Shout out to all avid bird watchers!!!

If you ever find yourself in Charlotte, North Carolina and want something fun to do or have about an hour or two to spare I highly recommend The Carolina Raptor Center.

Out in the woods of North Carolina, you can find a nice easy hiking path where you can enjoy the fresh air and visit with some very beautiful raptor ambassadors.

They give each kid a scavenger hunt map to interact with along the path.

My kids love to draw and along the hiking path they have a fun drawing board for the kids to draw birds they were visiting.

Further along the path they have a fun nest building center that my kids enjoyed…even my teenager and preteen had fun building a bird nest to chill in.

Our favorite part was “The First Flight” where we got to sit in a small outdoor theater to speak with the caretakers of the raptors. We had the privilege of watching a black vulture make its debut to the stage. It was the first time it had taken direction in front of an audience…he did great! I had never thought of a black vulture as powerful and majestic but this encounter gave me new perspective. The sweetest thing about the whole presentation was that you can tell that the black vulture had a favorite caretaker…he wanted to stay by her side as much as possible. The caretakers also brought out educational, hands-on materials of actual bird wings and claws (from a vulture that had already passed) that the kids were able to touch and get a good look at.

All of the Raptors you will see are educational ambassadors. They were found in the wild injured or unable to care for themselves. If they are able to rehabilitate any raptors hurt in the wild, they are released back into the wild. Any raptors bred in captivity will be released into the wild as well. You can tell that these birds are very well cared for.