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

We have a few last minute spaces in tomorrow’s - Sunday December 13th Birds in Flight Photo Session from 1pm to 3pm. It looks like it is going to be a great day for photography - slightly overcast! Fee is $65 per person plus HST. Session is entirely outdoors and capped at 13 people. We will have 11 different birds out including our flying Snowy Owl. Send us an email to reserve your place at: [email protected] Photo below is of Oliver, our Great Horned Owl. Taken by James

NEW PHOTO CONTEST!!! This will be our last photo contest of 2020!! Since 2020 has been unpredictable and a year of extremes - we have decided to theme our final photo contest of the year EXTREME WEATHER!... How to enter: Just post your photo on this post and the photo with the most likes by 12pm on Wednesday December 16th wins CRC Gift Certificate. Value: $73.45 tax included The photo must have been taken here at CRC to be eligible and must show some kind of extreme weather - wind, fog, snow, ice, rain, sleet, tornado, hurricane...:) CRC PHOTO CONTEST - EXTREME WEATHER EDITION!! The photo with the most likes is the winner! In the event of a tie, CRC staff will decide. Good luck!! And post away!!! We can't wait to see what you've got!!!! Photo below is of Sadie, our Red Tailed Hawk on a foggy morning here at CRC, taken by James Cowan

CRC Gift Certificates If you are thinking about getting the birdnerd/photographer in your life a CRC gift certificate for one of our public Birds in Flight Photography Sessions - here is how to go about doing that... Send us an email and include a phone # we can reach you at as well as a suitable time to call you and we will process your order over the phone with you on your visa or mastercard. We will then email you both your receipt and your gift certificate which you can ...then print or move electronically to the recipient. Each certificate is $73.45 in total. This includes all taxes. It can be redeemed for any of our sessions here at CRC. If the gift certificate is used for a weekday or for a Drop-In session we will sign the certificate and you have another $10 of value to be used again. We offer our public Birds in Flight Photo Sessions here at CRC year 'round. All upcoming sessions are posted to our facebook page in a post that is pinned to the top of our page. We update with new sessions about every 4 weeks. The gift certificate recipient simply chooses a session they wish to participate in and then sends us an email to reserve their place in their chosen session. All information is written on the certificate. If the recipient somehow loses their gift certificate - no worries! We have a record of it too! Photo below is of Sandra, our female American Kestrel.

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.

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.

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

***NEW Birds in Flight Photo Session Dates for December*** Friday December 11th, 1pm to 3pm Saturday December 12th, 1pm to 3pm Sunday December 13th, 1pm to 3pm... Wednesday December 16th, 1pm to 3pm Saturday December 19th, 10am to 12pm Saturday December 19th, 1pm to 3pm Sunday December 20th, 1pm to 3pm Fee Schedule Weekends and Holidays: $65 plus HST per person Weekdays: $55 plus HST per person NO EXTRA PEOPLE OR PETS ONSITE PLEASE! Location: Canadian Raptor Conservancy, Norfolk County, Ontario To book your spot in a session you MUST send us an email at: [email protected] Please be patient with us - we will answer you! The only way to book your place in a session is by sending us an email which we will confirm. Flying Birds May Be: Great Horned Owl, Red Tailed Hawk, Harris Hawk, Harlans Hawk, Great Grey Owl, Snowy Owl, Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle and Eagle Owl. Static Birds May Be: Eastern Screech Owl, Barred Owl, Northern Goshawk, Gyrfalcon Please be sure to dress for the weather. All sessions are entirely outdoors and limited to 13 people. We DO NOT allow any extra people out in the field (personal support workers excluded)!! We very rarely cancel a session and we do watch the weather very closely. In the event that we do have to cancel we will send you a personal email and also do a general post to our facebook page. Our sessions are for all ranges of skills and abilities. Do not be intimidated - come and join us!!! Hope to see you here!! Provincial Covid Rules are in effect. We are allowed 25 people outdoors as long as you are socially distanced. Masks are not mandatory but feel free to wear one if you want. All sessions here at CRC are capped at 13 people.

