Raptor Rehabilitation and Rodenticide Awareness with Dr. Belinda Burwell, January 24th
Photo: Stacey Remick-Simkins red-tailed hawk
Saturday, January 24, 2026
12:00 PM 3:00 PM
General Admission: $25 Wildlife Rehabber Admission: $15
National Wildlife Federation
11100 Wildlife Center Drive
Reston, VA, 20190United States
Registration and important presentation details please click here.
Join this presentation on January 24th for an afternoon of educational lectures covering the fundamentals of raptor rehabilitation. The course will be taught by certified wildlife rehabilitator and veterinarian Dr. Belinda Burwell and will cover essential raptor rehabilitation skills geared toward at-home rehabbers. Next, participants will learn how rodenticides impact raptors negatively. This event is hosted in partnership with A.E.R.O. (Animal Education and Rescue Organization) and is open to anyone interested in attending.
The training will provide wildlife caregivers and apprentices with guidance on:
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How to identify which raptors need intervention and which do not
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Best practices for stabilizing and housing injured adult raptors before transport
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Understanding normal baby raptor development and when and how to intervene
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Practical tips for rehabbers who may be offering guidance over the phone or providing initial stabilization prior to transfer
Because the majority of raptors admitted to rehabilitation are injured adults there will be a special emphasis on safe handling, transport, and triage for adults. During the training, cadaver birds will be available to demonstrate proper bandaging and handling techniques, providing participants with valuable hands-on experience.
About Dr. Belinda Burwell
With 40 years of veterinary experience treating domestic and exotic pets, and native wildlife. She is currently in practice at Plaza Pet Clinic in Winchester, and also runs a non-profit called Wildlife Veterinary Care, an organization offering free veterinary care to injured and sick wildlife.
Her goals as a veterinarian are assuring the availability of quality veterinary care for all the animals in our community and teaching the public to care about animals.
In 1998, she was a founder of the Valley Emergency Veterinary Clinic in Winchester, and in 2000 started the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organization. When her children were young, she started the 4H Naturalist’s Club in Clarke County as an organization offering hands-on learning about nature and the environment to children.
She has been rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife since 1987 and became a Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator through the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. As a wildlife rehabilitator, she has experience rehabilitating more than 200 different species of Virginia’s native wildlife.
She has served on the Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator Examination Board, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Wildlife Rehabilitation Advisory Committee, and on the Advisory Board of the Animal Rescue Fund. In addition, she is a Virginia Master Naturalist and Course Instructor.
Registration for this event is required. This program’s proceeds will be split between AERO and NVBA. Any event questions should be sent via email and to addressed to Amanda at info@nvbirdalliance.org .
characteristics, identification and migration patterns, focusing on raptor species of the East Coast region. The presentation will be followed by a field trip for a day of hawk watching. You’ll apply knowledge learned in the workshop by observing kettles of Broad-winged Hawks, falcons, and other migrant raptors making their way south for the winter.