Quick-Fire Quips is a questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the State of Alabama! Today, Alabama Public Radio host Baillee Majors talks with Dr. Robyn Miller, director of the Auburn University Raptor Center.
Baillee: Hey, Robyn, how are you?
Robyn: I'm fantastic! How are you?
Baillee: I'm doing good! For those hearing the term "raptor" for the first time, we're talking about birds, right? Like, not dinosaurs.
Robyn: Absolutely. We are not talking about Jurassic Park. We are talking about an assortment of species that eat vertebrates and are flying land birds.
Baillee: Some of these big birds do have pretty big claws like raptors might.
Robyn: Yes, a common descriptor. "Raptors" refers to their large talons, their grip strength, and also their keen eyesight. But raptors is a very debated and widespread title. So, not all raptors have great eyesight, and not all raptors have grip strength like eagles do.
Baillee: Can you just explain what goes on at the Raptor Center?
Robyn: We are a division of the College of Veterinary Medicine, and we operate across two units. We have our rehabilitation facility that provides clinical care for over two hundred injured, orphaned, or ill raptors annually. We also have our education unit that provides over three hundred outreach programs a year, including the iconic War Eagle flights.
Baillee: What is it that you do there? What's your role?
Robyn: I often joke with my team that I take care of the people so that they can focus on taking care of the birds. So, I oversee both departments, and I do my best to help us in our mission to advance raptor welfare.
Baillee: And do you enjoy your job?
Robyn: I would not do anything else. My life is for the birds.
Baillee: Well, now the introductions are done, let's get you warmed up for the questionnaire. And to do that, I want you to say "Quick-Fire Quips" three times fast.
Robyn: Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips.
Baillee: Here's the first question: What comes to mind when you hear Alabama?
Robyn: Ultimately, biodiversity. We have such a rich system of ecosystems scattered throughout the state. I'm a big fan of our raptor biodiversity in particular. We have so many diverse species that either call Alabama home or migrate through seasonally. I never know what to expect when I watch the skies.
Baillee: What is a hidden gem in Auburn that more people should know about?
Robyn: I would have to say Nemophily Natives. It is a native plant nursery that is right in our backyards. So, if you are looking to cultivate biodiversity in your yard, that is a great starting point. I shop there religiously.
Baillee: What do you like to get?
Robyn: So, it has been said by some entomologists that I know that butterflies are the birds of the insect world. So, I enjoy planting milkweed along with other host plants to help support monarchs and other native butterfly species. And, of course, a lot of nectar plants also produce seeds in the fall that help our birds.
Baillee: What is your favorite thing about living in Alabama?
Robyn: I think this might sound like a paid answer, but it's not. I love Auburn, and I love the Auburn community. Everyone here is so sweet and so supportive, and there is just truly something about the culture.
Baillee: Do you have a favorite spot that you like to go to? Whether it's a river or a creek or just, you know, somewhere to bird-watch locally?
Robyn: I really enjoy Chewacla. It is a state park that is right off of the exit I use to get to work, and there's lots of fun trails and waterways to explore.
Baillee: What is a bad stereotype or something that people get wrong about Alabama?
Robyn: That having a Southern accent and being intelligent are inversely correlated. You can have a nice Southern twang and be the smartest person in the room.
Baillee: I agree with that. You are a licensed falconer and also a naturalist. Can you explain what that means?
Robyn: So as a licensed falconer, I am federally and state permitted to hunt with a bird of prey as my partner. And this traditionally is done with red-tailed hawks in this state. My quarry tends to be squirrels or even rabbits. And it is a small form of conservation.
Only one in four raptors survive their first year in falconry. It allows me to ostensibly trap one of the three that wouldn't have made it, and allow them to cultivate hunting skills in as controlled an environment as it gets.
And once they've completed their time with me, they return to the wild with a clean bill of health and hunting skills to impress a potential mate so that they can carry on their lineage.
Baillee: How did you fall into being a falconer?
Robyn: When I was a kid, I read a book called My Side of the Mountain, in which the main character trains a falcon named Frightful. That's an origin story for a lot of falconers. And I ended up looking into training birds of prey from that point.
My parents purchased me a book about birds of prey, and the centerfold was about falconry, and I learned that it is this intangible cultural heritage. It is a centuries-old practice for humanity, harkening back to days when we were dependent on birds of prey in many ways for food. And I became obsessed.
It was one of those early aha moments where I recognized myself in a term of falconry. And teaching were the two terms where I first discovered who I was.
Baillee: Have your parents ever raised any concerns about you being a falconer?
