Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue & Sanctuary

10/11/2026

Wings Across the World! 🦅🌎

Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue! Migratory raptors will be perched throughout the gardens of Moccasin Lake Nature Park, including Peregrine Falcons, Ospreys, Turkey Vultures, Merlins, Broad-winged Hawks, Swallow-tailed Kites, and Bald Eagles.

Our knowledgeable docents will share fascinating stories of migration, survival, and conservation. Discover the incredible journeys these birds make and why protecting their habitats matters!

A great opportunity for photos and celebration of World Migratory Bird Day!

📅 Saturday, October 17, 2026
⏰ 10 AM – 2 PM
📍 Moccasin Lake Nature Park
2750 Park Trail Lane, Clearwater, FL

Different Paths • Shared Skies • Brighter Tomorrows!

09/25/2026

09/20/2026

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/art-and-ambassadors

🎉 Excitement is in the air! Get ready to be part of something extraordinary at Tampa Bay Raptor rescue's fundraising event. We are opening our first Art &…

09/15/2026

🦉 Everyday Hero: Lou Petersen
Today we celebrate Lou Petersen, one of Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue’s wonderful Everyday Heroes.
If you visit early in the morning, there’s a good chance you’ll find Lou already hard at work in the aviaries. He has a special place in his heart for our Eastern Screech Owls, providing them with such dedicated care that their aviary was named in his honor.
But Lou’s commitment doesn’t stop with the birds. He also puts countless hours into caring for our gardens and helping make the sanctuary a beautiful place for wildlife and visitors alike.
Lou is simply there for the birds—day after day.
We are especially grateful for his generosity. In addition to giving his time and hard work, Lou is a major sponsor of our birds and educational programs, helping us provide excellent care while sharing these remarkable animals with our community.
Thank you, Lou, for your hard work, your generosity, and most of all, your dedication to the birds.
You are our Everyday Hero. 🦉❤️

09/11/2026

🇺🇸 TODAY, WE REMEMBER 🇺🇸
This morning, Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue was honored to join our community at Curlew Hills in remembrance of the victims of September 11, 2001, and to honor the courage, sacrifice, and service that followed.
Joining us was Miss America, our juvenile Bald Eagle ambassador.
Her presence carried a special meaning today. The Bald Eagle has appeared on the Great Seal of the United States since 1782, representing our nation for generations. In 2024, it was officially designated the National Bird of the United States.
Miss America also gives us an opportunity to teach something many people don't realize: America's eagle doesn't begin with a white head.
Young Bald Eagles wear predominantly dark, mottled plumage. Over several years, they gradually develop the unmistakable white head and tail and yellow bill we associate with an adult Bald Eagle.
Back at Moccasin Lake Nature Park, our adult Bald Eagle ambassadors Penelope and Bolt show visitors that familiar adult appearance. Together, these three remarkable birds allow us to tell the story of the Bald Eagle—from youth to adulthood, from a species once in serious decline to one of America's great conservation successes, and from a national emblem to our officially designated National Bird.
You can visit Penelope and Bolt at Moccasin Lake Nature Park Tuesday through Sunday, 10 AM–5 PM. Admission is free.
Today, however, Miss America's role was one of remembrance.
We remember those who were lost.
We honor those who served.
We remember the families whose lives were forever changed.
We will never forget. 🇺🇸🦅

09/10/2026

🦅 And this is what we work for…

Today, Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue volunteer and Board Secretary Megan Bringer had the privilege of returning this beautiful Red-shouldered Hawk to the wild in eastern Pasco County.

This is not one of the three Red-shouldered Hawks that came into our care yesterday. This hawk had already completed its rehabilitation and was ready for release.

There is something pretty special about watching a bird take to the sky again.

Rescue. Rehabilitate. Release. ❤️

Thank you, Megan, for making the trip and giving this hawk its ride back home.

Fly strong, little one. The sky is yours again.

09/09/2026

❤️🦅

Meet Daniel.

Daniel found the third Red-shouldered Hawk that came into Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue over the past two days.

He could have made a phone call and considered his part finished.

He didn't.

Daniel gave this hawk a ride.

He drove the injured bird all the way to us so it could receive care. And when he arrived, he made a donation to help, too.

This is what wildlife rescue looks like behind the scenes.

It isn't always a wildlife professional arriving in a rescue vehicle. Sometimes it's someone who sees an animal in trouble and simply decides:

I'm going to help.

Daniel became the final link in this hawk's journey from being injured and vulnerable to being somewhere safe and receiving care.

For an organization like ours, people willing to transport wildlife are invaluable. Every mile someone is willing to drive means we can devote more of our time and resources to caring for the animals already here.

Daniel, thank you for giving this Red-shouldered Hawk a ride, for your generosity, and most of all, for caring.

You are our Everyday Hero. ❤️

And tonight, there's a Red-shouldered Hawk with a chance it wouldn't have had without you.

