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The Orange County Bird of Prey Center (OCBPC) rehabilitates injured and orphaned raptors in order to return them to their natural habitat while also working to introduce the public to these magnificent creatures and the role they play in the balance of nature. We are an all volunteer organization dedicated to education, rehabilitation and release of raptors back into the wild. OCBPC believes many challenges raptors face are prevented through education. We involve thousands of people annually in programs for schools, civic groups, park interpretive programs, nature centers and media. We offer the public opportunities to take part in the release birds back into the wild through our sponsorship program. Raptors are only reintroduced under specific conditions: following state and federal guidelines, respecting current wild raptor population cycles, and considering environmental factors.
OCBPC believes that life in the wild is preferable to life in captivity. We provide each injured bird with medical treatment and time to heal. We strive to give all raptors the opportunity to resume life in the wild, as each plays an integral role in the balance of nature.
OCBPC is committed to continue to fulfill our mission to educate people, rehabilitate injured and orphaned raptors, and release them back to the wild.
OCBPC believes that life in the wild is preferable to life in captivity. We provide each injured bird with medical treatment and time to heal. We strive to give all raptors the opportunity to resume life in the wild, as each plays an integral role in the balance of nature.
OCBPC is committed to continue to fulfill our mission to educate people, rehabilitate injured and orphaned raptors, and release them back to the wild.
OUR VETERINARIANS
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SCOTT WELDY, DVM: Dr. Scott Weldy moved to Southern California in 1966 living in Mission Viejo. He graduated from Mission Viejo High School in 1975, went to Saddleback Community College, finishing his Bachelors degree at the University of California at Davis in Zoology in 1979. He worked briefly on a Masters Degree in Avian Sciences at UCD before being admitted into veterinary school where he earned his D.V.M. in 1985.
Dr. Weldy has always had an interest in birds, reptiles and other exotic animals and while working in a small animal hospital he began branching out into different animal fields. He volunteered as a veterinarian with local animal controls, the Department of Fish and Game, local rehabilitation centers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife. In 1986, he began working with Marge Gibson and the Orange County Bird of Prey Center in Villa Park rehabilitating injured raptors. When Marge moved back to her home state of Wisconsin in 1990, Dr. Weldy took over the center and has continued her work in the field of Raptor medicine, surgery, education and rehabilitation. He also began working with the University of California at Irvine as the clinical veterinarian monitoring research protocols and animals both in the field and in the facility. In 1990, Dr. Weldy was asked by Dr. Pat Morris of the Knoxville Zoo and the University of Tennessee, along with researchers at the San Diego Zoo, to assist in a project at the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound involving embryo transfers in exotic cats. Shortly thereafter Dr. Weldy became the Veterinarian of Record (VOR) for the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound/Feline Conservation Center and has continued to work at the facility as part of the veterinary team (with Drs. Krause, Beaudet and Pokard). He continued his passion for working with all animals owning Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital and becoming the “go-to vet” for all exotic animals, whether pets, wildlife, or zoo animals. |
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KRISTI KRAUSE, DVM: Kristi Krause, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (Feline) received her BA in Zoology and Rhetoric And Communications in 1993 and her DVM in1997 from the University of California at Davis. She became board certified in feline medicine by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in 2005.
Dr. Krause grew up in a small town outside of Bakersfield, CA. She spent most of her time either reading or out turning over rock and logs looking for snakes, lizards, and frogs. She would innocently stuff her pockets with as many of these creatures as possible, bringing them home to release in her backyard in the hopes they would stay there and populate the yard. She also raised rabbits for 10 years in 4-H and FFA. Dr. Krause is currently a member of multiple veterinary organizations, including International Society for Feline Medicine, American Association of Feline Practitioners, American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, and the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians where she serves on the Membership and Public Relations Committee. She also serves as the Fishing Cat and Jaguarundi Veterinary Advisor for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Felid Taxon Advisory Group and the Cheetah Veterinary Advisor for the Zoological Association of America. She currently cohabitates with 2 cats, a funky designer milksnake, African grey parrot, red-eyed tree frogs, axolotls, numerous red footed, sulcata, and Russian tortoises and Yersinia P. Squirrel, the squirrel that will never die. |
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OUR VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT
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PEGGY, Executive Director: Peggy began volunteering at the Orange County Bird of Prey Center in 1990 when she was negative 2 years old. A biologist by schooling, Peggy works in accounting and human resources to pay for her raptor habit.
She knew her husband was the man for her when he helped feed a baby barn owl in the middle of the night. Both of her daughters are incredibly understanding when they find their mother prepping animal food instead of dinner. In her spare time, Peggy rides horses, works on the family ranchlet raising steer and swine, and gardens. Peggy's true calling and favorite part of being a part of OCBPC is bringing the education ambassadors to the public and sharing her love for these amazing creatures. |
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HARMONIE, Supervisor: Harmonie joined the Orange County Bird of Prey center in 2015. She has always loved animals and enjoys the time she gets to spend with the birds.
Harmonie lives in Corona Del Mar with her husband, two awesome sons, and their German Shepherd. Harmonie's favorite part about OCBPC is educating kids about Birds of Prey. She especially enjoys visiting schools and letting the kids get “up close and personal” with the birds, a unique opportunity kids around Orange County get to experience. |
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TIA, Feeding Lead: Tia joined the Orange County Bird of Prey Center in 2007. She mothers one curious and mischievous son, who sometimes "helps out" at the center while she feeds.
When Tia was younger, she worked in pet groomer stores. Concurrently with our center, she works in a home and gardening shop. A couple of her favorite hobbies are gardening and horseback riding. What Tia loves most about OCBPC is being around the amazing birds of prey and sharing with the public her knowledge of the magnificent creatures. |
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LINDA, Administrator and Volunteer Coordinator: Linda joined the Orange County Bird of Prey Center in 2007. On the first day she was hooked while feeling the excitement of working around all the amazing birds, then a trip to the hospital where she met a veterinarian with a snake wrapped around her neck sealed the deal.
