Contributed By Charles
Martin Auburn
University
Auburn University’s Southeastern Raptor Center will host its annual fall educational series — Football, Fans and Feathers — again this season on Fridays before home football games.
Seven shows will give guests an opportunity to experience an up-close view of birds of prey while exploring the mysteries of their survival, flight and ecological roles. Shows will be held Sept. 3, 10 and 24; Oct. 8 and 29; and Nov. 12 and 26. Each show begins at 4 p.m.
Tickets are $8 per person, with children ages 3 and under admitted free, for the hour-long program that takes place at the center’s Edgar B. Carter Educational Amphitheater at 1350 Pratt-Carden Dr. off Shug Jordan Parkway. Tickets will be available at the amphitheater or may be purchased in advance online at www.aub.ie/fff.
Gates open one hour prior to the start of the presentation, and seating is first-come, first-served. Concessions will not be sold, but those attending are welcome to bring their own chair, food or drink. The amphitheater is an open-air facility with little shade.
During the show, hawks, falcons, eagles and other birds of prey are free-flown from towers and around the amphitheater, with each program featuring approximately 10 raptors. At the conclusion, several raptors are brought back out so attendees can have an up-close view and talk with the trainers. No two shows are alike, as a variety of birds are chosen for each program.
All birds used in the programs are permanent residents that are non-releasable due to prior injuries or human imprinting. The Southeastern Raptor Center is a division of the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. For more information, visit www.auburn.edu/raptor.