For the Birds

My first impressionable encounter with birds happened when I was growing up in the country. A flock of turkeys decided to take up residence near our house, in all their wing-flapping and gobbling glory. This apparently amused my dad, because he started feeding them birdseed, which forever branded our backyard/ forest area as a permanent restaurant for the turkeys.

Sometimes they were irritating, but most of the time they were just entertaining. When they would arrive, bickering and pecking at the ground, my parents and I would cluster around the window and watch them (I know, I had a super exciting childhood).

Admittedly, this encounter did not elevate turkeys to Ben Franklin status, but it left an impression on me. Their silly-looking movements and social interactions differed so greatly from those of mammals. It was easy to see how birds evolved from dinosaurs millions of years ago – sometimes birds can look strikingly prehistoric.

When I visited the Cascades Raptor Center on Saturday, I saw the incredible diversity inherent in the class Aves. Since it’s much easier to watch turkeys out the back window than come face-to-face with a bird of prey, my visit introduced me to a completely different kind of bird experience.

The center is set up to hold a vast menagerie of rescued birds, all in separate holding pens that fill out the perimeter and interior of the facility. Bald eagles, peregrine falcons and turkey vultures all perched calmly in their pens, wings outstretched and mouths open as they tried to combat the onslaught of the 90 degree weather. As a fellow warm-blooded mammal, I felt their pain.

As I journeyed through the center, using a map that allowed me to conduct a self-guided tour, I passed by a group of children who were attending a birthday party at the center. I hung back, smiling at their enthusiasm for the trainer and her owl. Later on, I listened as they dissected owl pellets and laughed over their discoveries.

My visit also brought me in contact with many varieties of owl, which hold a special place in my heart after I saw this video about a year ago. I don’t know what it is about them, but with their large, blinking eyes, aura of elegance and graceful pattern of flight, they may be my favorite bird. Particularly eye-catching was Archimedes the snowy owl, who politely disdained me throughout the duration of my visit.

The best thing about the Cascades Raptor Center, in my opinion, is that they only keep non-releasable birds, due to injury or human influence. Every time I visit a zoo or safari, I feel a sense of guilt because oftentimes the animals are being kept for no reason other than human entertainment. The concept of a rehabilitation center appeals to me because the birds are being rescued, still allowing people the benefit of seeing the beautiful creatures up close.

As I walked away from the last terrarium, I heard a flutter of wings behind me. Turning, I saw a red-tailed hawk gazing curiously at me, pressed right up against the wires of his enclosure. We studied each other for a moment and I realized how grateful I was that someone cared enough about this bird to save him.