International Raptor & Falconry Center

09/06/2026

September is for the Vultures! Every first Saturday of September awesome people all over the world celebrate one of nature’s greatest achievements Vultures!
International Vultures Awareness Day 2026 was celebrated in Sedona at the Sedona International Film Festival theatres yesterday afternoon.
IRFC’s beautiful Druantia changed the mines of quite few people and let them know Vultures are Vital.
They learned the hard truth that 14 out of the 16 Old World species are listed as endangered or near threatened. 50% are listed as critically endangered. Vultures are the most imperiled species of raptors globally. But they also learned just how special these birds are.

As no surprise to anyone, everyone loved her and inspired to share just how important and beautiful these birds are.

Vultures in this country have received a terrible rap thanks to our film, cartoon, storytelling, music and media industry that has portrayed these species as evil, ugly, dumb, gross, useless… We call people who are greedy, lack integrity, low character, vultures. Nothing could be further from the truth. Vultures are beautiful, charismatic birds. They bath nearly daily; in fact, Druantia will refuse to bathe in water that isn’t fresh. The girl does have standards.

And what about dumb? Not even close! They are highly intelligent and the most intelligent of the raptor species. When I tell people how smart they are, most are surprised. Why would you be surprised? Because you think they are ugly? But when I tell them owls are at the bottom, they are just as surprised and disappointed.

And the invaluable ecoservices vultures provide cannot quantified. They protect us from dangerous microbials such as rabies virus, anthrax, salmonella and others. Think about what our world would be like if all the dead animals were just left to decompose. And what we would need to pay as a society to clean up those dead animals? So thank a vulture for not raising your taxes in order to pay for one more service.

See you next September! A month for the vultures! ❤️🖤

09/05/2026

This! Celebrating VULTURES! Today is International Vulture Awareness Day!

⭐️LIVE⭐️ VULTURES ARE VITAL 📅 September 5 @ 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Join Raptor Ecologist and Master Falconer Dr. Michele Losee, Founder and Executive Director of the International Raptor & Falconry Center, for a presentation celebrating International Vulture Awareness Day and exploring the remarkable world of these most misunderstood birds.

🎟️ TICKETS & SHOWTIMES: sedonafilmfestival.com/event/vultures-are-vital

08/21/2026

Enedina is getting anxious to get back in the air chasing bunnies. She’s pretty much done moulting. Dropped 2 tail feathers a week ago that was a second moult; so need to stop that now.

She’s getting very bouncy and close enough to start creance work. It’s still too hot but will start working her and some others early in the morning.
Avalina, the Barn Owl, is getting there too so she’s on the work list. Lennox the kestrel is done but blowing body feathers again so need to stop him from a second moult. Time for him to get to work as well.
Leroy is done and trying to second moult…he is on the workout list.

Bridger and Quinn are done moulting but still heavy. Everyone is fat and out of shape, including the dogs. Thankfully I didn’t reach moulting weight but I’m sure I’m not ready to trek 2-6 miles daily.

Really need things to cool down! It’s so humid here I have dozens and dozens of mushrooms growing all over. That’s a rare occurrence in Arizona. The last time I saw mushrooms growing the following winter brought 19 feet of snow! We are predicted to have another very snowy winter.
Could be an interesting winter! ❄️

07/22/2026

This Sunday we are back at The Arb!
Spoiler alert 🚨 Grover, the Blue and Gold Macaw will be making his public debut.

Saturday we will be at the Hummingbird Festival in Sedona! Come and say “Hello!” to the IRFC Flying Team.

06/29/2026

Well our summer camp for the Arb this week was canceled due to the Pocket Fire that’s been burning north of Sedona for over a week and 0% containment.
Last Saturday I had to drive the long way around to our Eagle presentation in Sedona because the Canyon was closed.
The winds over the past couple of days have been 50mph and the size of the fire has doubled. And today we have 50+mph winds as well.
The smoke is creating air quality index at a hazardous level and there’s falling ash. Not good for birds and not good for kiddos. APS is also doing rolling power outages. Not good.
Yesterday two more fires popped up very close to us. The Spring fire is in a rural neighborhood and close to a field I fly the birds so that makes me sad. There’s another large fire about an hour north. …and many others around the region; Arizona is literally on fire. So this has been a very bad fire season with no signs of relief in sight. Let’s hope none pop up close to me, the thought of evacuating the IRFC Flying Team is the thing of nightmares.

06/26/2026

The International Raptor & Falconry Center is seeking one exceptional individual to join our Raptor Conservation & Falconry Professional Track.

This is designed for someone who is serious about building a career in raptor conservation, falconry, wildlife education and nonprofit leadership.

You’ll receive mentorship while gaining experience in areas including:
• Raptor care and husbandry
• Bird training and falconry
• Environmental education
• Public speaking
• Conservation outreach
• Nonprofit operations
• Grant writing
• Event management
• Leadership

No degree program teaches everything involved in this profession. Much of it is learned through mentorship, experience, and a commitment to continuous learning.
Training is provided. Initiative is expected.

IRFC has secured funding for a part-time paid (full-time future) position, which will be filled from within this program. The person selected will be someone who demonstrates exceptional reliability, professionalism and long-term commitment.

This opportunity isn’t for everyone, and that’s intentional.
If you’re ready to invest in yourself while making a lasting impact for birds of prey, we’d love to hear from you.

https://www.raptorfalconrycenter.org/join/team