Qualla: Wings Mended: The California Raptor Center https://qualla.com/california-raptor-center en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:11 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/c/7/california-raptor-center-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Wings Mended: The California Raptor Center https://qualla.com/california-raptor-center Wings Mended: The California Raptor Center: Introduction https://qualla.com/california-raptor-center/ Photo credit Polinova, CC BY-SA 4.0. Sul Wita, a bald eagle whose name means "Eagle Man" in the Patwin language, cannot fly well enough to survive in the wild. A permanent injury keeps him grounded at the California Raptor Center in Davis, California, where he serves a different purpose: standing on a handler's gloved fist, he meets schoolchildren, community groups, and curious visitors who may never have been this close to a raptor. His sharp yellow eyes and seven-foot wingspan tend to make an impression. Sul Wita is one of several ambassador birds at the CRC, each one a living lesson in why these predators matter and how fragile their hold on healthy habitat can be.

Read more: Wings Mended on Qualla

Image: Polinova | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/c/7/california-raptor-center-wp/9qc7-wings-mended-the-california-raptor-center-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Wings Mended: The California Raptor Center: Falconers and a Faculty Member https://qualla.com/california-raptor-center/ Photo credit Polinova, CC BY-SA 4.0. The center traces its origins to 1972, when UC Davis faculty member Dr. Frank Ogasawara joined forces with falconers Mark Fenn and Ole Torgerson, graduate student Alida Morzenti, and a handful of undergraduate volunteers. With support from the California Department of Fish and Ga...

Read more: Wings Mended on Qualla

Image: Polinova | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/c/7/california-raptor-center-wp/9qc7-wings-mended-the-california-raptor-center-falconers-and-a-faculty-member.mp3 0:06 2 full Wings Mended: The California Raptor Center: The Sixty Percent https://qualla.com/california-raptor-center/ Photo credit Polinova, CC BY-SA 4.0. Each year the CRC admits between 100 and 200 raptors: hawks, owls, falcons, vultures, eagles. The injuries vary. Some birds arrive with broken wings from collisions with cars or power lines. Others are orphaned chicks found on the ground. About 60 percent are successfully rehabil...

Read more: Wings Mended on Qualla

Image: Polinova | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/c/7/california-raptor-center-wp/9qc7-wings-mended-the-california-raptor-center-the-sixty-percent.mp3 0:06 3 full Wings Mended: The California Raptor Center: A Thousand Visitors a Week https://qualla.com/california-raptor-center/ Photo credit Polinova, CC BY-SA 4.0. Originally the center offered only private tours. That changed in 1992, when it opened for self-guided visits during operating hours, and the public response was immediate. More than 1,000 visitors now come each week to walk among enclosures housing permanent resident birds, brow...

Read more: Wings Mended on Qualla

Image: Polinova | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/c/7/california-raptor-center-wp/9qc7-wings-mended-the-california-raptor-center-a-thousand-visitors-a-week.mp3 0:06 4 full Wings Mended: The California Raptor Center: Teaching Hawks to Teach Engineers https://qualla.com/california-raptor-center/ Photo credit Polinova, CC BY-SA 4.0. In 2024, the CRC entered unexpected territory. A partnership with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, funded by a nearly three-million-dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, established a bird flight re...

Read more: Wings Mended on Qualla

Image: Polinova | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/c/7/california-raptor-center-wp/9qc7-wings-mended-the-california-raptor-center-teaching-hawks-to-teach-engineers.mp3 0:06 5 full Wings Mended: The California Raptor Center: What the Birds Carry https://qualla.com/california-raptor-center/ Photo credit Polinova, CC BY-SA 4.0. The CRC announced in 2025 a collaboration with the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden to build a new naturalistic enclosure for ambassador raptors, a habitat where visitors can observe birds in a setting closer to their wild environment. It is a small but telling evolution. The...

Read more: Wings Mended on Qualla

Image: Polinova | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/c/7/california-raptor-center-wp/9qc7-wings-mended-the-california-raptor-center-what-the-birds-carry.mp3 0:06 6 full