My World: Handler Training

Lately My World has revolved a lot around The Raptor Center. The Raptor Center, which was established back in 1974 at the University of Minnesota, specializes in the medical care, rehabilitation, conservation, and study of hawks, eagles, falcons, owls and other raptors.

The Raptor Center's mission statement is to ensure the health of raptors and the world that we share through teaching, research and service. They work with the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine to provide internships for veterinary students from around the world, specializing in raptor medical care. TRC is also involved with raptor research into areas like the West Nile Virus and lead poisoning.

TRC also helps to educate the public on raptor issues, reaching over 250,000 people each year through public education programs and events. The education crew, which consists of the education staff and volunteers are responsible for these programs and events as well as caring for the approximately 30 TRC education birds. For the past year and a half I have been a volunteer in the TRC education crew. Each Wednesday I spend around four hours after work taking people on tours, cleaning mews, carrying cages, and perches, preparing food, feeding birds and many other odd jobs. However last the last week or so things changed.

I have finally been chosen for the opportunity to be a bird handler. Handlers get the privilege of directly working with the birds. They use operant conditioning to work with the birds to reinforce the behavior which is necessary for the birds to exist in captivity and also help us in our education programs.
Initially new handlers have to spend some time pretty much every day for two weeks with their training bird. You learn the basics during this initial training things like how to hold your glove, how to tether the birds, crating and uncrating them, weighing them, handling them around the public, feeding them on the glove, and how to handle a bate.

So far things have gone great. I have been partnered with a beautiful peregrine falcon named Artemis. Arte is a great teacher. She is a well behaved bird, which makes things easier especially for the first bird that you handle, but she has also provided me with some challenges to overcome which will prepare me for other birds that I may handle in the future. So far we have only had one bate but we recovered from it pretty well so all is good. Soon I will begin to help out in programs as well as start working with other birds but for now I am just enjoying working with my good feathered friend.