Auburn raptor center presenting Football, Fans and Feathers show on Fridays before home football games

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One of Auburn University’s most popular fall programs returns to offer fans the opportunity to see a raptor show and flight demonstration—the Southeastern Raptor Center’s Football, Fans and Feathers educational program, which will be held each Friday before home football games.

This year, seven shows will give guests an exciting opportunity to experience an up-close view of birds of prey while exploring the mysteries of their survival, flight and ecological roles. Shows for 2019 will be held the Friday before Auburn home games on Sept. 7, 14 and 28; and Nov. 2, 16, 23 and 30.

Tickets are $5 per person, with children under 3 admitted free, for the hour-long program, which begins at 4 p.m. at the center’s 350-seat Edgar B. Carter Educational Amphitheater located at 1350 Pratt-Carden Drive off Shug Jordan Parkway. Reservations are not required. Refreshments will be sold. A large attendance is expected, particularly at the November presentations. Gates will open at 3 p.m. and seating is first-come, first-served. Attendees are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance and arrive early as amphitheater seating is limited.

During the show, hawks, falcons, eagles and other birds of prey are free-flown from towers and around the amphitheater, enabling visitors to see these raptors flying up close. The programs are delivered by Southeastern Raptor Center staff and volunteers.

At the conclusion of each presentation, several of the raptors are brought back out so attendees can have an up-close view and talk with the trainers. No two shows are alike as different birds are chosen to soar overhead or visit guests up close on a trainer’s glove.

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.

(Written by Mike Jernigan)

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