Canadian Raptor Conservancy
2848 Front Road N0E 1W0 Norfolk County, ON, Canada

A BIG CRC THANK YOU to all of our supporters/guests over the years. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you for coming here to photograph, observe and learn about raptor species. We also thank those of you who share our page with your friends and family on facebook and beyond. We try to make certain that our programs are accessible to everyone. Our mission has always been to educate as many people as possible about birds of prey and their importance in our natural worl...d. Being a top of the food chain predator - they indicate the health of our environment. Our motto has always been "we protect what we know". By seeing a live bird of prey up close and personal - the beauty, power, grace....we hope it inspires in YOU a life-long awe for them and apt to both appreciate and protect them. Over the past 25 years we have rescued and cared for thousands of raptors here onsite. One thing we do not do is post photos of these birds as we feel they are here to be rehabbed and hopefully sent back into the wild. We are not doing as much rehab work as we used to as many great skilled facilities are now operating locally. Presently, Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge in Jarvis, Ontario is a great local facility. We always hope that when you leave from participating in one of our sessions that not only do you leave with some great photos and treasured experiences but you also leave with an new appreciation of raptors and their role in our natural world! Photo below is of Sam the Bald Eagle taken by Howard Brodsky See more

Did you ever wonder where our birds came from?! Due to a few recent posts on Ontario Bird Photographers we thought we would explain the origin of our birds here at CRC. We have a strict company policy that we do not ever use any wild or formerly injured birds here at CRC for photography, demonstrations, education...anything! Although some of these birds would be beneficial to other facilities they do not fit in to what we do here. When we first started out over 25 years ag...o, birds were very difficult to obtain and very expensive. This includes government licenses, paperwork, shipping, transportation, vet bills. We thought we would embark on the mission of breeding birds ourselves. Wow! We had no idea what we were getting into. There are so many factors to consider when pairing up a pair of birds. We understood very quickly that it was not an easy or cost effective venture. But what an adventure and very satisfying when we had any successes! Over the years we have had many failures and many successes. We have given Peregrine Falcon chicks to many major Ontario cities as well as USA cities that were hatched here onsite back when they were an endangered species for release back into the wild. We have bred endangered European Saker Falcons that were sent to the Republic of Slovakia for release. We have bred Burrowing Owls and Ferruginous Hawks for release programs in Canada. Over the years of our successes and losses we have picked up a great deal of knowledge and experience which allows us to consult on other endangered species projects such as the local Barn Owl and the highly endangered BC Spotted Owl. What happens when we have a surplus bird that we cannot keep? It would only ever go to a licensed institution or a licensed falconer. And any falconer has at least 2 years of an apprenticeship under their belt. Very similar on the job training as a plumber or electrician does in their apprenticeship programs. There is no other animal in the province of Ontario where you have to pass a test, become an apprentice and have a graduated licensing system to go through if you want to acquire a bird of prey. Not for a horse, not for a dog, not for a cat, not for a budgie, not for a frog!! If you want to have a bird of prey - it is a lifestyle choice - not just a hobby. When you come to our facility to photograph our birds, know that many, many hours of training went in to each and every bird here. You will notice that all of our birds have names - when you work closely with and train an animal - through their successes and failures you both develop a bond and a respect for each other. If you have every been here photographing our birds or if you have ever caught one of our educational presentations anywhere in the Country - you know how important these birds are to us. How they are a part of our family. Photo credit to Ray Barlow

A follow-up to yesterdays post... American Kestrel nest box placement: The nest box should be in open country. Kestrels get very nervous near forest cover or anything that obstructs their view as they do have some enemies (Coopers Hawks, Red Tailed Hawks...). The nest box should be about 20 feet off the ground and have a south to south east exposure. Optimal placement would be on a country lane telephone pole, side of a barn or a lone tree in the middle of a field.... Eastern Screech Owl nest box placement: The best placement is along a forest edge or near a water course (pond, river, creek) and about 10 to 20 feet above the ground. The box should be below the forest canopy and not in it. Exposure should be south to south east. Both nest boxes should be attached with lag bolts and not deck screws as the deck screws with the wind vibration have a habit of loosening or snapping. We normally put pea gravel in the bottom of the box instead of woodchips as the pea gravel will not biodegrade and also allows for drainage. If someone moves in to your nest box this spring - we would love to see some photos!!!

