Rehabilitation. Conservation. Education.
Prairie Falcon photo: Lydia Ripplinger
Ojai Raptor Center accepts patients to our wildlife hospital seven days a week. Due to the delicate nature of these patients, we are not open to the general public.
Private experience presentations are available in a limited capacity. Click here to learn more.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Moonlit Nights Charity Benefit for the Birds
Education Programs
We offer a variety of of environmental education programs with the help of our non-releasable raptor ambassadors as well as bio facts and slide shows: from live Zooms, to off-site visits, and on-site experiences, we present to classes, clubs, groups, families and friends.
This program introduces students of all ages to the fascinating world of raptor taxonomy by exploring the unique forms, flight styles, and family groupings of birds of prey. Through an engaging multimedia presentation and hands-on access to biofacts like taxidermy mounts, study skins, wings, and feet, students will gain a deeper understanding of the structural and behavioral traits that define the 25 raptor species found in Ventura County.
This free after-school program offers students of the Ojai Valley in grades 7-12 a unique opportunity to explore raptor ecology, rehabilitation, and conservation through engaging, hands-on learning experiences. Led by experts from the Ojai Raptor Center and friends
Our rentable Traveling Talons Teacherβs Kit allows teachers and educators to borrow ORCβs raptor specimens collection to use with our STEM+ NGSS-aligned lesson Flight Masters: The Science of Wings (3-6 classroom sessions) or lesson of your choice. Our goal with this kit is to provide unique, multi-sensory learning opportunities with the use of our federally protected taxidermy specimens, or bio facts, while helping teachers meet their curriculum goals.
This program highlights the role of raptors in natural pest control and teaches about the dangers of pesticides. It promotes natural rodent control through exclusion methods βalongside using raptors like Barn owl boxes and hawk perches. Tailored for either students or adults, the program draws from a study ORC participated in, demonstrating the effectiveness of raptors in controlling rodent populations...
This engaging one-hour program offers students a unique opportunity to explore raptor biology through both tactile examination and live demonstrations. At our biofacts table, students will handle feathers, feet, study skins and other specimens to understand key raptor adaptations, such as flight mechanics, hunting strategies, and sensory abilities.
Following this, theyβll witness those very adaptations in action as our non-releasable raptor ambassadors demonstrate natural behaviors in live presentations. The program covers important topics like raptor ecology, conservation, and the factors that lead to an animalβs non-releasability.
During this one hour private experience at the Center in the beautiful valley of Ojai, guests will meet a few of the raptor ambassadors up close on the glove of their trainers, as well as in the Centerβs presentation aviary. Guests will learn about each ambassadorβs personal story, natural history and captivating facts about their species through live demonstrations of natural behaviorsβ¦
Meet our non-releasable raptor ambassadors in a live Zoom to learn about their personal story, their speciesβ natural history, and have a Q & A with the ORC education team. This program can be booked to meet up to three ambassadors at once or individually...
Have ORC visit your classroom or group for this 60 minute, NGSS aligned lesson that features bio facts, or taxidermy wings, talons, and other specimens, for a fascinating tactile opportunity in inquiry based learningβ¦
This program teaches about pesticides and natural rodent control using exclusion methods and raptors, with Barn owl boxes and hawk perches. This live Zoom presentation features ambassador Barn Owl Willow and is a great resource to help educate local community groups about the dangers of rodenticides and sustainable alternatives. This Zoom can also be a great introduction to a potential scout projectβ¦
Meet Our Education Ambassadors
Like many of our ambassadors, Ash is incapable of surviving in the wild because he imprinted onto humans instead of his own species, likely from being raised by an unlicensed member of the public.
Topa was hatched in the Spring of 2022 and admitted as a malprint in the Fall. He was likely found as a young chick and illegally raised and released by an unlicensed member of the public. The Ojai Raptor Center goes to great lengths to ensure that any young, βorphanedβ raptors admitted to our hospitalβ¦
Juniper came to ORC in the Spring of 2020, in the beginning of nesting season as a young nestling with both head and eye trauma from a fall from her nest.
Wonder was found freezing and starving in a field in Michigan, due to visual impairment and his inability to thermoregulate because of a pigment disorder. He suffered from frostbite and lost two digits as a result.
Handsome was found as a nestling and was illegally held by a member of the public before being turned over to the Ojai Raptor Center. By the time he arrived he was already malprinted, or too habituated to humans to be released to the wild.
Willow came to us in 2019 after she was illegally raised in captivity by a member of the public, which resulted in her malprinting, or becoming too habituated to humans to be released to the wild.
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