About us

Bill Robinson holds both a Bachelors and a Masters Degree in biology and is a permanently certified teacher in the state of New York. He taught seventh grade biology for several years, and has also taught at Ulster County Community College. Over the past ten years, he has been teaching Field Biology, Ornithology, and Animal Life courses at SUNY New Paltz. 

Bill is the founder and past president of the NYS Falconry Association.  He was appointed by former DEC Commissioner Henry Diamond to be on the NYS Falconry Advisory Board.

Bill also served as Director of the New Paltz Peregrine Falcon Foundation, which pioneered the breeding of endangered peregrine falcons in captivity.  By 1955, wild, breeding peregrine falcons were completely extirpated from the United States and were a highly endangered species.  Release of captive-bred falcons, and the banning of DDT, has resulted in the complete recovery of this magnificent species.

Bill was the photographer for an educational movie entitled Birds That Hunt.  This movie was produced by Coronet Films and was utilized in classrooms throughout the country.  Bill also filmed and produced and educational video entitled Birds of Prey in the Natural World.  Bill’s photographs of raptors have appeared in national magazines both in this country and in Europe.  His articles about birds of prey and falconry have appeared in many national publications.

Bill and his animals have appeared on many TV shows such as David Letterman, the Today Show, and Good Morning America.  Many of his trained animals have appeared in movies.  The most recent one was the trained falcon that starred in The Royal Tenenbaums.  For over thirty years, Bill has been a regular speaker at outdoor education facilities such as the Ashokan Field Campus, Frost Valley YMCA, Camp Greenkill YMCA, Sharpe Reservation, and the Taconic Outdoor Education Center.  In 2003 Bill was awarded the Environmental Impact Award by the NYS Outdoor Education Association.

Brian Robinson has been providing wildlife education programs to schools, libraries and museums since 1993.  His animals have been featured on many national television shows such as Regis and Kelly and The Today Show.  He has a Masters of Science degree in Education with a concentration in biology.  He also has New York State teaching certification, and in addition to doing wildlife lectures, he is teaching biology at Saugerties High School.

Brian has used his trained birds in many extraordinary situations. He once played the role of a falconer alongside Placido Domingo at the Metropolitan Opera in Verdi’s Simone Boccanegra. His birds have also been used in movies, music videos, and various advertisements, the most popular movie being the Twelve Monkeys. 

Brian has been fortunate to work and study under some of the world’s foremost leaders in the field, such as Dr. Heinz Meng. On many occasions Brian has worked with Jim Fowler to provide animals for TV shows and also to educate and entertain members of the Explorer’s Club.

Brian’s lectures always focus on positive environmental issues. While he does not downplay the negative impact that humans have on our environment, he feels that all too often students do not get a chance to hear about the positive things that we have accomplished. Today’s media tends to focus on problems that we face and the harm that we cause, leaving students with a sense of hopelessness. Brian believes that providing students with examples of success in our environmental efforts and giving them a confident environmental outlook will provide students with the inspiration to solve the problems of today and the future.