We found out about the Raptor Trust thanks to the friendly folks at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and headed on over - it ended up being a great tip! There is a parking area located in between two sections of the Trust, with good signage pointing you towards where to find the raptors and where the restroom facilities and the like are located. When approaching the raptor area, it turned out to be a bit of a trail like space with signage and information available. It is free to walk around, though they do recommend a $2 donation per adult to help support their work. They have a quite a few raptors who are unable to be released visible, running quite the gamut of raptors - there are several bald eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, ravens, and more. There is a small souvenir shop on the premises, as well. Signage indicates that they also take care of injured raptors for later release, and because they plan to release them they are kept off view. Very nice sanctuary doing good work. read more

I drove 40 minutes to visit The Raptor Trust with my mother, arriving at approximately 3:15 p.m. The website and Google both indicated the facility was open until 4:00 p.m. Roads were clear, the parking lot was clear, and there was no signage posted indicating early closure. Instead of being greeted professionally, we were met in the parking lot by the Executive Director, Chris Soucy, who shouted "Closed! Closed! Closed!" at us after we had just exited our vehicle. The tone was abrupt, unprofessional, and bordering extremely hostile. We calmly explained that we had driven 40 minutes and only hoped to briefly see the bald eagle - we would have been in and out in 15 minutes. Rather than responding with empathy or basic courtesy, we were dismissed in a way that felt unnecessarily aggressive and unprofessional. He even tried to be insulting saying that one of their bald eagles was having health issues, acting like we should have known this. If the facility needed to close early due to weather or staffing, that's understandable. What is not understandable is berating visitors during posted operating hours. A simple explanation or even a posted notice would have gone a long way. He insisted that it said they were closed on the website, and when I attempted to show him he didn't, he pulled my phone from my hand in an attempt at a "gotcha" moment, only to realize I was correct and the website had no indication of early closure. It was deeply disappointing to be treated this way at a nonprofit dedicated to wildlife education and public engagement. Chris Soucy should re-evaluate how he approaches people. read more

The Raptor Trust is a haven for birds and bird lovers alike. Set back in the Great Swamp, a series of buildings and enclosures for birds of prey, are filled with all kinds of injured, recovering or unreleasable native raptors. A pair of bald eagles are the stars, but ospreys, peregrine falcons, red tail, red shoulder hawks, owls and ravens occupy the facility. While they request a donation of $2, $20 goes a long way to helping to team do their work to save the injured. Highly recommended. read more

I was down the street at the Great Swamp on Labor Day with my Honorary Young Pup Chum, who was literally clutching Beta the Raptor throughout our journey (big, big Jurassic Park franchise fan). The Raptor Trust seemed like a natural fit for a visit prior to lunch, though I think I did have to temper expectations a bit and explain velociraptors were unlikely to make an appearance. Even without those intelligent beasts that often attack from the side, the birds on hand were worth the trip. I'd been to the Raptor Trust one other time a few years prior, also with an Honorary Young Pup Chum. The target demo seems to be around 7 or 8; there's admittedly not a lot of bells and whistles to the proceedings (which I think makes for a tougher sell if the pups are younger and probably unfairly comparing this to a zoo), but it's not that kind of place - they're housing injured birds and generously giving us an opportunity to visit them. That's it. And that's fine. We showed up around midday and there was a decent smattering of visitors already there. The parking situation is solid; there's an unpaved lot to the side, about a two-minute walk from the actual sanctuary and there were more than enough spots to choose from. There WAS a sign indicating with an arrow that a chunk of spots were reserved for employees, and because there wasn't a sign in each designated space, we saw multiple cars initially attempt to park in one of them and then belatedly have to back out - I would make this more obvious (maybe put a sign in each spot?) to minimize the parking lot traffic, especially with young pups around. After a very short walk, we found the unofficial entrance and donation box, and made our way around. You're not going to find any over-the-top, fancy kiosks with maps, but this is overall a very small area to navigate, all things considered; it shouldn't take more than 10 to 15 minutes to see all of the enclosures and get a legit peek at each bird. Again, this isn't a zoo so if you're looking for edgy flamingoes or a mongoose (my all-time favorite animal), you're going to be disappointed. Quite a few of the birds are "mainstream"; there were a few owls and falcons, which you could definitely end up seeing in normal day-to-day life. My personal favorite was the bald eagle enclosure; I grew up in the 90s, when we were repeatedly told that bald eagles were on the brink of extinction, which isn't the case anymore but it always feels a little exciting to see them no matter the circumstances. The raven was pretty cool too; always pleasing to be able to make a legit Edgar Allen Poe reference. It was bigger than I thought it would be; I was picturing a bird the size of a sparrow but he was a big guy. There's also a cute little gift shop that we spent some time in that had a solid variety of items available for purchase. I considered buying one of the handmade birdhouses (very elaborate, very cool) for one of my chums but didn't pull the trigger. It was a little tough to get some assistance there; the counter had a button or something to notify the employees but no one came. We had to roll up our sleeves and actually push another button outside to get someone to help, but that's a mild quibble. This isn't Turtleback; I know people who can legit go there on a weekly basis for a month or two. This is probably a place you'd visit once a year. But it was pleasant and they're doing a good thing. Very clean and hospitable as well. read more

