Auburn raptor center to feature golden eagles Nova and Aurea during Football, Fans and Feathers show Friday

Auburn University’s Southeastern Raptor Center will hold a special celebration for golden eagles Nova, War Eagle VII, and Aurea, War Eagle VIII, at its Football, Fans and Feathers show on Friday, Nov. 29.

“This will be a great opportunity for fans to see these magnificent birds up close,” said Andrew Hopkins, assistant director of raptor training and education. “They are great ambassadors for wildlife conservation.”

The university retired Nova last week during the Board of Trustees meeting and named golden eagle Aurea as War Eagle VIII. Nova will continue to be named War Eagle VII but Aurea, as War Eagle VIII, will serve as the current, official War Eagle for the university.

The one-hour show will begin at 4 p.m. in the raptor center’s 350-seat Edgar B. Carter Educational Amphitheater at 1350 Pratt-Carden Drive off Shug Jordan Parkway. Football, Fans and Feathers is a series of shows held each fall on Fridays before Saturday home football games.

Tickets are $5 per person, with children ages 3 and under admitted free. Reservations are not required, but attendees are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance and arrive early as amphitheater seating is limited. Tickets may be purchased on the show’s website. Gates will open at 3 p.m. and seating is first-come, first-served. Guests are also welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on the grass. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

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. At the conclusion, several of the raptors are brought back out so attendees can have an up-close view and talk with the trainers.

“As a special treat, we are going to have both Nova and Aurea at the presentation for the Auburn Family to congratulate and welcome,” Hopkins said.

All birds used in the programs are permanent residents that are non-releasable due to prior injuries or human imprinting. The Southeastern Raptor Center’s mission is to rehabilitate and release injured and orphaned raptors and to educate the public about their role and importance and to research raptor-related issues. The center, a division of the Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine, is given permission by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to house, care for and showcase birds of prey in its educational mission.

For more information, visit the Football, Fans and Feathers website.