Guest Experiences
Make your trip to World Bird Sanctuary even more memorable with one of our many Guest Experiences! There are lots of activities available to enhance your visit – get up close and personal with some of our animal ambassadors who can’t wait to meet you!
Available Daily for Ages 13 and Up
- Each experience approximately 30 minutes.
- Tickets for Guest Experiences available for same-day purchase in our Raptique Gift Shop. Please call ahead to be sure your experience is available for same-day purchase (636) 431-1333.
- Tickets and gift certificates available for purchase online here dates and times are subject to availability. Please email education@worldbirdsanctuary.org before purchasing if you need a specific date.
- Guest Experiences are not guaranteed to be private, unless your group fills the maximum capacity of 15.
- World Bird Sanctuary reserves the right to cancel any Guest Experience due to unforeseen circumstances. In case of cancellation, every attempt will be made to reschedule, or refunds will be offered.
- Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your Guest Experience to give yourself time to purchase tickets and get to the Guest Experience location.
Keeper Chats: every Saturday and Sunday at 9am – 11am
All ages welcome! • Admission is FREE!
Join one of our Naturalists for a fun and informative walk on our Display Line as they feed the birds! Just head down our Display Line anytime between 9am and 11am until you run into our Naturalist where they can teach you all about World Bird Sanctuary’s feathered residents – where they come from, what they eat, and how some of the amazing functions they perform help keep a balanced ecosystem.
Parrot Party: daily at 10am
WBS Member Price: $27 each • Non-Member Price: $30 each
This very special Guest Experience features “Waylon,” a blue-and-gold macaw who loves people and attention, and who can step up to your hand and entertain you with a lovable personality and a special ability to mimic certain words. Let one of our Naturalists guide you in this unforgettable experience!
Emu Encounter: daily at 12pm
WBS Member Price: $27 each • Non-Member Price: $30 each
Come meet “Kevin” and “Sprinkles” up close and personal! Offer them food, feel their coarse feathers, and get some amazing pictures with the two best emus around; all while learning about the natural history of emus from one of our Naturalists. You will get to enter their enclosure with the Naturalist to guide you through this one of a kind experience. Children under the age of 13 will be able to enter the corale and interact with the emus through the fence.
Handle an Exotic Raptor: daily at 4pm
WBS Member Price: $36 each • Non-Member Price: $40 each
A very special opportunity, indeed – Let one of our Naturalists guide you on how to hold a non-native raptor! With a special falconry glove provided, one of our feathered ambassadors will step up to your hand, giving you a personal and up-close encounter with a talon-ted predator. Guests may handle Zorro, our resident Aplomado Falcon or Trevor, our resident Eurasian Eagle Owl.
Special Events and Classes
Avian Training Workshop
4-Day Workshop Fall Session: November 14 – 17, 2019, at Drury Inn & Suites St. Louis Southwest • Cost $800
This intensive 4-day workshop will cover many topics including: Establishing your own program – permits, insurance, facilities, staff & volunteers; working with and training your bird – manning and positive reinforcement, desensitizing; choosing the correct species to work with; transportation – crates, permits, driving, flying, shipping; housing – mews, jumpboxes, A-frames, flight cages, climate, hotwire, substrates; perch types – bow, platform, screen, etc. – which perch works best for what species; diets – food types, frozen vs. live, storage, prep, vitamins; training your birds for flying – weight management, base weights, target weights, flyer food. Click here for more information
Wilderness First Aid with REI and NOLS
November 9 & 10, 2019 hosted by World Bird Sanctuary Minimum age: 16 • Group size: 30 • Instructor: NOLS Specialist
Cost: REI Member price: $235 • Non-REI member price: $265 Register Here
Whether spending time in the backcountry is your passion or your profession, you should never ask, “What do I do now?” In this 2 day course you will learn skills and abilities to make sound decisions in emergency situations. From the Patient Assessment System through traumatic, medical, and environmental emergencies, you’ll experience a wide variety of topics designed to prepare you to act if an accident occurs. This course is ideal for trip leaders, camp staff, outdoor enthusiasts and individuals in remote locations. The course includes a 1-hr break. 16-17 year-olds must arrive with a completed Release of Liability form, but do NOT need an accompanying adult. Participants younger than 16 must contact NOLS (Wilderness_Medicine_Admissions@nols.edu). No prerequisites. Successful completion results in a Wilderness First Aid certification. You may be eligible to recertify your NOLS Wilderness Medicine Wilderness Advanced First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, or Wilderness EMT (wilderness portion only) certification on this course. Please review NOLS Wilderness Medicine recertification policies (https://www.nols.edu/en/courses/wilderness-medicine/recertify/) prior to registering.
