I get excited when I see a bird of prey in the distance whether I am driving on the highway or taking a stroll through the park. Raptors have a presence that inspires feelings of awe with their beautiful feather patterns, effortless flight maneuvers, large wingspans, and piercing stare. My telephoto lens and high definition binoculars enables me to safely and respectfully see these birds up close from a distance, but secretly I have always wanted to get closer. A recent trip to Coaldale, Alberta made this wish come true.
Tucked away behind a quiet residential area in Coaldale is the Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission and vision to help conserve nature with multiple areas of focus including rehabilitation of injured raptors, increasing endangered birds of prey populations through captive breeding and release, and increasing public awareness about environmental impact to foster positive habitat stewardship.
On a hot summer’s day, I entered the visitor’s center where I was greeted with friendly faces from staff and the glaring stare from a juvenile American Kestrel. The energetic raptor was sitting on a perch sizing up each person who stopped by for an up close visit. It was a neat surprise to discover how close I could get to this, fierce feathered critter. A sign warned me this young bird is known to bite, I kept my hands to myself to save my fingers for another day of blogging and birding but more importantly, to respect this juvenile raptor.
A staff member shared the owl program was starting shortly, my spouse and quickly found our way to a small covered amphitheater-like structure a few steps away from the visitor center. The program presented three types of owls: Short Eared Owl, a 5-week old Great Horned Owl, and a Barn Owl. I learned owls are solitary animals and the color of their eyes can indicate whether these birds are diurnal (yellow) or nocturnal (black). It was really neat to see a barn owl who is not native to Canada and possibly rare to see in the wild. All About Birds explains Barn Owl populations are hard to estimate because they are nocturnal and secretive.
One of my favorite excursions was attending the Flight Demonstration hosted by one of the directors, Colin, and a beautiful sassy juvenile Bald Eagle named Grace. It was an amazing experience to have an eagle fly within two inches of my head while learning about Grace and the hunting abilities of Bald Eagles. Colin explained all raptors taken care of in the facility arrived as rescue birds needing help or rehabilitation. Although the foundation’s focus is to rehabilitate and release raptors back into the wild, occasionally some birds need long term care, for example a severe injury causing the inability to survive in the wild. These raptors stay at the facility as a permanent resident with the important role of helping to educate the public about nature conservation. One audience member asked whether birds of prey fly for leisure purposes, Colin explained raptors only fly for migration or survival purposes and have a preference for staying perched when flight is not necessary.
After the flight demonstration, some members of the audience volunteered to help give Grace a much deserved shower! In the last part of the presentation, Colin introduced a stunning Golden Eagle named Sarah who was 38 years old! I once saw a Golden Eagle in the wild and was impressed with their large size and wingspan, but I was not aware of how beautiful they are.
Our last stop of the day was the owl walk, an exhibit that showcased different species of owls including Short Eared, Snowy, Great Horned, and Burrowing. Easily my favorite moments of the day were holding a Great Horned Owl named Pancake and a Burrowing Owl named Basil! A staff member informed me Basil is 9 years old and in owl age, this is considered to be about 101 years old!
The Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation supports raptor preservation while providing the once in the life time opportunity to get up close to these stunning birds. Get up close to the raptors, it is truly an amazing experience you will not forget.
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