Flight-conditioning is the final step before release to the wild. Our cage designer and builder, Terry Heitz, created each of them to serve the needs of a particular species group. Among our outdoor buildings are several with unusual design features such as continuous flight corridors and elevated roosting or recovery areas. Terry's drawings of floor plans [FP] and elevations (EL] are available via links to new browser windows in the photo captions below.
The Owl Compound was designed to meet the needs of our most common raptor species: Barred Owls. Nicknamed “Fort Strix” (Strix is the genus of forest-dwelling owl species), it features four territories connected by sliding doors or flight tunnels that can be closed or opened as needed.
The Large Raptor Compound features a central group of roomy cages, each of which has access to a surrounding continuous flyway approximately 160' in circumference. The entire building has a compact footprint of 52' x 64'. This innovative design provides opportunities for unlimited linear flight when a bird chooses to fly multiple laps around the flyway. We house mostly larger raptors, including bald eagles, in this compound.
Taking inspiration from a design by Canada's Kay McKeever of The Owl Foundation, our Small Raptor Compound features three territories connected by a flight corridor and elevated tunnel around the rear of the building.
Casa Corvus is a house for larger members of the corvid family – crows or ravens. It features a spacious main area (12' x 43') plus a look-out tower and a flight tunnel connecting the two ends of the main area. A bird flying a complete loop through the main area and tunnel would travel roughly 100 feet.
The Eagle Recovery habitat is for birds that no longer need an indoor hospital cage but that are not quite ready for flight exercise in our large raptor compound flyway. It has a large (16' x 70') main area plus a separate but connecting area, 12' x 16'. A second-level aerie (roughly 100 square feet, not including vestibule) looks into the main area and can house orphaned nestlings or serve as a hospital cage for injured adults. This habitat is dedicated to the memory of Benedicta.
Photo archives include earlier facilities still in use today.
