BT Edmonton Blogs

The fact that I have been getting a little bigger myself has not escaped the keen eyes of our viewers.

Glad I could help some of you make some easy money in this tough economy!

Thank you so much for all of your kind wishes. They are greatly appreciated

xo Wendy

Wendy Sandwith, thank your lucky stars.

While my beloved BT co-host recovers from a nasty bout of cough and cold, I branched out and opened up my arm as a perch for a big bird of prey. You see, Wendy is deathly afraid of bats, birds…pretty much any living being with wings. Part of me wondered if she hadn’t checked our show schedule ahead of time and (cough, cough) “needed another day to rest.”

Turns out “Spirit,” the absolutely beautiful Golden Eagle I got to hold – and “Mr. Bogle,” the Great Horned Owl Bridget Ryan got to know - gave us no reason for concern. Sure, the 5-foot wingspan can be a little intimidating when fully-flexed…but for the most part, all of our feathered friends from the Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation were on their best behaviour.

Foundation director Colin Weir told us a few stories of how owls, falcons, hawks and eagles find their way to the centre. A great number of the injured birds are struck by cars – they spend a lot of time on the ground hunting for prey, and are often startled by vehicles whizzing past grassy ditches. A select few (”Spirit” included) fall victim to hunters’ stray (or irresponsibly-aimed) shells, unable to survive on their own in the wild. These ”rescue birds” find new life at the centre, acting as foster parents for abandoned baby birds.

For more on the centre, check them out online or swing by the Edmonton Boat and Sportsmans’ Show. For more unexpected moments (like Bridget caught between an excited eagle and an ornery owl), keep tuning into BT – weekdays from 6-10am!

rpj.

Colin Weir helps me handle "Spirit" while "Mr. Bogle" looks on.

A recipe for disaster!