Everything Auburn: Just Wingin' It

With a name like Robyn, some might say you’re destined to soar through life, working with all things winged and wonderful.

“Spelled slightly differently, but yes, my life is absolutely for the birds,” said Robyn Miller.

Miller, who was named director of the Auburn University Raptor Center (AURC) this past January, first came to the Plains a decade ago to study 19th century English literature. While earning her doctorate, she volunteered in the center’s rehabilitation and education departments.

“I watched my best friend return a barred owl back to the wild and I was immediately enraptured,” remembered Miller.

Equally as strong as her bird puns is Miller’s goal to strengthen AURC’s conservation, education and rehabilitation efforts.

A licensed falconer and naturalist, she’s honored to return to the place that first sparked her avian passion.

“When I saw this job open up, I saw an incredible opportunity to give back to the facility that started it all,” she said.

Meanwhile, if AURC’s administrative coordinator Andrew Hopkins looks familiar, it’s probably because he is. Hopkins is just as recognizable to Auburn fans as the center’s high-flying raptors. 

“You have no idea how many Christmas cards I've been on over the years,” joked Hopkins.

Hopkins began his journey with AURC in 2007 while an undergraduate student. By 2011, he had earned his bachelor's degree in zoology.

“Some of our staff like to say that when the Raptor Center broke ground, they just found me out there in the woods,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins, along with a slew of AURC’s dedicated volunteers, works tirelessly during the summer months at Jordan-Hare Stadium training the center’s eagles for their iconic pre-game flights.  

He said leading up to football season, the eagles train just like athletes to get their game faces on. They're at Jordan-Hare five days per week flying up to three times a day, building up their fitness and confidence.

“We're just out there winging it every day, every single day,” laughed Hopkins.  “Seriously though, lots of repetition and positive reinforcement. They literally start drooling when they see that field.”

Both AURC’s director Robyn Miller and administrative coordinator Andrew Hopkins have extensive experience in avian care. Before returning to Auburn, Miller worked as an avian care specialist for the American Eagle Foundation in Pidgeon Forge, TN for six years, while Hopkins had stints at the Birmingham Zoo and High Desert Museum in Bend, OR.

The AURC relies on funding through generous monetary and supply donations to keep its mission soaring. Each year, the center spends about $150,000 in medical care for resident birds and roughly $70,000 on their diets.

Previous Next

Together, Hopkins and Miller spearhead the center’s day-to-day operations in partnership with Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

“We provide rehabilitation for about 300 injured or orphaned raptors each year,” Miller explained. “We also travel extensively across the Southeast teaching about conservation and highlighting our mission.”

That mission has taken on a milestone this year as AURC celebrates 25 years of pre-game eagle flights in Jordan-Hare Stadium – a tradition many argue is the greatest in all of college football.

“There's nothing like the energy in Jordan-Hare on gameday, especially when those eagles take flight,” Miller said.

This football season, Aurea, a golden eagle and War Eagle VIII, and Independence, a bald eagle, are keeping the 25-year tradition alive.  The anniversary is being celebrated with a philanthropic campaign for center improvements in hopes of turning it into a more zoological-type facility.

“This is an invitation for the community and the Auburn Family to rally behind this tradition and invite them to participate in our wider mission as well,” Miller said.  “We're trying to shine a light on how those War Eagle flights really carry on their wings the entire Raptor Center.”

The AURC relies on funding through generous monetary and supply donations to keep its mission soaring.

Each year, the center spends about $150,000 in medical care for resident birds and roughly $70,000 on their diets.

They hope this year’s anniversary celebration will set them up for the next 25 years to climb even higher.

“We want to use this as a launchpad to turn our master plan into a reality,” Miller said. “Our goal is to return to the days where the public can come and visit us freely, see the aviary, walk through the War Eagle Museum and join us for educational programs in both indoor and outdoor amphitheaters.”

The center also continues to host its popular Football, Fans and Feathers events on Fridays at 4 p.m. CT before every home football game.

“It is an incredible bird of prey show,” Miller said. “We fly our educational ambassadors right over the audience heads and teach them about their natural history.”

And the bonus?  At the show’s conclusion, they bring all the birds back out for attendees to get plenty of new family photos.

And who doesn't need a good Christmas card picture, right?