By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
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The once-a-year annual open house at the South Okanagan Rehabilitation Centre for Owls (Sorco) drew over 2,500 visitors over a five hour period on Saturday with a Golden Eagle the star of the event, along with the ever crowd pleasing baby owls (owlets).
The annual event, the largest fundraiser for the volunteer-driven Raptor rehabilitation centre, is a precious peak into the facility which is closed to the public 364 days a year. As the group receives no government funding it relies entirely on public donations along with a dedicated group of volunteers.
The admission by donation event at the Sorco facility just south of Vaseux Lake sees displays by conservation groups, a kid’s area, tours of the facilities, a silent auction and a bbq.
A Golden Eagle who feasted on bad trash is set for release this week. Don Urquhart photo.
As for the Golden Eagle Sorco manager Dale Belvedere said he was found at the Grand Forks dump where he had eaten some rotten food and he had a huge stomach ache and it took him five days to get rid of it.
“But he’s fine now, it’s been three weeks and I think he’s over it,” she said adding they were hoping to release the eagle on Sunday but will do it something this week. The eagle will be taken back to Grand Forks for release.
One of the highlights each year are the owlets. “It’s baby season,” Belvedere says, adding “Everybody loves the baby owls.”
The 12 baby Great Horned Owls currently in the facility are temporary guests until they can learn to fly. The dozen babies essentially tried to fly out of their nest but weren’t quite up to the task and were found on the ground where they were vulnerable to predators.
One group of eight owls will be in the facility for about another month as only two of them are starting to fly while another separate group of four larger babies have already begun flying and will be released in the next week or two, she says.
Sorco has been instrumental in helping to safeguard injured and ill raptors and birds of prey for more than 30 years. Last year’s wildfires were particularly hard on these birds as they lost not only their prey but their nests with many simply dying in the fires.
The birds also face a number of human-induced challenges including fencing, collisions with windows and getting hit by cars.
Pluto the Burrowing Owl was rescued in 2015 and has become Sorco’s educational ambassador. Don Urquhart photo.