Owl Prowls
select evenings from November – March • 7:00pm at World Bird Sanctuary Book Online Here
Come over to the dark side and meet those amazing birds that exist by moonlight. Owl Prowls offer an exciting opportunity to learn more about the amazing life of owls. Spend an evening with a WBS naturalist who will introduce you to live owls and their unique calls. Then, take an easy night hike through our grounds to try to call in a wild owl! Click here for more information
Christmas Party – Staff & Volunteers Only
December 12, 2019
Holiday with the Birds
December 14, 2019 • 10:00am – 4:00pm at World Bird Sanctuary
Cost: $10 per person, $9 for WBS Members – Admission per active participant (each child) Buy Tickets Here
Join us as we take you on a holiday journey to the North Pole! At each station along the way, our elves will have a special activity prepared to get you in the holiday spirit. Make sure to get your passport stamped by each elf as you make your way towards Kris Kringle and “Owliver” the Holiday Owl! Write Santa your very own Christmas list and place it in our magic mailbox. Decorate a beautiful Christmas cookie and tap into your creative side with our arts and crafts. Glitter tattoos and hot chocolate will make this event even more special. Click here for more information
Holidays at Hawkwarts
December 15, 2019 • at Shrewsbury City Hall, 5200 Shrewsbury Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63119
2:00pm: Ages 18 & under welcome – $25/person (regardless of age)
6:00pm: Ages 18 and up* – $60/person (includes unlimited drinks)
*21 and up will be carded at door and have wristbands
Buy Tickets Here
Join us as we celebrate the Holidays at Hawkwarts! Put on your best robes and house regalia as you attend our Holiday feast of treats! This festive winter celebration will include seasonal magic with our beautiful owls and hawks, story time with Dumbledore, Potions class with Snape, sipping on butterbeer and taking a stroll down Diagon Alley to shop with our amazing vendors. Bring your competitive spirit as we see which Hawkwarts House brings home the prized reward for the most points awarded by participating in games through out the event!
Eagle Days
Join us for Eagle Days in several locations in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Minnesota during the months of January and February. World Bird Sanctuary’s Eagle Days will feature free education programs including a Bald Eagle and your questions answered by our knowledgeable staff and volunteers. Click here for our 2020 Eagle Days schedule
Owlentine & Wine
February • at World Bird Sanctuary • FOR AGES 21+
Whether you come by yourself, with someone special or a group of friends, the charm of these animals are sure to steal your heart as we unveil the beauty of Owls and other birds of prey. Adults only.
Open House
March • at World Bird Sanctuary
Learn all about World Bird Sanctuary and the work that we do to save threatened bird species and their habitats! Behind-the-scenes tours of our Education Training Center, Propagation Building, and Wildlife Hospital, which are normally closed to the public. Family friendly.
National Trails Day
June • 9:00am – 3:30pm at World Bird Sanctuary • Admission is FREE!
Enjoy the outdoors with this family-friendly event and 3 different trails to suit your pace!
Amazing Animal Encounters
every Saturday and Sunday from Memorial Day through Labor Day • 11:00am and 3:00pm at World Bird Sanctuary Amphitheater • Admission is FREE!
Exciting and individually unique shows presented by our Naturalists who will share fascinating information about a variety of our birds, mammals and reptiles.Learn about the amazing animals that share our planet and what you can do to help them survive. During each 25 minute presentation you’ll get to meet some of the animals that call WBS home and even see some fly!
Vulture Awareness Day
September 2020
Join us as we celebrate vultures with zoos and conservation groups around the world. Participate in fun activities, scavenger hunt, crafts and food. Family friendly.
Birdies for Birds Golf Tournament
Fall 2020
Birdies for Birds is a Scramble Golf Tournament with closest to the pin, longest drive, eagle for an eagle, awards ceremony, silent auction and raffle. Dinner included.
Owl-O-Wine
Fall 2020 at World Bird Sanctuary • FOR AGES 21+
$35 per person, limited availability Advanced tickets required.
Grab a date or your closest group of friends and join us for the second annual Owl-O-Wine!
The evening will begin with a professionally guided wine or beer tasting and festive treats, followed by an up-close encounter with owls and other Halloween themed creatures.You will learn all about these spook-tacular animals. The evening will end with an optional short night hike through our grounds where you will attempt to call out to an owl with the hopes of a response.
Wizarding Owl-O-Ween
Fall 2020 at World Bird Sanctuary • Suggested Donation of $5/person, $20 max per car Advanced reservations required.
World Bird Sanctuary presents a Wizarding Owl-o-ween. Wizards and Muggles are invited to join us for a Harry Potter themed event. Visit our owlery, and see our very own basilisk, acromantula and magical beasts from around the world. Take a break from the Muggle world while sipping butterbeer, trick or tweet at Honeydukes, and find your magic wand at Ollivanders! Costume contest, kids games and crafts. Enjoy food from the Leaky Falcon. You may even get your fortune read by Professor TreDawney.
Camera Day: WBS Members & Adopt-A-Bird Parents Only
World Bird Sanctuary Members and Adopt-A-Bird parents are invited to Camera Day to take close up photographs of our birds of prey perched in natural settings. Visitors can get up close without exhibit wire in the way. Species will rotate throughout the day and during the event, our Naturalists will free-fly a bird!
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