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| A lucky business trip in mid-August 2002
took us through Lethbridge and on to Medicine Hat. Perfect for a stop in
Coaldale to visit the Alberta Birds
of Prey Centre, which was a wonderful way to spend a few hours on a
hot Sunday afternoon!
The Centre provides up close and personal experiences with birds of prey: hawks, owls and eagles. The photo above shows the aviary for the Western Canada Bald Eagle Project. The Centre is self-supporting, and relies on entrance fees and donations to support the cost of housing and feeding these wonderful birds. Many of the birds came to the centre as a result of injury, and could not be re-released back into the wild. These injured birds are used as foster parents, breeding stock, and for public eduication. The birds are displayed in a number of ways: on open perches, in covered, open-air sheds, and a few in large airy cages. The large marsh next to the centre also attracts a variety of wild birds as well (including American White Pelicans). |
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These photos show two of the biggest birds
in the collection, a Golden Eagle and one of the Bald Eagles at the Centre.
As befits this king of birds, they totally ignored their subjects, and
the multitude of clicking cameras.
There was also a Turkey Vulture that clearly thought he was the pride of the collection! |
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Itchy Armpits? |
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Feels much better with that out! |
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The Centre breeds endangered Burrowing Owls, and they were scattered all over the complex. The one on the left is the first bird you see coming into Centre, and the one on the right is one of the breeding birds inside their large open air aviary. As we were leaving through the Gift Shop, there were giggles coming from behind the counter, although there seemed to be no-one there. When I leaned over to take a peek, one of the keepers was sitting on the floor playing with a baby Burrowing Owl. | .jpg) |
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| The Birds of Prey Centre gives flying demonstrations several times a day, since this is the primary way that the birds are fed. Making them fly for their food ensures that they are getting sufficient excercise. Given the high temperatures often encountered in Southern Alberta in the summer, the mid-day exhibitions are usually of the Harris's Hawk, a bird normally found in the far southern US and Mexico, with a higher heat tolerance than our native birds. The birds are weighed daily to determine whether they need feeding. On the day we were there, this Harris's Hawk chowed down on 3 one-day-old chicks. Since there is still a lot of yolk in their bodies, it was rather gruesome to watch them be dismembered. |
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Returning to the Gift Shop (and Centre entrance), we passed the duck feeding area, where a number of children had practically disappeared in the midst of what seemed like hundreds of domestic ducks. Definately a place worth visiting. And, a last farewell to the birds! | 
Lake and Duck feeding area |
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Swainson's Hawk |