It’s a great time of year to build your nest box for an American Kestrel or Eastern Screech Owl! Check out the plans below. You can go to your local hardware store to get your barn board pine for this easy, rewarding project! Make one for your favourite birdnerd for Christmas and help out Canada’s smallest falcon and one of Canada’s smallest owls.

Today is World Falconry Day! Falconry has been a part of the human condition for over 4000 years. It has been a vital part of our history and it has been woven into the fabric of many societies - including our own English language. Terms like "gentlemen", "mews", "hoodwinked", "haggard". "fed-up", "gorge", "rouse" were all originally falconry terms. Falconry techniques were involved in saving the Peregrine Falcon, Bald Eagle, Aplomado Falcon, Red Kite, Mauritius Kestrel to... name a few species. Any modern rehabilitation of raptors also uses the same falconry techniques that have been used for thousands of years. Falconry is also designated by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage tradition and has protections from the United Nations since it is a part of so many different cultures around the world. Definition: Falconry is the art/sport of training a bird of prey to hunt wild game. See more

A BIG CRC THANK YOU to the Norfolk County Hydro One crews who worked tirelessly in the rain, hail and crazy winds yesterday day and night to restore power in the region. Our area here along the north shore of Lake Erie had wind gusts of 127km/hr. Niagara on the Lake had gusts measured at 141km/hr!! It’s hard to imagine working on the downed lines in weather like that!!! Thank you!!!

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Saturday Birds in Flight Photography Sessions. We regret having to cancel today’s session but with the high winds and rain any flights would be impossible. We had wind gusts of over 120km/hr which is approaching Category 1 Hurricane strength!!! We will post our new session dates tomorrow morning. Photo is of Frodo, our Eurasian Eagle Owl.

Shauna’s FAVOURITE bird!! (besides Murray!) The beautiful Turkey Vulture is a relatively new species to Canada. It was first recorded on Canadian soil in the early 1900s after following road networks north from the United States. Not only do road networks provide food, they also provide propulsion by thermal currents off of the hot, black asphalt. The Turkey Vulture is now one of Ontario’s most common migratory raptor species. We personally feel that this bird is a very welco...me new summer resident to Canada as they provide a valuable cleanup service!!!! Photo below was taken by Howard Brodsky.

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at the CRC!! James, Shauna, Boys, Dogs, Snakes, Birds and Delta the Barn Owl. Please have a safe and enjoyable weekend!

Donovan our Harlan's Hawk participated in his first public photo session today - and he did fantastic!!!!! The Harlan's Hawk is native to north western USA and Canada. It is still being debated in science as to whether the Harlan's is a subspecies of the Red Tailed Hawk or a separate species of its own. Look at the gorgeous tail feathers of this otherwise chocolate beauty!

This is Sweet Pea and she’s giving you all her serious look!!! Sweet Pea is a 7 year old female Northern Lanner Falcon. Some call them the Silver Lanner or European Lanner. They are similar in size to a Peregrine Falcon but built a little bit lighter. I think they are one of the most beautiful falcons in the world with their subtle pastel colours.

Any last minuters out there who would like to join us for tomorrows Saturday November 21st Birds in Flight Photo Session from 10am to12noon?!! The weather looks awesome: slight wind, dry and slightly overcast - a perfect day for taking outdoor photos! We have a few spots available. Just send us an email at: [email protected] if you would like to join us! Fee is $65 plus HST per person. Session is entirely outdoors. Photo below is of Eric the Red Tailed Hawk taking a huge jumpstart with that wingspan of over a meter!!!

