The Southeastern Raptor Center's release of broad-winged hawks at Kiesel Park signals a new lease on life for a portion of the more than 200 birds the center takes in annually.
The event will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Woofstock, an annual festival for the public and for dogs maintained by the Lee County Humane Society.
A brief educational presentation by the Raptor Center staff and volunteers will begin at 9:40 a.m. followed by the release of the hawks into the wild.
"Kiesel Park is a prime location for this release because of its wooded trails," said Eva Matthews, veterinary technician at the Raptor Center. "It is a safe, isolated location for the release of our birds."
The most commonly known raptor in Auburn is Nova, Auburn University's seventh War Eagle.
The birds scheduled for release Aug. 25 have been evaluated to ensure they are healthy and ready to begin anew in the wild.
"Each raptor must exercise in the flight aviaries to prepare them for their release and pass specific tests that assess its endurance, vertical lift, maneuverability and symmetry on a point scale out of 24 points," said Elizabeth Anne Crandall, raptor rehabilitation specialist at the Raptor Center. "This rehabilitation center will not release any raptors that are not totally healed and ready to live entirely on their own, so a bird must make at least a 22 before it can be released."
Though raptors will be returned to the wild at Kiesel Park, these birds will likely migrate back to their original homes. If they were brought to the Raptor Center as orphans they will remain and build a home at Kiesel Park.
Large crowds of all ages are expected to attend Woofstock, which gives the Raptor Center an opportunity to enlighten the community.
"It is important to teach the public what to do if they find an injured raptor and provide them with an education of these birds to make them seem less scary," Matthews said.
The Raptor Center relies heavily on volunteers. As many as 70 Auburn students currently help feed the birds, clean their cages and participate at events such as Woofstock.
"I hope that as the public's interest in raptors increases, so will the awareness of these amazing creatures that will prevent their habitat from being threatened and will keep these birds off of the endangered- species list," said Darren Morten, junior in wildlife ecology and management and volunteer at the Raptor Center.
For information about volunteering at the Southeastern Raptor Center, visit its website at www.auburn.edu/raptor.
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