Raptor Trust - Bald Eagles. - Zoos Near Me - Millington, New Jersey

The place said it was open on the phone, Google, and yelp but when we arrived they were closed so it was very unfortunate as we were super excited to come here read more

Do you like birds of prey? The Raptor Trust is a sanctuary for injured and recovering birds. Admission is free but donations are encouraged, so come on in and take a gander at the resident birds. They even take drop-offs if you find an injured bird. Photographers, you're going to need an optical zoom with manual focus. The green mesh and/or chain-link surrounding each cage makes your phone's camera tough to use. I used a mirrored dSLR and got pretty good results with manual focus. read more

Raptor Trust - Zoos Near Me - Millington, New Jersey

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Absolutely wonderful place. A must visit. We saw all different kinds of hawks. We saw a bald eagle! And a golden eagle (and they are even larger). It's a working rehab for injured birds, so there is that. We have taken injured birds there. My niece was a volunteer there. My mother knew the founder. They have a channel on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/@theraptortrust Has videos of them releasing birds into the wild and much more... read more

horrible place to take a house sparrow. Found a fledgling that had a broken leg. Woman was very mean and did not offer much help. Basically gave me the only option to kill it. When I asked what would be best to feed it or anything else I could do she told me to look it up online. I thought asking someone with bird expertise would be wise and I was wrong. If you care about the well beings of birds offering advice even if you can't legally keep the bird at the center would be morally correct. Also if you have an injured bird the likelihood they offer to put it down is high, if it's a protected wild bird they will take it and NOT give it back. Do your research on what type of bird you have before you come in or call ahead. read more

The Raptor Trust treats and re-releases (where possible) sick, injured or orphaned birds which are native to New Jersey. They have been doing this since the late 60s when there were few federal protections in place for raptors. Now they treat any NJ species, not just birds of prey. A group I belong to arranged for a tour with an educator. She led us through the enclosures for the permanent residents...these are largely flightless, sightless or imprinted birds who would not survive on their own in the wild. The Trust has an excellent representation of native birds and our enthusiastic tour guide told us about each bird....why they were there and specifics about their species. Because of covid, visits are by appointment only. Normally, visitors can pay the suggested donation of $2 and tour the site on their own. Our group paid $10 per person and it was well worth the extra $8 to have the instructor's perspective. read more

