The receptionist grinned as if she’d seen this happen before, and introduced me to to Hoover, a short-eared owl.
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It was a hot July afternoon. I’d been on the road since early morning and had planned on just a quick look-round.
But when Hoover let me stroke his feathers — so soft they make silk feel rough — without even twitching, I was hooked, and stayed more than an hour.
The centre is in Coaldale, just east of Lethbridge. Co-founder Colin Weir, who grew up in Chatham, turned a flood-prone farm field into an award-winning facility that focuses on wildlife rescue, captive breeding and public education.
They house and/or help all sorts of birds. Some, like Spirit, a golden eagle that had been shot and blinded, become permanent residents. Others, like the seagull that got stuck in a restaurant dumpster, are cleaned of oil and grease and sent on their way.
Hoover wasn’t the only bird I got to handle. Next up was Mr. Bogle, a great horned owl who’d been at the centre 24 years. He looked fiercesome, but sat quietly on the arm of a little girl while her delighted mother took photos.
Every 90 minutes, weather permitting, there’s a live flying demonstration. The star of one I watched was Julius, a Harris’s hawk. A native of the U.S. southwest, it was purchased to do performances.
Released by his handler, Julius promptly flew to a perch on the other side the open field. But he was back in a flash when she dangled a piece of raw chicken.
The centre provides an unusual opportunity to see so many raptors up close. Along the “hawk walk,” majestic birds of prey such as bald eagles perch only a metre or two from visitors. Aviaries contain rescued birds that can’t be returned to the wild, among them great grey, snowy and saw whet owls. Visit burrowingowl.com for details.
Lethbridge was my last stop on a four-day visit to the part of southern Alberta marketed as the Canadian Badlands. It was originally called Fort Whoop-Up, where Americans traded bootleg whiskey to the aboriginals. Today it’s an attractive city of 85,000, whose attractions include:
— The century-old High Level Bridge, longest and tallest of its kind in the world, which spans the Old Man River valley. The bridge was an inspiration for celebrated Canadian architect Arthur Erickson, who designed the University of Lethbridge, overlooking the valley.
— Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, a gift from Japanese Canadians, many of whom were interned in southern Alberta during the Second World War and decided to stay on after. Much of the garden was constructed in Japan, brought over in pieces and reassembled.
— Indian Battle Park, where the Bloods and the Cree fought what is regarded as the last great native battle in North America. Fort Whoop-Up National Historic Site is there.
— An open-pit mine, just south of Lethbridge, which does tours and sells jewelry made from a rare gemstone derived from the fossilized shells of ancient sea creatures called ammonites.
Lethbridge would make a good jumping-off point for such major attractions as Waterton Lakes National Park and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Fort MacLeod Museum of the Northwest Mounted Police, or, for Star Trek fans, the Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station.
For tourism information contact the Chinook Country Tourist Association at 1-800-661-1222 or chinookcountry.com, and the Canadian Badlands, canadianbadlands.com.
Accommodation tip: I had a spacious room, bang-up breakfast and plenty of peace and quiet at The Norland, just east of Lethbridge and handy to Alberta Birds of Prey. Visit thenorland.com.
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