Guided tours & presentations
By appointment only.
This is one of our most popular programs. The California Raptor Center welcomes hundreds of local school children and interested community members to the CRC every year. This program averages 1½ to 2 hours in length. The first half consists of an interactive informational presentation on local raptors. Participants are exposed to rehabilitation and what we see and do here at the CRC. Many aspects of raptor biology are covered, including adaptations, conservation and species identification.
Next, the students have the opportunity to handle the numerous educational talons, bones, feathers and "study skins" used in the presentation. These are clean, taxidermied birds which are used as visual and tactile aids. They present an unsurpassed experience of touching a real hawk or owl.
The students are then taken on a tour of our non-releasable birds. They are introduced to each individual bird species and their individual personal stories. The tour ends with a visit to the Museum, a hands-on experience both children and adults enjoy.
The students then vote on which bird they would like to sponsor, and an "Adopt-A-Bird" packet (consisting of a certificate made out to the class or individual, color photos of their adopted raptor and information sheets about the bird) is sent home with the group.
There is a $4.00 per person charge for children. Adults are $6 per person. There is a $75 minimum fee for all guided on-site presentations.