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The Raptor Trust isn't quite a hidden gem...more like a hidden cool seashell that you saw one time at the beach. First and foremost, this is not a zoo and it has zero ambiance or infrastructure. It's purely a do-it-yourself walk through a series of bird enclosures. Everything is well maintained, but the priority is the animals, not your visiting experience. The enclosures usually have a sign explaining what kind of bird is inside, but you'll probably want to look the species up on the internet if you're actually curious. There isn't any staff that explains the rescue or rehabilitation process; again, it's just not that kind of place. However, if you go in with the right expectations, it's an excellent way to spend an hour or two (at the absolute maximum). There is a wide variety of interesting birds (bald eagles, falcons, owls, and more), and despite the bad optics for photos, you can see them all just fine. I would be cautious about bringing a small child here unless they are deeply fascinated by birds. They will get bored quickly, and jumping/running/climbing/yelling are strongly discouraged. read more

As a longtime New Yorker, maybe I shouldn't be admitting that I heart New Jersey. Oh, what the heck. I do. And while foodwise, there are, indeed some underappreciated... OVERUSED YELP WORD ALERT... gems, it's the quirky variety of things to do that I truly love. Over the past few years or so, I have gone to a Chocolate Expo, visited an Historic Village, checked out a Christmas Gingerbread House Competition, hung out at a Lavender Farm, and even though we're a Mets family all the way, perused the Yogi Berra Museum. And these are just some of the highlights. So why wouldn't I be drawn to a Raptor Sanctuary? Besides, I have a bit of a thing for vultures, eagles, owls and such. Long story I'll save for another review: So yeah... Hubby, kid, grammy, and I wound up here on a dreary, chilly Sunday afternoon. So maybe that's why we were one of just two groups of people strolling the sanctuary. At any rate, I'll go ahead and echo everyone else. This is a lovely place to view various birds of prey. It feels very much like a tiny zoo. At least on our visit, there was no one walking the grounds who appeared to be in charge, so it felt a bit desolate, plus it would have been nice to chat with someone and ask questions. Luckily, though, we happened upon a Gift Shop and the wonderful cashier / volunteer there was happy to engage us in conversation. The thing I remember most about our exchange is that the gorgeous Snowy Owl we'd encountered was injured while flying around JFK (!?!). She explained that all the caged birds we'd seen were no longer capable of fending for themselves in the wild, and were permanent residents at the sanctuary. "We also rehab birds and return them to their natural habitats, but the public doesn't see those," she elaborated. There is a display that includes a dispenser for dropping in your suggested $2 pp donation, but it's not immediately obvious. At least it wasn't to us. And if our visit is a typical example, there are no official humans in charge, so look out for this if you want to support this worthy venture. Or should I say, vulture? Sorry. Couldn't resist. Jeff B. does a great job of explaining why this place is awesome, so please check out his 2014 review... And finally, should you have to pee desperately while on the way here (who me?), you will be um... relieved to know that not only are there public restrooms, but they are immaculate. Ultimately, it's all about the little things.:) read more

Raptor Trust - The Eagles have landed. - Zoos Near Me - Millington, New Jersey

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A fantastic opportunity to see wildlife in a controlled situation, learning and to hopefully appreciate what it takes to help them in the wild. At the least identify them better. read more

My mother and I visted here on a weekday. We had some time to spare and were in the area. I loved visiting here. There is a visitors parking lot and restrooms on the one side of the lot. The signs were very visable and clear which I always appreciate! There is a donation box inside near the restrooms and one on the path as well. It was so lovely to walk through and is well maintained. I enjoyed our visit. read more

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The folks here were nothing but helpful and explained the type of raptor I had found as well as the steps to his recovery. The campus is beautiful to walk around and there are so many birds to see. read more

This is a little place goes does great work rehabilitating injured birds. There is no actual fee to get in but they do ask a $2.00 per adult cover charge. The grounds are not large but contain a number of cabin sized habitats for different types of birds. Unfortunately, the cabins have screening and linked fences which sometimes makes it difficult to see the different birds. When we were there there were red rail hawks, red shouldered hawks, peregrine falcons, American Bald Eagles, Ravens and vultures. There were smaller falcons like Kestrel and Merlin. Owls come in two varieties; barn owls and true owls. There were examples of both owls like horned owls, barn owls, screech owls, and snowy owls. It's a pleasant way to spend about 45 minutes with the young ones. read more

