The Alberta Society for Injured Birds of Prey hosted their second Fall Release Day on Sunday (Oct. 2) where they launched two raptors, a Broad-winged Hawk and a Swainson's Hawks.
The society gets calls about injured or starving birds in the area -- they'll arrive to take them in and nurse them back to health before releasing them into the wild.
This Broad-winged Hawk was found starving not far from the area about a month ago. The society arranged for the hawk to be sent to their shelter.
"Luckily, he was an easy bird to rehabilitate because we just had to get him eating again. Once he had some weight on him, gained his muscle back, and could fly well, he was good to go," said the society's assistant to the executive director Roseanna Gullekson.
Although the raptors can be released from spring until fall, early fall is one of the last chances the shelter has to release its birds. If they recover too late, they're kept at the shelter until the weather warms again.
"Some of them have to go quite far. South America, and places like that. It's a long journey, and some of the birds do group up, and it's nice that they don't have to travel alone," Gullekson said.
The Alberta Society for Injured Birds of Prey was founded in 1987 by Karl and Eva Grantmyre, Roseanna's parents. They initially accepted all forms of wildlife, but as more shelters opened in the area, they moved their specialty to birds of prey.
Growing up around birds, Roseanna has always felt a special connection to winged creatures.
"I love being able to share with other people how cool they are and my love for birds of prey because they're unique and valuable to the ecosystem with their position out in the wild."
The society has around thirty birds at any given time and releases a couple hundred throughout the year. They hope to get one more release in around Halloween.
The Broad-winged Hawk was released over the weekend by Axel Peddle, who got involved with the shelter through her mother, Kerry.
"I really like birds in general. I want one when I move out, but it's mostly my mom to blame for that," Axel laughed.
If you're interested in joining the shelter you can contact them through their website.