The golden, wheat filled horizon stretched out in both directions as far as my eyes could see. The horizon line blurred at the ends as I squinted my eyes trying to take in such a vast landscape. It was a never-ending horizon, perfectly flat; when I stare at it I see a world of possibilities ahead of me, and with possibilities comes freedom.
It’s not often in life we get to take in the landscape of freedom. In fact, for much of our lives, we follow a well-worn path through adulthood that looks and feels nothing like freedom. We get caught up following the paths of others, mainly because it’s easier that way. Going off path is hard, it’s what I’ve been doing my entire life. I have the utmost respect for people who take a left when they are supposed to go right. I find that when people break free from the norms, they do something extraordinary. That’s what Colin Weir did – he broke free in order to provide freedom to others – others with wings.
Table of Contents
Realizing Your Calling
Colin grew up in Ontario watching Jack Miner, considered the father of North American Conservatism, start the first-ever bird banding in the region. Colin visited Miner’s Goose Sanctuary in Ontario as a little boy, which kicked off the beginning of a lifelong passion. Colin laughs as he tells us the story of moving from his life of accounting to a life of falconry, “I told my dad I was quitting my job at the accounting firm, going to England to falconry school, and coming back to start a wildlife rescue center,” Colin pauses for a moment, “I might as well have said I was going to run off and join the circus – to him I was throwing away my university education.”
We all laugh, but in my laughter I remember similar conversations with my father – when I told him I wasn’t going to be an engineer. When I told him I was quitting my first job to be a consultant. When I told him I was going to quit my IT career and go travel for a year around the world. When I told him, I was going to be nomadic. I’m pretty sure my dad is used to (and hopefully trusts) my shocking decisions by now, but it wasn’t easy at first. I immediately related to Colin as he told us his story; going against the system and family norms is never easy. But when it works out, it’s the most rewarding thing. Risk and reward go together for a reason.
Starting the Alberta Birds of Prey Center
When Colin discovered falconry he knew he wanted to help injured birds go back to the wild and put all of his time and energy towards this goal. He and his partner opened the Alberta Birds of Prey Center in 1982, and the building and visitor center opened in the early 90’s.
They care for the injured birds year-round, educate the public as an environmental learning facility, act as an eco-tourism attraction, and travel around Alberta to various special events for conservation presentations with their live birds. Many of the trained birds are even used in movies or films!
This is not a government-funded facility. It’s completely sponsored by donations, and it costs about $1000 a day to keep the doors open. Without any government subsidies, they operate on donations. It’s a good thing some of these birds are actors; they ultimately help with funding!
How do the Birds Get There?
I learn how hard a bird’s life is when we ask how the birds get here. Many birds fall out of nests too young to take care of themselves. Occasionally, lawnmowers are running over them, or farmers run over them with tractors. Some have been shot. Surprisingly, many of these big birds are hit by cars. The birds perch on roadside fence posts, searching for prey in ditches. Ditches are like a buffet for birds; they collect a lot of moisture and attract rodents. When eagles lock on to their prey in the ditch, and their eyes are laser-guided to that prey, they don’t see the cars coming.
Because the center is well known in Southern Alberta, locals bring in injured birds all the time. Colin tells us the recent story of a big husky 300-pound farmer who came into the center, cradling a little family of owls in his hands. He was very emotional. “I accidentally ran over this nest in the field, and I feel terrible. I brought them to you because I took a tour here when I was in Grade 1 twenty years ago.”
Why You’ll Want to Visit the Center
The horned owl stared at me with his yellow eyes. We stood there locked in a gaze for a while, trying to figure each other out. And then he turned away, following a slight noise in the distance. I let my breath out that I had been nervously holding, relieved that he didn’t peck my eyeballs out! The experience wasn’t behind bars, in fact I was actually holding this massive owl on my arm, taking selfies with it as it danced and bobbed on my gloved forearm.
And that’s one of the reasons why you come to the Alberta Birds of Prey Center: to get a close-up experience like no other with these beautiful birds.
When people normally go to a big zoological facility, it’s more of a spectator experience, but at the Birds of Prey Center, they like to give you a hands-on, intimate experience. But it’s not only about cool close-up selfies; it’s about education and conservation wrapped up in a fun experience.
“People don’t want to be lectured to or feel like they are in a classroom. They want an experience – I call it conversational conservation. Where we are just talking and can integrate factoids but also let people know what we are doing to help the birds, what they can do to help us, and what they can do when they leave in their own backyard. That way it’s more engaging, interactive and inspiring for people.” –Colin
The public can come in and get a very up close experience of the wildlife of western Canada. They can also feed baby hawks, pet an eagle, release hawks back to the wild, and even give an eagle a shower!