Hey folks! There’s still room in our mid-week session THIS Wednesday, November 11th from 1-3pm. Fee is $55 plus HST per person. Flying birds will be: Bald Eagle Golden Eagle... Great Grey Owl Great Horned Owl Harris Hawk Red Tailed Hawk Barn Owl We will also have a sneak peek at our Harlan’s Hawk! To reserve your place in the session just send us an email at: [email protected] See you here!! Photos below were taken by the talented Howard Brodsky

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!!!

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

Just sneaking in a little last minute training with Robert our 3 year old Snowy Owl. It’s finally been chilly enough for a Snowy Owl

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.

Normally we try to keep our Facebook page light and not get into politics or any non-bird related discussions. However, Remembrance Day and wearing a poppy to remind us of those who gave up their lives for our freedom is something we hold near and dear. After learning of a company that operates in Canada that forbid their employees to wear a poppy we were horrified! We feel that the offending grocery store company should give all veterans and active service members a discount to try and right their wrong. We personally have decided that for the remaining days in November, anyone who is a veteran or is in active service will receive a 10% discount for any photo sessions on site here at CRC. We thank you gratefully for your service to our Country. We’d love to see other businesses offer the same!

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!

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!

We are just getting ready to switch over to our winter birds in the next few weeks for our Birds in Flight Photo Sessions and our Family Raptor Experiences. This is Donovan! He is a 2 year old male Harlan’s Hawk. We think he is one of the most beautiful hawks in the world with his chocolate-brown plumage and his mottled red tail. This Hawk is essentially a sub species of the Red Tailed Hawk. It is found in the north west corner of the continent.

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.

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!!!

We have been getting a lot of requests about when the Snowy Owl will be flying in sessions. We hope to have Robert flying in sessions by mid to late November. He’s just waiting for the temperature to drop a bit. He loves the cold!! All of our public Birds in Flight Photo Sessions are posted to our Canadian Raptor Conservancy Facebook page and updated with new sessions often. Photo below was taken by Howard Brodsky

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.

Introducing our Gyrfalcon, Milverton! This bird will be joining us in our upcoming winter Birds in Flight Photography Sessions here at CRC starting mid to late November. Gyrfalcons are the largest falcons in the world and their range is circumpolar to the Arctic. Every once in a while a Gyrfalcon is spotted along the lower Great Lakes in the winter months. Milverton got his name from a dear family friend who is also tough, loyal and super-athletic. ... The Gyrfalcon is considered to be a bird of Kings and Emperors and we feel that this falcon will wear his name proudly! See more

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!!

For those of you who are registered in today’s session (Sunday) from 1-3pm we have decided to cancel it due to extreme weather. The winds are supposed to gust up to 75km/hr and snow squalls after 3pm for your drive home. Not good! We sent everyone who signed up an email but in case you missed it - Frodo says STAY DRY and STAY SAFE!

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!!!

This is the beautiful eye of "Mango", our Eurasian Eagle Owl. We've been seeing a lot of great photos of the moon and sun lately and I think her eyes look just like a fiery sun! What do you think?!

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

With all of the talk about Bald Eagles and their recovery on CBC's Still Standing, we thought we would do a Bald Eagles in Ontario post! A few centuries ago there were estimates that there were Bald Eagle nests along the shores of Lake Erie about every 1.6km. By the 1940s, 50s and into the 60s they started a very steep decline in populations. By 1980 there were no Bald Eagle nests left in southern Ontario. The northern populations were doing ok but the southern populations...Continue reading

Just a quick reminder that at this time we are not open to the public for drop-ins. All visits here to CRC are pre-arranged, either through a photo session from our Facebook page or a pre-booked Family Raptor Experience. On a normal year we offer Drop-in Photo Sessions, Owl Prowls and our Migration Festival. Hoping to get back to a regular schedule soon but in the mean time, please pre-book your BIrds in Flight Photo session or Family Raptor Experience. All sessions are outd...oors. Thanks!!! Photo below is of Floki, our male Golden Eagle. Photo taken by professional photographer Howard Brodsky.

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.

A HUGE bird-nerdy THANK YOU to everyone for all your kind words regarding our participation in CBCs Still Standing episode that featured Vittoria, our hometown. Jonny Harris and crew were fantastic and wonderful to work with when they visited us here onsite at CRC last year.

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!).