For Tullahoma residents Lyle and Valerie Russell, rehabilitating raptors has become a labor of love. As longtime falconers, the two have opened the Middle Tennessee Raptor Center (MTRC).
According to the Russells, the center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit Tennessee corporation dedicated to the conservation and preservation of raptors, also known as birds of prey.
MTRC is licensed, permitted, and inspected by both the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They are currently operating out of their private residence but are working towards expanding into a public facility where wildlife lovers of all ages can come and have their own experiences with these, what the couple has deemed, “amazing birds.”
Valerie said that the beginning of their rehabilitation of raptors began as default. “The TWRA was really wanting another permitted rehabber in our area, and I was already seeing a lot of sick and injured birds, so it was a little bit by default,” she said.
“I think that because many people knew I was a full-time hospice nurse, they started bringing me their injured birds. And it just kind of went into that, from there. I have a passion for birds in general and a love of raptors, especially because it was a hobby I did with Ian [Valerie’s son] for so long. We love every single bird we get in.”
Valerie added that birds are brought in by local wildlife officials and members of the community. The couple will also go out and rescue when possible, if others are unable to safely catch the raptor in need. After being brought to their in-house facility, the birds are then treated and rehabilitated with the goal of being released back out into the wild.
“Our goal is always to rehabilitate and release,” she explained. “With birds that cannot be rehabilitated, we utilize them as education ambassadors. With TWRA’s assistance, we’ll find placement for ambassador birds with other educators who can use them too.”
Education, and educating others on the importance of raptors is something that the couple is passionate about. It is one of the main reasons behind creating the nonprofit.
“We go to schools, retirement homes, scouting groups, and have even had some personal parties,” she explained. “Teachers will reach out and tell us they are teaching about the ecosystem, and we’ll go in and do a presentation on how raptors are an important part of our ecosystem and how devastating it would be if they were taken out. We also ask if there is a particular area they want us to focus on. It’s all about educating everyone as much as possible.”
Valerie added that rehabilitating these types of birds has its challenges. The financial responsibility of rehabilitating raptors can be costly.
“It’s not like buying a bag of bird food, it’s expensive,” she said. “It also determines how many we can help. Currently we have 12 and that’s at capacity. When new rescues come in they are triaged downstairs. Then as they start to heal, they move to outdoor enclosures where they can be flighted again. We are always looking for the larger pet kennels that can be used for the birds to heal in.”
Donations to the nonprofit are always welcome. While expensive and labor-intensive, the Russells love the chance to help these unique birds and know that their work is helping the ecosystem overall. GN
