Raptor Ambassadors have been a part of HawkWatch International’s history since our earliest days. These non-releaseable birds of prey serve as ambassadors for their species, connecting over half a million learners with raptors, nature, and conservation in a meaningful way: up close and personal.
From private photography sessions to corporate teambuilding events and everywhere in between, we’ve taken these non-releaseable birds of prey to just about every type of event you can imagine. While most people think our Raptor Ambassador programs are geared towards children and families, we offer plenty for adult learners too! We can create a custom lecture for your group, engage your inner scientist with owl pellet dissections, or even lead a custom birding field trip.
To celebrate our 40th anniversary and kick off our new fiscal year that begins July 1st, we’re updating our custom programs page with more information about these options. Until then, we want to highlight just a few of our favorite types of events we’ve been invited to participate in over the past few years.
Weddings
While we don’t imagine that many people are searching for a bunch of biologists or birds for wedding entertainment, our Raptor Ambassadors can make your wedding unforgettable! Imagine how much guests will love adding photos of themselves with the birds to the wedding album.
It’s been a real treat getting to bring our birds to the weddings of some of our supporters over the years. Most recently, we were thrilled to do so to celebrate the marriage of our own Conservation Biologist, Dr. Jordan Herman, pictured here with Educator Call Vande Veegaete and Banshee the Barn Owl. We traveled across state lines for this event, and can even bring birds to multiple events over the course of a wedding weekend.
We’ve found that hosting a handful of Raptor Ambassadors during happy hour is a great way to keep your guests engaged while you’re taking family photos. Plus, you can have the birds join you for a few photos, too!
Photography
Sometimes you’re looking for more than just a few photos, though. We’ve been lucky over the years to work with a number of talented photographers who have featured our birds in exhibitions from Paris to Park City.
And while our Raptor Ambassadors are wild birds, they’re also—perhaps surprisingly—natural models, so much so that local photographer Alexandra Fuller has now featured the birds in two separate exhibitions.
Raptors can be exceptionally tricky to photograph in the wild, especially if you’re looking to capture up close images like these. Working with Raptor Ambassadors is a great way to achieve a similar result in a way that is ethical and respectful of wildlife.
Birthday Parties
That ethical, conservation-centered approach is something you’ll find anytime you see our Raptor Ambassadors at a program—even at a birthday party. So while we do offer owlsome opportunities to have a feathered guest on your special day, we also make sure these programs align with our mission to conserve raptors and our shared environment.Â
One of our most popular options for learners with an interest in science is a program we call All About Owls. During the program, learners get to dive deep into an owl pellet dissection and meet one of our owl Raptor Ambassadors. In addition to being a great option for a birthday party, this is a great fit for scouting groups, youth birding clubs, and Halloween celebrations as we combine learning with fun at an age-appropriate level for any audience.Â
Conferences, Employee Appreciation, & More
Although it’s hard to beat the look on a child’s face when they see a hawk up close for the first time, we have programs for learners of all ages. Earlier this year, Haliae the Bald Eagle helped celebrate America’s 250th Birthday at the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce’s annual gala. We’ve also worked with a number of businesses, including Adobe, to host nest-box-building events. These types of events are great for team building employee appreciation, or bring the family to work days.
Create Something Custom
These are just a few of the fun and different programs we’ve collaborated with clients to create over the last few years. We’ve also partnered with universities and nonprofits to provide custom lectures and local businesses to host raptor trivia nights. Most recently, we’ve teamed up with the Utah TALONS, our local professional softball team, to represent their Peregrine Falcon mascot at all home games. It’s been a hoot (or a honk?) watching Goose connect fans with the fastest animal on the planet.Â
For the last 40 years, we’ve prided ourselves on meeting learners where they are, both physically, by bringing birds to them, and educationally, by designing programs that best meet the needs of the audience we’re serving.
While we hope this helps explain some of the ways we can work together, we love creating custom programs, too. Whether you’re organizing a conference, planning a 4th of July festival, or dreaming of something entirely different, our talon-ted team is here to help your event soar to new heights. Click here to contact them to discuss your next program: https://hawkwatch.org/education/raptor-ambassador-programs/book/
This blog was written by Kirsten Elliott, HWI’s Development & Communications Director. You can learn more about Kirsten here.