Although we are usually always very light hearted ‘round here - on a serious note....the new Covid restrictions will NOT affect operations here at CRC. As usual, we are ALWAYS strictly outdoors and if you feel you would like to wear a mask too - no problem, please do. The only thing we do ask of you is that you abide by the social distancing rules and do not share any camera equipment or ask others to carry your camera bag (unless of course, they are in your family bubble). We are looking forward to an awesome weekend here!!! If you are joining us - please dress for the weather!!!

Working with Howie during a Mid Week training session here at the CRC! In all of the photo sessions he has participated in ... he has flown from a perch to a glove. We are working on his flying from perch to perch as this should give a completely different look for photographers of this magnificent bird.

The new CBC Series "Trickster" based on the best selling novel "Son of a Trickster" by Eden Robinson features our Raven named Hector. James and Hector spent many days in beautiful northern Ontario last fall working on this production. The first episode aired last night -October 7th. The second episode airs October 14th. Don't miss this CBC original series!!

A little Taste of Fall! Oliver our Great Horned Owl flying out of a barn window with pumpkins. We only do this little setup during the month of October to celebrate the Thanksgiving season. With 2020 being such an unpredictable and crazy year we still have so much to be thankful for. We are thankful that we live in such an amazing Country with great, resilient people, beautiful landscapes from sea to sea to sea and fantastic neighbours to the south. We are thankful for what we have.

Juvenile Red Tailed Hawk This is Goose (Anthony Edwards). He is our hatch year Red Tailed Hawk. You will notice that he does not have a red tail. This will come in his second year. Have a look at his eye colour - it is a lovely pale bluey/grey. A Red Tails eyes will get darker every year until they get a dark chestnut brown colour in their teens. Although you cannot see it in this photo - another great identifying mark of a young Red Tailed Hawk is that they have a bib across their chest that is darker flecked feathers. It gives a bib appearance. For those of you that are Top Gun fans - yes, we also have a Maverick - he is our hatch year American Kestrel!

Thanks to those who came out to todays 1-3pm session. The weather and lighting were amazing! Especially with the emerging fall colors in the background. Here are two unedited photos of Howie, our Great Grey Owl that I took during the session. Very rarely do you see a photo of a bird flying away from you. I love this one as you can see the width and length of his wings and tail. He's sure all grown up now!!!

Howie, our Great Grey Owl on a misty, rainy day! Photo taken by Howard Brodsky. We have some space left in this afternoon’s Birds in Flight Photo Session from 1-3pm It looks like there is a clearing from 1-4pm so conditions look great for the session.... Remember that moisture in the air gives beautiful saturated colours and no shadows! Due to cancellations we have a few spots that opened up. If you’d like to join us - text me at: (519)429-9176 Hope you can join us!!! See more

A BIG CRC Congratulations goes out to Ksenia and Tim today on the special occasion of their wedding at Indian Wells Golf Club. If you closely you can see Will the Great Horned Owl and James in action at the post ceremony birds of prey demonstration.

Baby Cecil!!! Meet Gordies younger brother, Cecil! Cecil was named after my Grandfather who shared his fiery red colouring!! Many of you know that Gordie is a grey-phased Eastern Screech Owl and Cece is a red-phased Eastern Screech Owl. Their father is a red-phased and Mom is grey-phased. Cece will be available - most likely by mid October to participate in our photo sessions.

Which way is up??!! This is the photo that YOU should also be able to get here at CRC in one of our Birds in Flight Photo Sessions. Look at the pretty goldenrod in reflection! We still have a few spaces left in tomorrows (Friday) 1-3pm Photo Session as well as a few spots left in our Sunday October 4th Birds in Flight Photo Session. Check out our main post on our Facebook page for all details and booking information. Remember all sessions are capped at 12 people and are entirely outdoors! See you here! Photo taken by James Cowan of Sam the Bald Eagle (Bruce's older brother!).