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A truly unique wildlife center that not only rehabilitates injured animals and educates the public, but also gives permanent home to birds too injured to be returned to the public. Absolutely worth the donation to walk through and see the amazing raptors in residence, but even better if you can take part in one of their tours or events! read more

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Fabulous place to visit and volunteer. I have been taking my family here for many years and also visit alone when Im in the area. You can see birds of prey like owls and bald eagles up close. Many are kept outside in cages. I know someone who volunteered here and they told me how wonderful the care is. They take in injured birds and nurse them back to health. When possible they release them. What I love is the owls that have been released tend to hang out in the trees above. It isn't huge but I can spend hours here. Years ago when I was a scout leader I use to get owl pellets for my kids so they could dissect them and learn about owls. They sell owl boxes to help support the cause. They rely on donations. read more

Raptor Trust - Zoos Near Me - Millington, New Jersey

It's regarded as one of the best free care and assistance facilities for injured, sick or orphaned wild birds in the USA, and especially for raptors. It was established in 1968 when Leonard Soucy bought 14 acres of land on the southern end of the Great Swamp in Millington, New Jersey. Today it has a medical infirmary, education building and a gift shop. It is a non-profit but donations are appreciated. A suggested donation is $2 and well worth the money. There are 70 exterior cages where permanent residents are housed. Permanent residents include: hawks, eagles, falcons and owls. Due to there injuries they can not be released. Many hundreds of birds are nurtured to health and released, The permanent resident birds are used for education, foster parenting and breeding. Each cage has an information plaque so you can learn about the bird. A very pleasant staff will answer questions and special events like tour-talks and Raptor Photo events are scheduled. They have a website at http://theraptortrust.org/. The trust is right down the road from the Lord Sterling Environmental center and close to the Helen C. Fenske Great Swamp Visitor's center and hiking trails. The Raptor's Trust and Great Swamp makes for a fun and educational experience. read more

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If you find an injured bird DO NOT take it to the Raptor Trust in Millington, NJ. There was a mourning dove trapped in some landscape netting on my property. The bird badly injured one foot to the point that it was totally unusable. I put it in a plastic animal crate and it was doing very well, eating drinking and it could still fly. It had it for 5 days and it seemed to being doing fine even with the bad foot .I made the mistake of calling Raptor trust for advice. They told me to bring the bird in for them to look at. They immediately confiscated the bird and told me they were going to kill it. I told them I would take it back and they said no that it is illegal for me to rehab an injured bird in NJ. Makes a lot of sense , they can kill it but I am not allowed to help it on my own I checked online. it is possible for doves to survive in the wild with one foot. Had I known they were just going to kill it I would have set it free on my own. The bottom line is if the bird you bring in is a common bird they will not spend their resources to fix an injury or give you an option to yourself.. Please share this message l with your friends so no one else makes the same mistake I did. read more

Whoo-hooooooo, Whoo-hooooooo...I mean Woohoo! It is an amazing place if you ignore the smells. I have never. been so close to the American eagles. And they are huge, I mean huge. It is a surprise that this place has a couple of them. These are beautiful creatures. Funny thing is there is a bird feeding stand not far away, where small birds from the sounding wood came for free food, totally ignoring these dangerous predators. It also inhabits may other smaller raptors, owls, etc. One reviewer mentioned that she brought a young goose to the Raptor Trust, to feed the eagle? read more

My two year old is obsessed with birds. When we found this place online, we made it a must to go visit. They have a unique selection of birds and I can tell that they care. I wish they had a little more funding to help make the outside a little more lively. It could also be that we visited in the winter. We are definitely returning with family and friends once it gets a little warmer! read more

