Most birds of prey like mice. Now, people can help them with the click of a mouse.
The Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation of Coaldale, Alta., is one of five wildlife organizations designated to share $100,000 in funding through a promotion by Jamieson’s Vitamins.
In its Call for the Wild contest, Jamieson asks people to vote for the group of their choice. Percentage of votes will determine the percentage of the money received by each group. Voting ends Sept. 18 and people can vote once per day.
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Founder Colin Weir said many prairie farmers and ranchers are aware of the non-profit Birds of Prey Foundation. They often find injured birds and call the foundation to provide help.
“Eighty or 90 percent of the birds come from the rural areas,” said Weir.
For example, he picked up two injured birds from farmers in late August: a northern harrier found near Etzikom, Alta., and a great horned owl found in a hay shed near Taber, Alta.
Both were starving young birds unable to fly. The foundation will bring them back to health, if possible, and then release them back to the wild.
“Sometimes the young birds are just found starving. Often times they can’t get enough food or something happened to the parents. They are just too weak to fly.”
The foundation is the only prairie based group among the five in the contest and as of last week it trailed the others in voting.
Weir said his centre seems to be the underdog, with the odds against overtaking Toronto and Vancouver organizations. However, he isn’t daunted.
“It’s just like how we started our place,” he said.
“The odds were against us as well. There’s always been a bit of a pioneer spirit and community interest out here that we’ve been able to sort of make the impossible happen.”
Weir said grassroots connections with the prairie community are a hallmark of the centre, such as its participation in a Crowsnest Pass wedding ceremony last year.
“This girl (the bride) had found an eagle and she brought it to us, and her wish was to let the eagle go some day,” he said. “They told her that it had already been let go, but secretly they arranged for me to be there at the wedding ceremony so that her and her new husband could actually release this eagle on the side of a mountain meadow, just after they said their vows.”
The 30-year-old foundation is donor sponsored and receives no operating subsidies.
“(This contest) is a nice way to help in a non-financial way,” said Weir.
He plans to use the money to renovate aviaries and buy audio-visual equipment so the centre can better share its stories with the public.
About 200 birds are at the centre now.
“More keep coming in, and we let a few go. Just like any hospital, when you’re admitting people and letting them go. They release them in better health than when they come in, so that’s what we try to do as well.”
To vote, visit www.facebook.com/jamiesonvitamins.
