Auburn students are used to seeing Spirit and Nova, the Auburn eagles, fly around the stadium before football games, but some might be surprised by how busy these eagles keep their schedules.
Jamie Bellah, Southeastern Raptor Center director, said the eagles travel and do many things outside of Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“Nova and Spirit are well-known for their pregame stadium flights in the fall, but what many people do not realize is they travel with Marianne and Andrew with other raptors from the educational collection throughout the year to provide educational outreach to thousands of children,” Bellah said.
Marianne Hudson, raptor education specialist and trainer, and Andrew Hopkins, raptor specialist, work with the eagles nearly every day.
“We train the eagles in the stadium nearly every day, and we take them to educational presentation several days a week,” Hudson said. “They are fed when they’re trained.”
Nova and Spirit are used for educational purposes at the Southeastern Raptor Center. The educational component is very important to the Southeastern Raptor Center, Bellah said.
“A primary mission of the Raptor Center, along with our federal permitting agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is education," Bellah said. "Nova and Spirit are favorites of the children that meet them in classroom programs, as well."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