09/09/2026

🚨 THREE RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS IN TWO DAYS

Yesterday and today, Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue received three Red-shouldered Hawks from the Tampa area.

First, we want to recognize something important: every person who reported one of these birds was kind enough to give that hawk a ride to us. ❤️🦅

Wildlife rescue often begins with an ordinary person deciding not to drive past an animal in trouble.

Two of these hawks are presenting with signs concerning for possible poisoning.

The third has a head injury that raises concern that the bird may have been shot. We were told there may have been a conflict involving pigeons, but the exact circumstances and cause of the injury have not yet been confirmed.

We understand that people love their pigeons.

We fancy pigeons, too.

But native hawks are protected wildlife, and shooting a Red-shouldered Hawk is illegal. There are humane ways to reduce conflicts between raptors and domestic birds without harming wildlife.

Red-shouldered Hawks are anything but silent.

Anyone who lives around them knows their unmistakable, far-carrying calls. They are part of the soundtrack of Florida—calling from neighborhood trees, wetlands, parks and backyards.

That's what makes the words Silent Skies so powerful.

Every hawk lost to poisoning, shooting or another preventable human-caused threat means one less voice overhead.

We don't want silent skies.

We want Florida mornings filled with the calls of Red-shouldered Hawks and future generations who recognize that sound as readily as we do.

For now, our job is to give these three hawks their best chance.

And to the three people who stopped, cared, called and personally transported these birds to us:

Thank you for giving them that chance. ❤️🦅

09/05/2026

Sometimes It Just Takes Persistence. 🐢❤️
Sometimes a rescue isn't about having the right equipment, the right person nearby, or an easy answer.
Sometimes it just takes persistence.
Today, a really sweet young woman called about this turtle. It was right next to a very busy road, and she was determined not to let it get hit by a car.
There were no wildlife rescues in her area available to respond. By the time she reached us, she had already spent a couple of hours outside in the extreme heat, staying with the turtle and blocking it from entering traffic. I will never forget the sound of the heavy traffic in the background.
She was petite, hot, thirsty and scared—but she wasn't leaving that turtle.
So neither were we.
Her call came in at 4:44 p.m. I stayed on the phone with her while we worked through every possibility. We tried the fire department. We tried animal control. Neither was able to respond.
But we kept trying.
Eventually, our call was forwarded to Tampa Police, and an officer responded. The turtle was moved away from the busy roadway and into a safe location.
And only then did we hang up.
For all that time, this young woman stayed with an animal she didn't know, simply because she couldn't bear to see it hurt. And although we couldn't physically be there with her, we stayed on the line.
We weren't giving up on the turtle.
And we weren't giving up on each other.
Not every rescue involves a dramatic capture or an ambulance ride to a wildlife hospital. Sometimes a rescue is one person standing in the Florida heat saying, I'm not leaving until this animal is safe.
And another person on the other end of the phone saying, Neither am I.
Today, that was enough. 🐢💚
A very special thank-you to Tampa Police for answering the call and helping bring this unusual little rescue to a happy ending.

09/05/2026

🖤 INTERNATIONAL VULTURE AWARENESS DAY — MEET ELVIS! 🖤

Today, Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue joins conservation organizations around the world in celebrating some of nature’s most important — and most misunderstood — birds.

https://youtu.be/JW792gNjyw0?is=iGuIzvkf-9tMKipo

Vultures are the most threatened group of raptors in the world.

And right here at Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue, we have the privilege of caring for a very special ambassador: Elvis, one of the oldest Black Vultures in managed care in the world.

Elvis represents a remarkable American species, but he also helps us tell a much bigger story.

Around the globe, vultures are disappearing at alarming rates. Poisoning, habitat loss, persecution, illegal wildlife trade, collisions and electrocution are among the threats facing these extraordinary birds.

The crisis is particularly severe in Africa and Asia. In West Africa, conservationists are currently working to implement an international action plan aimed at reversing devastating declines in vulture populations.

Why should we care?

Because vultures are nature’s cleanup crew.

By rapidly consuming animal remains, vultures recycle nutrients and help keep ecosystems healthy. They perform an ecological service that few other animals can accomplish as efficiently.

🌎 From a Black Vulture in Florida to critically endangered vultures soaring over Africa, their survival matters.

Through Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue’s Global Raptors programs, we introduce audiences to birds of prey from around the world and explore the conservation challenges connecting our local raptors to their relatives across the globe.

And Elvis helps us tell that story.

He reminds us that vultures aren't frightening or disposable.

They are intelligent.
They are fascinating.
They are essential.
And they need our protection.

On International Vulture Awareness Day, take another look at the vultures soaring overhead.

They aren't waiting for something to die.

They're helping keep the world alive.

This video was uploaded for Halloween, so don't let it frighten you...