In addition to being the Administrator and Volunteer Coordinator for OCBPC, Linda is a volunteer with OC Parks. She manages the gift shop at the Muth Center in the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, and works in the Muth visitor center weekly, on Earth Day, Coastal Cleanup, The Plein Air Art Show, and other special events. Her favorite part about volunteering with OCBPC are introducing potential volunteers to the joy of working with raptors and the "Oh wow!" moments received when educating the public about these amazing birds. |
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BRENDA, Supervisor: Brenda joined the Orange County Bird of Prey Center in 2007.
She is also a grandmother and attends Native American pow wows. What Brenda loves most about our center is seeing the whole process of educating the public, rehabilitating injured birds of prey, and releasing recuperated birds into their natural habitat. |
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CAROL, Supervisor: Carol joined the Orange County Bird of Prey Center in 2012. She was interested in bald eagles, so she decided to find a way to volunteer and perhaps get to meet one up close.
Carol lives with her wonderful husband, Tom, and three rescue cats. In addition to volunteering at OCBPC, Carol is an active Sweet Adeline in her award-winning chorus, Harborlites—an organization that provides many opportunities to sing, dance, and compete with over 10,000 members worldwide. Carol's favorite part about OCBPC is being near the wonderful birds, and working with a top-notch team of dedicated volunteers. |
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OUR RAPTOR AMBASSADORS
Owls, eagles, falcons, condors, hawks, ospreys, kites, and vultures are all raptors. Raptors have strong grasping feet with sharp talons for catching and holding prey. Their hooked upper beak tears and kills prey, and their binocular vision provides depth perception for hunting. Raptors help maintain the balance of nature by controlling rodents, reptiles, insects and other prey. State and Federal laws protect raptors, and provide permits for lawful possession and care of raptors.
All of our raptor ambassadors are non-releasable. Their injuries prevent them from surviving in the wild. We train them to be comfortable on the fist in classroom and outdoor settings. Due to their extensive injuries at a young age, many of our ambassadors are imprints. Imprints are accustomed to people and unable to learn how to hunt or to fear the unfamiliar.
All of our raptor ambassadors are non-releasable. Their injuries prevent them from surviving in the wild. We train them to be comfortable on the fist in classroom and outdoor settings. Due to their extensive injuries at a young age, many of our ambassadors are imprints. Imprints are accustomed to people and unable to learn how to hunt or to fear the unfamiliar.
Photo Credit: Peggy Chase
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RED-TAILED HAWK - HENRIETTA: I go by Hank and I came to Orange County Bird of Prey Center as a fledgling in 2010 with a fractured right leg from the Tejon Ranch area. I have recuperated, but I cannot be released back into the wild. Therefore, I have become one of the Center's beloved education ambassadors.
Red-tailed Hawks are the most common and widespread raptor in North America. Males are 80% the size of females, despite our matching plumage. Immature Red-tailed Hawks do not have a red tail. We are usually soaring in the sky, scouring for our prey: small mammals, rodents, reptiles, amphibians and insects. Our brood size is 2-3. Although we are raptors, we still have to watch out for our natural predators, including Great Horned Owls, Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, and dogs! I love to go out to visit the public. Click on my story to see how those days go. |
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RED-TAILED HAWK - DULCE: My name is Dulce and I hatched in 2007. My history is a bit unknown, but I am clearly an imprint. I hung out with the wrong crowd in my younger days (in my case - people) and never learned how to be a proper Red-tailed Hawk. I’m missing out on being the most common and widespread Buteo in North America: living in mountains, deserts, prairies and on the coast. Buteo jamaicensis sexes are alike in plumage, but females are usually larger than males.
People often see Red-tailed Hawks soaring or perching on tree tops or poles, looking for their prey: small mammals, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. We nest in tall trees or on ledges or cliffs and usually have 2-3 young. Before I found my home at OCBPC, I visited two other licensed facilities. The nice folks at these places do their best to find an appropriate home for the "non-releaseables." We require a lot of resources, so most of these volunteer, non-profit places can only afford a few permanent residents. |
Photo Credit: Alexandra Deleon
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Photo Credit: Cassie Fuertez
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GREAT HORNED OWL - TWEEK: I'm Tweek. In 2012, when I was a hatchling, I fell out of the nest and landed on my head. I am dain bramaged (suffered neurological injuries). If you can believe it, I was just a puff ball of feathers that almost didn't make it! Thanks to the great care at the hospital, I am now a full-fledged OCBPC ambassador.
Although we are nocturnal, in the winter, we can be diurnal. Our unsuspecting prey cannot hear us swoop down and catch it due to our muffled flight. If you do not see us in the dark, you may recognize our stereotypical hoots. We do not have many predators but still have to be wary of other Great Horned Owls and mankind. |
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AMERICAN KESTREL - QUEST: A 2017 female hatchling, I could be flying free if someone had taken me to Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital. I was injured as a fledgling and went to a vet hospital that doesn't specialize in raptors. Unfortunately, the vet tech that cared for me didn't know proper raptor care and he imprinted me on to humans. Although I recovered physically, I can never be released because I'm not afraid of anything and don't know how to hunt.
As the smallest North America raptor, we show color sexual dimorphism, which is the differences between males and females. I have beautiful brown wings, a “dashed” chest, and a barred brown tail. Males of my species have blue-grey wings, a spotted chest, and a reddish tail with a white tip. Although it isn’t as cool as killing a juicy plump mouse, I eat a lot of insects along with small rodents and reptiles. It’s funny to watch my kind chase grasshoppers! |
