It
was a soggy morning last Saturday, July 9th at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray.
But that didn’t prevent families and tourists from “experiencing the wonder of
being a few feet away from a magnificent bird of prey.” The nonprofit, wildlife
rehabilitation and raptor educational program, Wind Over Wings of Dresden, was
available to provide awareness and understanding surrounding raptors as well as
the impact humans have on the environment. Children and adults, alike, were
fascinated by the birds of prey that included a great horned and a saw whet owl
as well as a red tailed hawk and a kestrel. Each bird had its own story and a
life lesson to share with its human counterparts.
First,
there was Queen Solomon, the great horned owl. The four-pound raptor joined
Wind Over Wings twenty years ago. Her life story began by the misfortune of
falling out of her nest. Instead of being placed back into the nest, as would
have been the appropriate thing to do, a human “saved” Queen Solomon by taking
her into her home and caring for her for over eight weeks. By the time she made
it to Wind Over Wings, Queen Solomon’s ability to live in the wild on her own had
vanished. Why? Because she did not get to spend those first crucial moments
with her mother who would have taught her how to eat and live in the wild. She
was “imprinted” by her human caretaker, which took away her ability to feed and
protect herself. As a result of her story, Queen Solomon had a lesson to share.
With the assistance of Wind Over Wings volunteer, Elaine Abel, Queen Solomon shared
the message: “If you see a baby bird who has fallen out of its nest, by all
means put it back! If you can’t reach the nest, simply get a small hanging
flower basket, put the baby bird inside, and hang it on a branch near the area
where you found the bird. The mother will always come back for her young ones.
The old and popular adage that you should never touch a baby bird because the
mother will ignore it and let it die is completely false.” 
Pippin,
the Saw Whet Owl, had a thing or two to share as well. She joined Wind Over
Wings four years ago after she flew into a barn window. Unable to be rehabilitated
and released back into the wild, Pippin now has the job of reminding humans that
they can make a difference for a healthy environment. Pippin and her Wind Over
Wings volunteer, Sue Barker, remind us that everything we use and then discard into
the environment can and does have detrimental effects on, not only birds of
prey, but to other wild life as well. Pippin asks that the use of plastic in
all forms be eliminated. Not only is oil required to make plastic, but it takes
a long time to disintegrate, about 600 years or more. Most plastic ends up in
landfills and the ocean, where it often kills sea life. Pippin states there are
alternatives to plastic. Wind Over Wings offers one of those alternatives to a
plastic bag. For a donation of $5, you can receive two beautiful nylon bags that
folds into themselves, transforming into a strawberry. Their compact form
allows it to be stored in a vehicle for that spur of the moment trip to the
grocery store.
Other
birds who joined the event on Saturday included Aiden, the America Kestrel (the
smallest of the Hawk family) as well as Atlanta, the Red Tailed Hawk. They too
had their own powerful stories and life lessons.
The
greatest story and most profound life lesson was told by Hope Douglas, founder
of Winds Over Wings. She shared the story of Sky, a golden eagle who came to
Wind Over Winds reluctantly. (Was not present on Saturday.) For various
reasons, he was unable to be released back into the wild. As a result, Sky was
an unhappy bird. Quite literally, an angry bird. He wanted to fly and be free.
He wanted to be wild as he was meant to be. Living in captivity depressed him.
Life, it seemed to Sky, was unfair. Hope decided to let him be angry, to be
unhappy. But in doing so, she read to him every night with the chance that it
would ease his pain. Finally, and for reasons unknown, Sky decided to no longer
live in anger at the misfortune bestowed upon him. Now, when he and Hope go out
into the community to share with others about proper environmental stewardship,
he sings to his audience. Somehow, Sky decided that life was worth living. Despite
the fact that he can no longer live in the way he was born to live, he decided
to be happy and sing anyway. Sky’s message? Life doesn’t always go as planned,
but we can choose to be happy despite the disappointment we face.
For
more information, to make a donation to, or to bring Wind Over Wings into your
educational programming, visit, www.windoverwings.com or call Hope Douglas at
207-809-9168.
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