“There aren’t many places in the world where you can reach out and touch an eagle. It’s a very special experience,” Colin says with pride.
A Birds of Prey Walk-thru
We did the whole hands-on circuit with Colin and his team of volunteers. Not only did I hold a big horned owl, but I first started small and worked my way up like Russian stacking dolls: cute little burrowing owls, soft barn owls, and then the yellow-eyed horned owl. This was my favorite experience at the Center; it’s so unique to get this close to these animals and feel their weight and the softness of their feathers.
When we walked into the eagle area, I was stunned; they were huge. Sure, I know eagles are big birds, but I had never been that close to one before; they are the size of a small toddler!
Canmore, Alberta – what to see and do
The big eagles seemed pretty happy on their perches, and they seemed especially happy to fly for us. Colin showed us how to hold them and did flying demonstrations out in the open.
After a bit of flying exercise, the eagles get a special cool down…a shower. I showered my eagle with a little garden hose as it flitted around in a shallow pan of water. I never thought I’d see an eagle bird bath in my life nor be involved in hosing one down!
The center has about 200 birds currently. All of the birds who are injured and deemed non-releasable are used at the center for up-close experiences like ours. However, the majority of birds are being cared for and rehabbed out of sight so that they can eventually be released back to the wild.
Hawk Release
This doesn’t happen every day, but during our visit, we did have a special treat: we witnessed 3 hawks being released. These were hawks that had been nesting in trees. The trees came down, and people found the nests and brought them to the center when they were young. When they were brought in, they were the size of an orange. They had been in rehab for about 90 days and had grown to full size, ready to take back off into the wild.
The hawks were brought out into a field in a little box on an ATV. Colin showed Tom how to hold it and release it. As I backed up and got ready to take a picture of this momentous event, I got a little choked up.
Freedom
I watched as the bird struggled a bit in Tom’s grasp, but then suddenly, he pushed it forward, and the bird spread its wings and soared. After it was released, I put down my camera and watched as it soared up into the air, circled around us, and landed in a tree nearby. I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through its head.
Freedom. I think it’s a word that resonates with all humans and likely birds too. That moment when you realize you are in control of your destiny and live your life as you want.
The hawk sat for a moment in the tree as if he were testing this idea of freedom. Was it real? He was trying to figure out if he could really fly anywhere; no more rehab, no cages, no more limits. Then he spread his big wings and flew off. I watched him until I the little black dot disappeared into the blue sky.
Not only did my morning at the Alberta Birds of Prey Center educate me on various birds and give me a chance to experience them in an incredibly close, hands-on environment, but it also reminded me how precious freedom is. The freedom to choose a profession you have passion for, even though it might not be the most sensible, isn’t always available to people. We all wish we had the freedom to ‘fly,’ but the people who figure out how they can – well – they are the lucky ones.
Disclosure:
I was a guest of the Canadian Badlands on this experience, however all opinions expressed here are my own.
By Darlene Foster October 17, 2017 - 9:26 am
I have heard of this place near Lethbridge but have not visited it. What a wonderful experience for you. I took my grandson to an owl rescue centre near Vancouver a few years ago and he got to hold an owl. He has never forgotten it. I love all owls but my favourite are the barn owls.I love your description of the prairie at the beginning of this post, it’s dead on.
By Sherry October 18, 2017 - 7:46 pm
Thanks Darlene – I hope you make it to the center and check it out. It was the highlight of my trip!
By Alison Jackson October 17, 2017 - 10:47 am
Beautiful story Sherry – I got a little teary again recalling this spectacular experience with you and our Badlands troop. Photos are breathtaking too – and the salute to Colin spot on. Thanks for capturing a taste of freedom!
By Sherry October 18, 2017 - 7:46 pm
Thanks Alison! It was such a special day! Hope you and Tom are doing well and enjoying autumn!
By Dan unger October 21, 2017 - 7:24 am
Good writing Sherry. I enjoyed reading about your trip it has been to long since I’ve read your blog. I’ve noticed more ads than there were 2 years ago. But a couple of the veggie dishes for thanksgiving I’ll keep in mind.
By Nathan November 23, 2017 - 10:27 pm
What an amazing story; very beautifully written too. It sounds like a wonderful experience to be able to set a bird free. Now, you make me want to visit a bird rescue center. Also, the beginning of your post made me teary-eyed as it reminded me of that time a few years ago when I made a huge life-changing career decision that everyone thought was stupid. While I don’t have as much money now as I did then, I am a lot happier that I am in control of my own life.
By Sherry November 24, 2017 - 9:04 am
Sometimes it’s not about the money or what people think you should do…I too learned that lesson. I’m happy for you AND I do hope you get to visit a bird rescue center – it was fascinating!