This is a delightful place that does something useful , rehabilitate my favorite birds - well with the possible exception of Sandhill Cranes , Prairie Chickens,Cardinals etc. The vultures are real favorites of mine.They are birds with personality and musical by nature. You can tell because they like my horrible singing.Ask for Virgil-- he will come . Stick to ROCABYE BABY and BRAHMS LULLABY.There are also Bald Eagles ,Golden Eagles, Snowy Owls ,Barn Owls and a number of other wonderful birds.You're right next to the Great Swamp and Lord Stirling Park.Often , later in the day you will see Wild Turkeys clustering around the place and Vultures - sometimes hanging upside down in the trees, giving the Trust a comical , perpetual Halloween atmosphere. read more

Very interesting, sometimes difficult to see the birds. Beautiful snowy owl. Not many people at the time of my visit. Lots of bikers and walkers to watch out for in the park. Naturally people drive like lunatics nevertheless. read more

The Raptor trust is an amazing place. 1) They rehabilitate injured birds of prey, and keep some of the birds in large cages available for the public to see. My favorite were the eagles. 2) It is located right on the southern edge of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, which has very cool boardwalk trails leading through the woods and over the swamp. 3) It is a very relaxing place. And if you do both the Raptor Trust and Great Swamp, you will have an awesome day. read more

I am so glad to see such a great review already up here for The Raptor Trust! It's such a fantastic place to come and visit! I've come here several times with groups of summer camp campers and the children really enjoyed learning about the birds and how they are rehabilitated. There are some free roaming birds as well that really got the childrens attention. It was fascinating to see the variety of birds they have here as well as how indepth the level of care for each bird is. This place makes a great family trip, day trip for couples or friends or place for photographers to get some neat shots! Tip: Be sure to wear mosquito repellent during warmer months. Since you are walking on trails through the woods, these little pests tend to lurk around. read more

They rehabilitate birds here and for a requested $2 donation you can walk around and check out all the cool birds that have been injured passing through NJ. We saw snowy owls, bald eagles, barn owls, falcons, plenty of recovering birds of prey. Very neat to check out if you're in the area. read more

These people are all incredible! I believe most or all are volunteers and they truly care about the animals, hence the volunteering lol. I've brought many different birds here. From water fowl, pigeons, sparrows and one incredible baby raptor. I'm not sure how all these animals fared, but I know that this was the best chance they had. If you find any orphaned or injured birds, bring them here! read more

Our communities, injured/unwanted birds are so very lucky to have a place like rRapture Trust. A big thank you to all the volunteers and Vets who donate so much. Many blessings to all of you and thank you Rapture Trust! Wonderful place and well worth a nice donation! read more

Raptor Trust - This is the wee pigeon Rapture Trust helped with. I can't thank you enough. Coobird is very lucky!! Miss you Coo. - Zoos Near Me - Millington, New Jersey

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This place feels like a "best kept secret". We went on a weekday and were alone with the birds and the staff. It was peaceful with the birds singing, sleeping and eating...one owl was sleeping face down with his little behind in the air, and he had a sign on his cage that said "don't worry I'm sleeping". Very cute. Tiny gift shop with stuffed birds, books ect ect. I really liked the vibe here and I feel we'll go back very soon. You get very close to the birds. Like inches away depending on where they are in the pens. Also, I never realized how HUGE Bald Eagles are!!!! WOW! Very cool. 2 thumbs way up. read more

Raptor Trust took in a (domestic) baby duck that was dropped off and left by some guy at the park here in northern NJ and which was desperately in need of someone to take care of it. We drove the baby duck there and they welcomed it with smiles and open arms. Nice people. They'll find a good home for the bird. Thank you. read more

