Open hearts, open wings

COEUR d’ALENE — The community at Avondale Golf Course is healing after one of their own pleaded guilty to killing an osprey.

More than 30 neighbors of all ages gathered at the clubhouse Monday for an educational program by Jane and Don Veltkamp, the owners of the nonprofit Birds of Prey Northwest in St. Maries. 

“I hope you remember forever seeing this program,” Don Veltkamp told the crowd. 

Neighbors said it was moving to see raptors up close, from the diminutive northern saw-whet owl to the powerful golden eagle, without glass or the bars of a cage separating them. 

“It’s a great way for this community to move on,” said neighbor Cheryl Freeman. “Now it’s time to forgive and cherish these amazing animals.” 

Last week, Avondale resident Michael Hardin pleaded guilty to unlawfully taking an osprey, a misdemeanor. He received a suspended jail sentence and was ordered to pay a fine and complete a hunter safety course. 

Hardin told the court that the ospreys nesting in a tree on his property “evacuated” each time they flew over his patio and deck. He said he fired a pellet gun at the birds to make them change their flight path, not to injure them. But on June 14, Hardin hit the mother osprey, killing her. 

As a result of the osprey’s death, a chick died in the nest and an egg never hatched. 

Before the presentation Monday, Hardin gave letters to his neighbors, describing what happened and apologizing for killing the osprey.  

“I deeply regret my actions and the impact they have had on the local wildlife and this great community at Avondale Golf Course,” the letter said in part. “I understand that ospreys are a protected species and play a vital role in our ecosystem. My actions were not only irresponsible but also contrary to the values I hold regarding wildlife conservation. I take full responsibility for my behavior and the distress it has caused.” 

Chrissie Kaye, Hardin’s neighbor, reported the osprey killing to Fish and Game. She donated the $250 reward she received to Birds of Prey Northwest and helped arrange for the educational program at the clubhouse. 

Kaye said she was glad to see her neighbors gathered to learn about raptors and the role they play in the ecosystem. 

“It felt very heartwarming to me,” she said. “What started out as a sad event is now a happy event.” 

The Veltkamps introduced several raptors to the crowd, including Rusty, a red-tailed hawk they describe as a “miracle bird.” 

When Rusty was a baby, a windstorm blew him out of the nest. He plummeted to the ground, breaking both wings. He seemed unlikely to survive, but the Veltkamps nursed him back to health. His wings healed. 

“God fixed those wings,” Don Veltkamp said. “We didn’t.” 

Though he can fly, Rusty can’t live in the wild. Blind in one eye, he can hunt well enough to feed himself but wouldn’t be able to support a family of hawks. To release him would be to doom future chicks to death by starvation — so instead, Rusty helps teach the public about birds of prey. 

Like Rusty, the other permanent residents of the St. Maries center have disabilities that prevent them from living in the wild. 

The Veltkamps also rehabilitate raptors and set them free. Most recently, they released a young bald eagle, a red-tailed hawk and an osprey. 

They’re only able to save about half the birds they take in, Don Veltkamp said, and it’s getting tougher for the donor-funded organization. Caring for the birds grows more expensive each year, topping out at around $90,000 last year.

But whatever the cost, saving raptors makes it all worthwhile. 

“That’s the reward we get,” he said. 

    A peregrine falcon looks out at unfamiliar human faces during an educational program Monday.
  

    Michael Hardin watches an educational program about raptors.