Rescuing Injured Raptors

 

If Birds of Prey pique your interest, a fabulous adventure awaits two hours south of Calgary. The Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation located in Coaldale, Alberta (a short drive past Lethbridge on the #3 highway) is where you can spend a few hours out in the fresh air to learn all you possibly can about raptors – eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, and vultures. Get up close and even touch some of these majestic (and sometimes intense) birds.

 

In the beginning…

The Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation has taken in hurt birds since the 1980’s. Founders Wendy Slaytor and Colin Weir were granted special permission to start their volunteer wildlife rescue work. In 1997 the centre completed a 28,000 square foot circular enclosure for injured eagles. Today a natural history building wraps around this eagle enclosure with interpretive displays and photography from the Lethbridge Photography Club.

The focus

The mission of the Foundation is to rehabilitate and release previously injured birds back into the wild. Often this can be because they’ve been hit by cars, or their habitat has been destroyed. Birds that have been hurt to an extent that they can no longer fend for themselves call the Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation their permanent home.

 

Fun fact:

• A “Bird of Prey” has a hooked beak, powerful grasping feet and sharp talons.

OWLS

We arrived when the facility opened and were grateful to tour the owl enclosure before it got busy. Our first encounter was with a baby snowy owl. This fluffy owlet charmed child and adults alike.

Next we put on a thick leather glove to get up-close with a couple of feathery friends.

 

Fun fact:

• Snowy owls can hear a mouse running under the snow. They will dive in and come out with a mouse. They do not have to see it first.

Burrowing Owl 

This is Basil. He is a Burrowing Owl; one of the smallest owl species in North America. They are distinctive for their long legs, short tails, round body, and a head with no ear tufts. I can’t help but see this little guy as the cutest cartoon character.

Burrowing owls live on the prairies. Grasshoppers are their favourite food, but they also dine on dragonflies, mice, and insects. These owls are diurnal which means they hunt for food during the day.

These little cuties are an endangered species in Canada largely due to habitat loss, pesticides, and collisions with cars.

Fun fact:

• These owls will make a hissing noise like the sound of an approaching rattlesnake to scare off predators.

 

Great Horned Owl 

This is George. He is a four-month-old Great Horned Owl and has reached his full size. He was rescued from the prairies, and you can tell this by his brown colouring. Another GHO at the facility (named Fairmont) has various grey tones and was rescued from the mountains. It was a hoot (!) having the opportunity to hold George. It gave me the opportunity to really examine the pattern of his feathers and watch his enormous eyes up close. Quite thrilling really.

 

Fun facts:

• Great Horned Owls cannot move their eyes. Instead, they bob their heads around to focus in on what they want to see. 
• Great Horned Owls are Alberta’s official provincial bird.

Barn Owl

This awesome looking owl is Ophelia. She is a Barn Owl and is not generally found in Alberta. She came to this facility from a rescue facility in BC. Ophelia uses her ears and then her eyes to hunt. We’re told that she can hear a mouse’s heartbeat.

Ophelia has pitch black eyes. Only Barn and Barred Owls at this facility have black eyes. This indicates that she is nocturnal; she hunts and is awake at night. This owl is only held by the trainers as she gets tired easily during the day because normally she would be sleeping.

When Ophelia sleeps, she opens the feathers down the centre of her face to hide her eyes with darker feathers, so she is less noticeable. She will also dip her head down to further protect and camouflage herself.

 

 

Fun facts:

• All the other owls have yellow eyes which is called: diurnal. They hunt at sunrise and sunset.
• Volunteers at the facility refer to baby owl food as meeces pieces (cut up mice). eeew

FLYING DEMONSTRATIONS

Every 90 minutes throughout the day there are flying demonstrations in an amphitheatre-type seating area. This is part of the birds daily training and exercise program and is a treat to watch. Trainers hold these magnificent birds on their leather clad arms while enticing them to fly from perch to perch for food.

Red-Tailed Hawk

First up is a Red-Tailed Hawk named Blue. Blue is five years old and weights about 2.25 pounds.  His red tail feathers came in at about a year old. This is one way to guess his age. Blue relies on his excellent eyesight for hunting. He can spot a mouse 100 feet in the air. Luckily, they do not have a keen sense of smell because they also like to eat skunks.

During these flying demonstrations, the birds are free to fly away from the facility, but they don’t. When asked why the trainers indicated that raptors are ‘energy efficient’ (i.e. lazy). They know they have a constant supply of food and have no need to leave.

Bald Eagle

Grace is a Bald Eagle and has extremely good eyesight. She is still young, as she doesn’t have the adult plumage yet, the recognizable white head with brown body.  This distinctive feature develops between four and six years old. Eagles have laser focus for food which can cause them problems. Many birds are hit by cars and trucks while they hunt for food. Bald eagles eat rodents like gophers and mice. This makes them good friends to farmers.

Grace also has a very sharp beak and talons which require trimming in captivity.

Feathers on a bird are like tires on a bicycle. If they are damaged, they don’t work well. It is with this in mind that the birds are kept on perches and not in cages. If feathers are damaged, they can not be released.

The Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation’s work is to rehabilitate and then release these raptors back to the wild. They try to have the birds physically fit by September so they can be released for fall migration.

 

Fun fact:

• Beware! Eagles are not potty trained. They can poop out three or four feet!

 

THAT’s A RAP(tor)!

There are a variety of aviaries, a duck pond, the natural history building, the hawk walk and other cool things to see at this facility. Duck food is available to purchase. They also have a small concession and gift shop. Proceeds (including your entry fee) go towards taking care of all these amazing birds.

Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation is open from May until September. We hope you’ll show your support for this Foundation. Mark your calendar for a visit next year and follow them on social media. It’s educational fun for the whole family.