitoring all our ambassador birds closely.

Northern hawk owls are not rare but are rarely seen in the U.S. The Raptor Center feels very fortunate to have gotten to know Aurora Frost and witness the awe and inspiration in the eyes of all those who got to meet her.

09/21/2026

The osprey, a large raptor with distinctive M-shaped wings when flying, is known for its powerful feet-first plunge into water to catch fish. It’s one species we try particularly hard to release from TRC’s raptor hospital by mid-October. Ospreys have a long migration path to Central and South America. Thermals, rising columns of warm air, help propel them on their way, conserving energy, and those thermals weaken later in the fall. Also, since ospreys feed almost exclusively on live fish, they must leave before the surface water temperature takes a dip, forcing fish to move into deeper, warmer waters, making them hard for osprey to catch.

Adult ospreys nest near bodies of water and often line their nests with manmade debris, such as spent fishing line or baling twine. One of these photos shows the feet of an osprey patient tangled in twine. Recently, our raptor hospital cared for several osprey patients suffering with injuries from entanglement in these products. Healing entangled raptors isn’t just a matter of cutting them free. They often suffer deep soft tissue wounds that aren’t immediately detected.

This serves as an important yearly reminder to please pack away tackle and leave no trace when you are done fishing.

The two juvenile ospreys in these photos arrived at the raptor hospital this summer. Both were found on the ground below their nests, with fractures that have since healed. These photos were taken on Sept. 12, when the birds were taken outdoors to build their flight muscles and have their flight mechanics evaluated. TRC has specific requirements that must be met before a bird is deemed ready for its return to the wild. Both birds should be ready soon.

Ospreys were once endangered in Minnesota due to DDT, habitat loss, and human interference. It is always a triumph to release one of these magnificent birds back to the skies.

09/07/2026

See raptors soar again at Carpenter Nature Center for this year's Raptor Release!

What: The Raptor Center's annual Raptor Release. A free event.
When: Saturday, September 26, 2026 @ 11 am - 2 pm.
Where: Carpenter Nature Center, 12805 St Croix Trail S, Hastings, MN 55033.

This free event is a way for our community to share in returning magnificent raptors back to the wild. Meet The Raptor Center's raptor ambassadors and watch as we release raptor patients back to the wild. The event also features apple picking children's activities, live ambassador animal displays, local food truck, and educational booths from local environmental organizations.

Whether they suffered from a broken wing, lead poisoning, disease, or any other number of ailments, these raptors have been given second chances at life due to the caring efforts of many.

09/03/2026

It’s late summer, meaning Minnesota’s turkey vultures will begin migrating south in a couple of weeks as the autumnal equinox approaches. In the meantime, we celebrate them and all the world vulture species by spreading the word about International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD), observed each year on the first Saturday of September. Last year, 144 events were held in 41 countries. This year, again, countries around the globe are planning events to observe .

Why the hoopla? It’s to raise awareness of the vulture, an often misunderstood bird that is vital to the health of the planet. They dispose of creatures that have died, efficiently and cleanly, neutralizing the bacteria of the most rotten carcasses with their battery-acid-level digestive juices. That bacteria, if left to fester in the environment, spreads disease, which in fact has happened, reaching crisis proportions in India and Africa as vulture populations plummeted in recent decades.

Vultures face habitat loss, poisoning, electrocution on power lines, flying into wind turbines, and hunting. Efforts to revive their populations have gained traction. Still, many are critically endangered. A day of observance like IVAD is one way of giving vultures a PR boost.

Beyond their indispensable role in protecting ecosystem health, vultures possess amazing qualities that are just cool! Some species are among the largest flying birds on Earth, like the Andean condor, with a wingspan of 10.5 feet. The Ruppell’s vulture, native to Africa, set high-altitude records when one individual was documented reaching an altitude of 37,000 feet, matching the height of many commercial passenger jets. Imagine seeing that out your airplane window!

These photos show three special TUVUs closer to home: 1) current TRC ambassador Aura, 2) beloved long-time TRC ambassador Nero, who taught us so much in his 47 years of life, and 3) TUVU patient 25-755, rehabilitated last year at TRC’s raptor hospital after being rescued as a young brancher from a tree downed in a thunderstorm. In this photo, taken upon 25-755’s release last September, in typical vulture fashion, she sunned her wings before climbing into the sky!

09/02/2026

Calling all veterinarians. We are excited to offer a new, two part course on raptor orthopedics for veterinarians!

Learn the various treatment techniques available, and understand the decision making process that goes into developing a fracture treatment plan for each individual patient, and receive dedicated coaching on their orthopedic surgical techniques.

Part one is a six (6) week interactive, online lecture series where you will learn a comprehensive overview of orthopedics for the raptor rehabilitation patient and understand the decision making process that goes into developing a fracture treatment plan for each individual patient.

Part two is a two (2) day in-person workshop where you will get hands on experience honing the clinical skills and techniques used in management of the raptor orthopedic patient. Completion of the part one online lecture series is required to participate in the hands-on workshop.

Please see our website for more information on the courses and how to register. If you are a wildlife rehabilitator that works with raptors, please share this course with your veterinarian!

https://raptor.umn.edu/raptor-orthopedics

08/31/2026

If you missed us on the opening day of the State Fair, you can still catch TRC naturalists and ambassador birds on Tuesday or Thursday this week, this time at the DNR stage!

