World Center for Birds of Prey prepares for 14th season of Fall Flights

The World Center for Birds of Prey will kick off its 14th season of Fall Flights shows on Sept. 6. The shows run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through the end of October and give visitors the chance to see and learn about a wide variety of birds of prey up close.

• Tickets to the show are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $15 for youth. You can reserve your tickets here.
• Shows start on Sept. 6th and run until Oct. 27.
• Fall Flights shows are 40-minute experiences that feature between five and seven different birds of prey from all over the world.

( Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)

"Fall Flights is our premier opportunity to get our guests up close and personal with some of our education ambassadors," says Jadn Soper, a Raptor Specialist at the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey. "It is the most produced event we have of the year and we have anywhere between five to seven birds flying right over your head."

She tells me that up close and personal interaction is hard to come by in the wild.

"Normally, you see birds of prey so far off in the distance that you can barely make out what they are, but having it be that up close and personal to you, really inspires something that I have not seen otherwise. Fall Flights is a very unique experience," says Soper.

A lot of preparation and training goes into their biggest event of the year, which showcases a wide variety of birds of prey.

"How it is choreographed and how it is scripted is that we can really pack a punch, back to back to back, with several different birds of several different species from way different parts of the world. Whereas usually in our daily programs, you get anywhere between one and three birds, so it just kind of expands our daily programming," added Soper.

She tells me that interacting with the birds and the visitors at shows like this is one of the most rewarding parts of her job.

"I feel like I make a difference most with things like Fall Flights. There's something about the bird and the music and the timing hitting just right and those gasps and the ooh's and the ah's. You know, people really leaving here taking something with them and hopefully trying to make a good impact in the world. It means a lot," says Soper.