Robyn: Surprisingly, no. They are super into it. They ask for updates on my birds, and I've even taken them out a few times. This latest time I took them out with my red-tailed hawk named Tater, who is now released into the wild. But I essentially got to sit back and watch them fly the bird for me.
Baillee: Do you have a favorite moment from being a falconer?
Robyn: This is probably the antithesis of a good falconer answer, but I had a red-tailed hawk find a Furby in the middle of the woods once, and that sticks out to me because it was a weird collision between living my childhood dream of being a falconer and a weird relic of my childhood.
Baillee: You're also involved in the War Eagle flight. What happens during that time?
Robyn: The War Eagle flight is hands down the best pregame tradition in all of college football. Approximately twenty minutes before kickoff, we release a trained eagle to fly over ninety thousand cheering fans in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
This is an iconic tradition that has fans from both teams in their seats well ahead of the football game itself. And there's nothing else on earth like this tradition. It is a unifying and uplifting moment for us all.
Baillee: Who are the eagles in the current rotation for the War Eagle flight?
Robyn: We currently have Aurea, War Eagle VIII, who is a Golden Eagle, and Independence, a Bald Eagle. A fun part of Auburn tradition is that only Golden Eagles can carry the title of War Eagle. There's one exception, and that is Spirit, the honorary War Eagle who flew for nineteen years in Jordan-Hare.
Baillee: So what are the eagles like? Are they divas? Are they nice? What are their personalities like?
Robyn: Oh boy. I love this question because Aurea and Indy have completely distinct personalities. Indy is certainly our diva. She is our Chatty Cathy. You can tell when Independence is at a program because you will hear her well before you see her.
We often don't think of bald eagles as being squawkers, but they are an incredibly vocal species. They don't make that majestic scream that we often hear on television. That's the red-tailed hawk.
They instead make this chortling laugh call, and Indy takes every opportunity to toss her head back and give that same call. Aurea is much more quiet.
Typically, we like to think that Indy has rubbed off on her a little bit because she's become somewhat more vocal recently, but she is a very easygoing and resilient eagle. She is perfect for her job as War Eagle because she is confident and comfortable in a lot of scenarios and settings that surprise me.
This is in part due to the positive reinforcement training that she has enjoyed, where she knows that we won't take her into a space that is of any concern or danger to her.
Baillee: If you could trade places with the eagles for one flight, would you do it?
Robyn: Absolutely. But I would trade places with Aurea because I wouldn't trust Indy to make some judgment calls from the sidelines.
Robyn: The Raptor Center [is] known for Football, Fans and Feathers, which takes place the Friday before home games, and it is a flighted bird show that is open to the public. We will fly "War Eagle" or "Independence" and any number of educational ambassadors right over your head—in the most literal sense. They like to rearrange hairstyles, so be prepared!
Baillee: The pregame flights, they're cool and everything, but let's talk more about what the center does.?
Robyn: So I often say that the pregame flights are the Trojan horse to our larger mission. We provide care for over two hundred patients each year in our rehabilitation facility.
And this is ranging from birds that were rescued after a collision with a vehicle, some birds that have been shot, birds that have been poisoned, to orphan raptors that might have been separated from their parents due to nest collapse, what we call a flood or a failed fledge, and other factors that might result in that separation.
So it is incredibly important to us that we return these birds to the wild whenever possible. Sometimes that is not possible, in which case these birds may find themselves a home as an educational ambassador, either with Auburn University, but typically we transfer them out to other educational programs across the country.
We also support conservation by serving as a pipeline for future conservationists. Everything we do is rooted in education.
We have veterinary students from the College of Veterinary Medicine that serve rotations and get hands-on clinical experience with raptor patients. And we have education volunteers that learn effective training techniques and behavioral science and serve as primary caregivers for our fleet of twenty-one non-releasable educational ambassadors.
So it's truly a special facility and a special mission that is near and dear to my heart. And I love having the opportunity to serve as a steward, not just for this timeless tradition, but as a torch bearer with the intention of passing that torch to the next generation to care and admire and look out for these incredible birds.
Baillee: Can you talk about the importance of rehabilitation and conservation for Alabama?
Robyn: Rehabilitation gives injured or ill or orphaned raptors a second crack at surviving in the wild. And so it helps bolster populations. It also provides us with an educational opportunity to reveal how human activities may unintentionally impact our native and local raptor populations.
I don't know if you noticed earlier, but when I listed some of the common factors that bring patients to our clinic, a common denominator in all of it was people. So when we return a bird to the wild, we often invite the public out.