Tuesday, September 1
Raptor Encounters at the DNR Stage
Three times, at 11:00 - 11:45am, 1:00 - 1:45pm, 3:00 - 3:45pm.

Thursday, September 3
Raptor Encounters at the DNR Stage
Three times, at 11:00 - 11:45am, 1:00 - 1:45pm, 3:00 - 3:45pm.

How, you may wonder, do our raptors handle being among all those people at the Fair? After all, we humans can get cranky in those crowds. We’re lucky to have a spectacular team of 12 ambassador birds that are accustomed to going on programs off-site. These special raptors have the temperament and the training, through positive reinforcement by our skilled staff, to be comfortable being in a carrier, riding in a vehicle, and being among crowds in new places.

Like human fairgoers, our ambassadors at the Fair get rewarded for their patience with frequent bites of food on a stick, which in the raptor version you might call “ratmeat-on-a forceps” (not deep-fried)!

08/26/2026

Will you be at the Minnesota State Fair, which starts tomorrow? Come spend some time with TRC and a few of our ambassador birds! Want to know where to find us?

Thursday, August 27
STEM Day at the Dan Patch Park Stage
Session One: 9:15 - 10:00am
Session Two: 12:45 - 1:00pm

Tuesday, September 1
Raptor Encounters at the DNR Stage
Three time at 11:00 - 11:45am, 1:00 - 1:45pm, 3:00 - 3:45pm.

Thursday, September 3
Raptor Encounters at the DNR Stage
Three time at 11:00 - 11:45am, 1:00 - 1:45pm, 3:00 - 3:45pm.

08/24/2026

These photos show Twig, our Eastern screech owl ambassador, in a heavy molt. You might call it owl pattern baldness. But unlike human male pattern baldness, Twig’s is only temporary. He is a bit bald and also a bit wet from taking a dip in his water dish.

Raptors, like all birds, molt. It’s the natural process in which old or damaged feathers are shed and replaced with fresh new ones. During the molting period, birds may have a scruffy, patchy appearance, as Twig currently does.

Does it hurt? Does it itch? Molting doesn’t hurt, since mature feathers are made of keratin, a structural protein similar to what comprises our hair and nails. But the incoming feathers, which have a blood and nerve supply, can be painful if bumped or broken.

Molting is regulated by hormones. In raptors, it occurs slowly, spanning a few months so as not to impede their ability to fly and hunt. Most of the common species seen in Minnesota molt feathers starting in late spring through the summer. During this time, birds require less energy to stay warm, meaning they can direct their calories into growing new feathers, which takes significant energy. Also, molting is timed after the breeding season and wraps up before migration, two additional energy-expensive activities. The Audubon Society explains this well on their website: https://www.audubon.org/news/understanding-basics-bird-molts

As for birds in care at TRC’s raptor hospital, injury, poor health, and stress can postpone, pause, or cause unnatural molting. They can also cause weakening of growing feathers, as indicated by the formation of “stress bars” – horizontal lines running across the feathers, making them more prone to breakage.

As for Twig, his molt is proceeding on schedule, and he’ll soon be looking like his old self, as seen in the final photo of this series, with refreshed feathers!

08/19/2026

What could be more refreshing on a late summer day than a shower of cooling mist? TRC’s great horned owl ambassador Lois agrees! TRC naturalist Hannah explains, “During the summer season, we monitor the birds for behaviors that would indicate they are feeling overheated. Because birds do not sweat, they thermoregulate by adjusting their body and feather position and by panting, similar to dogs, or gular fluttering. This involves rapidly vibrating the thin membranes of the throat to promote heat evaporation and is the primary way owls cool themselves. But that’s not always enough on a hot day. So if a bird really needs to cool down, there are several options, one of which is mist baths.

“Not all birds like being misted,” Hannah says, “but Lois displays many positive behaviors when given the option to be misted. We don’t spray the birds directly, instead letting water rain down on them as it would in a storm. If the bird wants to get wet, they can move into the ‘rain,’ or they can choose to stay dry. When the shower is present, Lois will move to the center of the rain and spread his wings out, getting as much water coverage as possible. He even sometimes hops down into his bath pan to get even more soaked!”

After the shower, Lois shakes out excess water. This video taken by Hannah captures in slow motion the impressive rotation of Lois’s neck when he really gets into it! She explains, “Owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees but typically only twist 180. This flexibility is thanks to a couple of unique adaptations, such as the additional vertebrae they have in their neck; mammals have 7 neck bones, owls have 14!”

You can read more about Lois, who arrived at TRC from Bemidji in 2001 as a human imprint, at this page: https://raptor.umn.edu/about-raptors/meet-our-birds/lois.

08/11/2026

Did you miss last week's H5 Bird Flu Information Sharing Session for Wildlife Carers? Don't worry, you can watch the recording! Check it out on our Youtube channel:

https://youtu.be/Mcr3CQ8Rs_8

Thank you to all panelists and attendees! In addition to the insightful comments from our speakers, there were some incredible exchanges in the chat as well. We hope that everyone who attended walked away with new resources and new connections. As our panelists reminded us: none of us are alone in this!

This international panel discussion on Highly Pathogenic Avian Infl...