ST. MARIES, Idaho — Avista, one of Birds of Prey‘s six bald eagles, knows he has an audience.
“You have to be at least five years of age to get this white head and white tail,” Biologist and Founder of Birds of Prey Northwest Jane Veltkamp told NonStop Local as Avista squawked.
Avista’s disability: an inability to fly. But from his perch on Birds of Prey’s property, he has another job: teacher.
“Education is a huge part that we do,” Veltkamp said. “It does no good to rehabilitate and turn the Red-Tailed Hawk back to the environment if you’re releasing the bird back to an uninformed public.”
While Avista, and other birds stay on the property full time, Veltkamp also brings birds on educational trips to local schools.
It’s where she and her husband were last Wednesday, when high winds tore through the region.
One tree, weighing up to a ton, fell on the falconry, with several birds inside.
“We’re waiting to pull the tree off before we pull them out,” Veltcamp said.
The birds are safe and fed, but are remaining in place until an excavator arrives to remove the tree.
But its not just the falconry that needs repair. Across the property, several aviaries are also severely damaged.
“This Aviary probably can’t be repaired. It will have to be torn down,” Veltcamp explained.
The repair costs are not yet known, adding strain to the annual budget of $100,000.
Despite the challenges, Veltkamp and her volunteers continue to clear the rubble and care for the birds.
“Dakota, you’re okay buddy,” she reassured another of the birds.
They are also setting traps and providing food for birds that have been lost.
“It’s difficult to be optimistic but we have traps and we’re putting out food for them,” Veltcamp said.
Following the damage, volunteers also created a GoFundMe, that as of Monday, has raised over $5,000.