We provide information on our socials about cases from time to time with the intention of educating our community through the story of these patients. We're not just bolstering populations; we're inspiring people to make micro-adjustments to their habits to join us in protecting raptors.
Baillee: So if someone comes across a bird that is injured, what should they do? How should they proceed?
Robyn: The first thing they should do is call a federally licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In this area, that would be us. We'll provide you with information on how to proceed. I also encourage people to take photos and video of the bird.
Oftentimes when people think they found a baby eagle or a baby owl, it may be a surprising species that they're just not familiar with. So that helps us coordinate with these Good Samaritans on a plan to get these birds in for treatment.
One thing they should avoid doing is offering food or water. I recognize that's often a kind and compassionate thing to do, especially here in the South. One of the first words that we offer a house guest is, "Can I get you anything to drink?" That's not good for raptors. It can actually impede their treatment or prevent them from being released, period, if they're young enough to become a human imprint.
Baillee: If someone's interested in getting involved in the Raptor Center, how would they go about that?
Robyn: They should reach out to us for volunteer opportunities. We accept at our rehabilitation facility volunteers from all walks of life. The volunteer program is the beating heart of our organization, and they assist us with the husbandry, cleaning, and care of these raptors in a way that our operations wouldn't be possible without them.
They can also get involved by supporting us on social media (Facebook and Instagram) or with donations. Even though we're part of the College of Veterinary Medicine, like many facets of the university, we're largely dependent on those donations to expand our operations.
So just this previous year, we had a campaign that allowed us to get critical care units for our patients. It allows us to fine-tune the atmosphere in which we care for them—so oxygen levels, temperature, humidity—that will improve the rate of release for these patients.
And we estimate that these units will be used by about 75 percent of the birds that come through our doors. So a small donation can make a huge difference in the life of a raptor, whether that is one of our permanent residents on our education side.
Baillee: What is the most underrated bird in your opinion?
Robyn: I adore all species of vulture, and they're one of the most threatened groups of birds globally. But they provide a critical service to our ecosystems and to human health. They get a bad rep because they eat carrion or dead things, and are considered dirty, disgusting, or even mean, or they might even be perceived as a bad omen.
But the truth is that they can neutralize diseases such as rabies, botulism, and anthrax that would be a threat to humans and spread by less efficient scavengers like feral dogs or other mammals. So, there is a direct correlation between the health of vulture populations and our own.
And even though they may not be beautiful in the traditional sense, such as like what we might consider with the eagles, they nevertheless serve a very important purpose and get an unfairly bad reputation.
Baillee: You mentioned sometimes they're thought to be bad omens. Do you happen to have any superstitions or rational fears like that?
Robyn: I adhere to a lot of the raptor superstitions. Namely, there is a superstition against naming rehab patients because the fear is if you give them a name, then they will not survive. So at the Raptor Center, in recognition of our patients' wild nature, we use a numbering system and abstain from giving them human names.
Baillee: Tell me something on your bucket list.
Robyn: Someday I would like to travel out West with the specific intention of seeing a California condor in the wild alongside bald eagles. California condors are a loving representation of a successful conservation endeavor.
At one point, there were only 22 or 23 individuals left in the world, and now they are still endangered, but they are slowly but surely making a comeback. I think being able to see the largest soaring land bird in North America would be an incredible experience.
Baillee: Did you have a childhood hero when you were growing up?
Robyn: I grew up watching Steve Irwin, Jeff Corwin, and Animal Planet, so of course, those are my heroes. They taught me to see beauty in unexpected places in the wild world. And I think that's what caused me to ultimately fall in love with birds of prey the way I did.
Baillee: What is your favorite getaway spot in Alabama?
Robyn: Ooh. It may be a little predictable to say Gulf Shores. But I love that I can head north in Alabama and end up in Appalachia, which is one of my favorite getaway spots technically north, or I could head south and go to the beach. Alabama truly has everything that a nature lover could possibly desire.
Baillee: It absolutely does! Okay, Robyn, here is the last question. What does Alabama need?
Robyn: I would say stewardship. The more we learn to look after the natural world, the more we come to love it, and the more we realize the importance of conserving it.
The College of Veterinary Medicine has a big One Health program because we recognize that we are intrinsically connected to not just the fauna in our local ecosystems, but also the flora.
So a happy, healthy ecosystem might be heralded by a raptor, but it also helps us stay happy and healthy as well.
Baillee: That's it for today's Quick-Fire Quips, a questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the state of Alabama. That was Dr. Robyn Miller, director of Auburn University Raptor Center. Find us at APR.org for more Quick-Fire Quips!
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