This is a pretty neat little place. I'm actually kind of surprised this place even exists in Millington. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere but also a perfect place for the birds. My wife, daughter and I came here during the week. I wanted my daughter to see the birds but she had no idea what she was looking at. FYI, there's plenty of parking, restrooms and the park is open daily 9-4. The first time we came was after 4 so we had to turn around. Also, it's free but they do accept donations. The entire park is not very big. You can easily get through it in no more than an hour with stopping to see each bird. You'll see ravens, falcons, hawks, owls and my favorite, the bald eagles. They even had some brown eagles which were pretty cool. It's really a cool place. Give it a shot one day. I can't imagine you'd be disappointed. read more

I can't tell you how helpful this place (specifically Alyssa sp?) was. I helped a duckling and while some other groups that shall remain nameless were of little help Alyssa, their volunteer transporter Nadia and Raptor Trust were unbelievably compassionate and energetic in regards to this little baby's situation. Thank you for the work you do and for the help in this duckling and my time of need. There are good people out there and these people are proof. read more

Great population of interesting birds, and it is interesting to hear from the knowledgable and enthusiastic staff about what is involved in taking care of wounded and sick large birds. This is a fairly small but attractive and well designed facility. read more

For the person who left 1 star because Raptor Trust euthanized the goose with broken leg that person brought...just based on my experience bringing a baby bird with broken leg, I think there are multiple reasons the staff there might put down an animal, not JUST for its breed. It's a nonprofit that runs entirely on donations, so I'm not surprised they can't care for every animal brought in, regardless of the medical problems and outlook for quality of life. And they wouldn't let you use the bathrooms? The bathrooms are on the other side of the parking lot, no one policed the facilities when I visited. In fact, many people stop at Raptor Trust just to use the restroom; there are signs acknowledging this. I think the rest of the 4 and 5 stars reviews show how great Raptor Trust is. Staff is knowledgeable and kind, nice selection at the gift shop, and I don't know anywhere else in Northern NJ that takes care of injured birds. I would have devastated if not for Raptor Trust when I found a baby starling with a broken leg in my driveway. It was healthy enough, just injured, and kept singing for its momma bird, too young to fly and fell out of the nest when my landlord was trying to get rid of the nest in an air conditioner. If I had to leave that bird in my driveway until it died, I would have been heartbroken. Thank you Raptor Trust for all your great works! read more

Would give no stars if I could...brought a young goose in because he had a broken leg...come to find out they euthanized him. Due to the fact that he probably wasn't an eagle or some other raptor. Just a goose I guess. I suppose his life wasn't important enough. Also..I drove over an hour with my dog to drop him off and I wasn't even allowed to let her out to pee before leaving. NEVER AGAIN WILL I BRING BIRDS IN NEED HERE. Shame on you Raptor Trust. read more

An amazing place! Had the good fortune to take a private tour with the owner Chris who shared his family's long history with protecting and saving birds (both of prey and non-birds of prey). Each raptor in residence has a story and a purpose. Take time to learn about these amazing birds and challenge yourself to uncover the survival factor that makes each one unique. Have visited several times in past with hurt birds who have fallen out of nests. They also made a house call when a baby hawk fell out of its nest and was stunned in our backyard (turns out the best thing to do was to set it back on a tree and keep an eye on it for a few days until it learns to confidently move around and find it's parent). As a local resident who jogs by the place several times a week, I would probably learn something new if I stopped in each of those times! read more

Took my girls here last weekend they absolutely loved it. Seeing the birds up close and explaining to them why they are here and what to do if they ever find an injuries bird absolutely amazed them. And the little gift shop ( by bird admitting) was very nice the girls each got a little stuffed animal. We had an amazing afternoon out thank you Raptor Trust for all your hard work and dedication!!! read more

Quiet a few beautiful birds, especially the Barred Owl. Lots of wild birds stopping by the feeder for a snack, and also a pair of wild vultures and a great horned owl. Sometimes the birds sit at the front of the cage and you can see them from very close up. Good visit for both adults and children. read more